Urniary Incontinence – A natural approach?

Go to health food store and ask for supplement for pituitary gland.

Don’t bother with a “natural” approach….Have had 2 dogs with urinary “spay” incontinence. The first one totally ruined the carpet and any furniture she came into contact with. This time is a border collie (first time was a doberman) and we put her on stilbesterol 2 mg every 4 days. Tried to stretch it out further, but it didn’t work. Have blood tests done yearly and all is fine. She learned to “pee” on command and we make sure she empties her bladder every 4-6 hours, except at night, and she can go a full 8 hours and not have any problem. This is an 8 year old dog, on medication since she was 2+ years old after her spay surgery and it became a problem.

had a similar problem and our vet had her on a female hormone (sorry, I can’t remember the name; it was 3 yrs. ago) and also Proin. I know you don’t want to use Proin but after all these years wouldn’t you consider it if it would help??

Its my understanding (and experience) that you really can’t fix this problem if it is due to a bad spay job. I have a Shep who’s been incontinent since about the age of 2. She is now 12. The leaks started sporadically at first, but over time became more frequent. I have never used Proin or any estrogen therapy, because in her particular case, the problem is not caused by a hormonal imbalance, but because she was too stretched during the spay surgery, which damages the sphincter muscles (and the back muscles). In some instances, surgery can help if the cause is due to too high or too large a vaginal opening, or if the folds are too thick, but that is a less common cause of spay incontinence, which effects anywhere from 5% to 20% of all spayed females. To be certain it is not merely a hormonal problem, you would have to test her levels. There is likely some reduction of hormones after spaying. However, treating that condition alone will not result in a cure or even reasonable management of the problem, because the underlying cause is damaged muscle control. It would be far better to seek tubal ligation for female dogs, rather than the current method of butchery, which is essentially a hysterectomy. Incontinent dogs are highly prone to UTI’s, and it is essential to check frequently and get urine cultures done in addition to regular urine analyses to determine the specific bacteria that needs to be treated, and its corresponding antiobiotic. Many vets will recommend an ultrasound-guided cystocentesis, but I did this once and will never put my dog through that procedure again. It is very, very hard to draw urine directly from the bladder, because as quickly as urine is produced, it is emptying out, so don’t get talked into this painful and very costly procedure, especially since it will have to be done on a frequent basis. While it is true that the free catch method can cause incorrect readings because of a greater likelihood of contamination from outside the urinary stream, it is far kinder this way, and reasonably reliable. I find that frequent gentle daily washing with a mild soap and complete rinsing helps, and so does keeping all hair around the vulva trimmed away as much as possible. Keep the anal glands (and surrounding area) emptied and clean to avoid leakage down toward the vulva, which can cause e coli to form in the urinary tract. You can give D-Mannose in a little broth to guard against e coli infection. Try to acidify the urine to between 5.5 and 6.0 pH, which will help prevent a lot of bacteria from forming. Cranberry fruit caps from Sundown will help keep a lower pH, but best results for pH is a natural raw food diet of high-quality protein that is mid-range in protein level, and is moderate in fat content, and includes ground bone (I suggest avoiding calcium supplements such as bone meal). I would be most curious if Carol Williams would expound on her suggestion of a pituitary gland supplement, as this is something I have not come across before. I, too, would love to find a safe way to help control this problem for my girl, so Ms. Williams, if you know a secret, please share it. Thanks.

Try “Bladder Strength” by “Vetri Science”, it has worked well for my dog. I previously used Proin, then switched to Traditional Chinese Medicine (herbs).

I have a female Doberman that has had a spay leak. Bless her heart she would go to sleep and pee. I changed her dog food to Taste of the Wild. I know that is hard to believe but it is the dog food. A couple of times she had to eat another brand and we had the same problem again, but as soon as she is back on the Taste of the Wild she stops. It would be worth a try instead of giving her all those medicines.

My rescue dog, male and spayed, had an urinary incontinence since I got him with approx. 1.5 years. Due to 2 spanish vets, who did not know very well their job, the poor one was put several times on antibiotics, which did not help at all and the dog was obviously feeling unhappy about his problem. At night he was sleeping with nappies. Finally another vet realized he had a kidney problem and he had to be on strict diet, which helped. It took us nearly a year, but now my dog is clean and seems to be very happy.

My former dog, a spayed female, had a urinary problem only at night, which started when she was about 12 years old. The vet prescipted hormonal treatment and at night she waited patiently until she got her nappies on. She got 16 years old.

I guess it is different from dog to dog and you might need patience and a good vet to find a solution.
Good luck!

Dear MicheleLisa, I have been in vet field for 20 years, and I have never heard so much bullshit as in your post.

Hi! Go to the Dogs Naturally website and look for VetriScience Bladder Strength. My mom’s dog was leaking in her sleep, too. This is an all-natural pill using Chinese herbs. Mom’s dog no longer leaks in her sleep. It started working within a few days. No bullshit here, just real experience!