Spay incontinence? Tell me more! - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

candycornsnake · 12-06-2009, 10:55 AM

I asked this question in the puppy board and got a good answer but I really want to know more.

The last 3 female dobies that my parents owned all had problems after being spayed. They all 3 leaked urine and the vet they use said it was fairly common in that breed.
Now mind you...they have a backwoods vet (closest in 40 miles) who does not exactly keep up with the times. And I have a very good vet with a very good reputation (Falls Road Animal Hospital in Baltimore Md) who I use because of my exotics.
But is this a problem with spayed females? Or just a bad vet office?

*answer I got*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexxsmom

Many females do suffer from spay incontinence, but it is easily fixed with some hormone drugs. The reputation of the vet doesn't really change the rate at which it happens, it is common.

So what causes it? Why does hormones help? How costly is this medication? Why do these dogs have this breed fault, genetic...or is it because of other reasons? Does your girl have this problem?

BoxMeIn21 · 12-06-2009, 11:13 AM

I have a boxer not a dobe, but she developed spay incontinence. I haven't gone the prescription route since her leaking is pretty managable by adding parsley to her diet. I am sure if it gets worse we'll have to try something else but so far so good.

Murreydobe · 12-06-2009, 12:16 PM

Spay incontinence occurs in around 20% of all spayed bitches, regardless of breed. While it may be more common in doberman bitches, it's definitely not unheard of in bitches from other breeds or mixes. I believe it's due to the urinary sphincter not being as tight as it once was.

There are a variety of different ways it can be controlled. Some can be controlled by giving a grain free diet. Other people have had success giving the bitch cornsilk daily. Even among prescription medications used for treatment, the drugs vary. The most widely used drug is PPA-which is a decongestant (vaso-constrictor). DES (a hormone) is sometimes used, but it doesn't work for all bitches.

I just picked up PPA for my bitch the other day-it was around $50 for a ninety day supply. She gets two tablets daily. I've had one other doberman bitch with spay incontinence, she stayed dry on 1 tablet daily-so that $50 cost was spread out even further.

Casandra · 12-06-2009, 12:18 PM

I've had two spayed bitches (beagle mix and a Dobergirl x foster) who had no problems with "leaking".

Murreydobe · 12-06-2009, 12:24 PM

I've owned more spayed bitches (including dobermans) who *didn't* develop spay incontinence than did. And one of the few I've owned who did have this problem is a mixed breed dog. It all comes down to the luck of the draw.

**dobegal** · 12-06-2009, 12:52 PM

Murreydobe, My vet told me exactly what you stated about the sphincter. All of my girls had spay incontinence. The first two I used DES and I gave that daily for 3-4 weeks and they were fine for a number of months without and then I started it up again, This off and on went on during their life span. With my latest girl I use Proin. It started with once a day every 3-4 days, that lasted for about 1 year, then every other day for 2 years. Now I give her one tablet every day.

**EmilyB** · 12-06-2009, 04:24 PM

I voted for the girl that has it, she is on Propalin and has had no further problems.

My other girl is spayed and has no incontinence issues at all.

doberkim · 12-06-2009, 05:04 PM

Cheryl already covered the basics.

I've had odd situations - two of my older dogs were spayed late in life (Mya at 6, Destiny just done 3 weeks ago at about 9), and the other I don't know if she was ever actually spayed (Willow was adopted at 9). Willow was absolutely incontinent and controlled with PPA. Berlin is still intact and the others never had a problem.

I do know of intact bitches that become incontinent as they get older.

the_discowhore · 12-06-2009, 05:41 PM

We had two bitches that did "leak" and one that didn't by the age of 8. Had one of them on that sweet smelling, syrupy incontinence medication that for the life of me I can't remember the name of. It didn't really seem to work...

csmith4242 · 12-06-2009, 05:47 PM

2 of our spayed females developed incontinence later in life after they were 7-8 years old.Wish I had known about parsley, I will try it next time.

Murreydobe · 12-06-2009, 06:04 PM

Just so the OP doesn't get confused, PPA is marketed and sold under at least a couple of different brand names: Proin and Propalin.

FairSky · 12-06-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murreydobe

Some can be controlled by giving a grain free diet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casandra

I've had two spayed bitches (beagle mix and a Dobergirl x foster) who had no problems with "leaking".

What do you feed cassandra?

the_discowhore · 12-06-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murreydobe

Just so the OP doesn't get confused, PPA is marketed and sold under at least a couple of different brand names: Proin and Propalin.

Ah yes propalin is what I was thinking of, thanks Murrey

lolonurse · 12-06-2009, 11:50 PM

The only female I've ever had that developed incontinence, I can't say for sure if it was spay related, because it didn't start until about 3 or 3 1/2 years after she was spayed. That was Melody. We tried her on PPA (I think - I still think in terms of human drugs), but it made her even crazier than she was, so we stopped, and just bought chux, rubber-backed washable throw rugs, and other things to cover her favorite spots, and let her be her own sweet, crazy, leaky self. None of the others, not the Boxers, GSD's, mutts ever had the problem. Hormones help stave off the decreasing muscle tone brought about by diminished hormone levels - certain herbs can do much the same thing.

thea2003 · 12-07-2009, 01:25 AM

Mine was spayed at 2.5yrs. She has spay incontinece and i dont medicate because im not comfortable having my dog on drugs permanently starting at such a young age.
I started a thread about this and quite a few people gave me some good tips.
I always make sure my couch is covered and also take her outside to pee especially shortly after she has been exercising alot. If i notice she is drinking more water, i take her outside more etc.
Arghh Urinary Incontinence Need Suggestions!

PoPatt · 12-07-2009, 10:14 AM

Gretel is spayed and is only incontinent at night or when she is sleeping. The vet put her on something (I can't remember what at this time) but it didn't help. I use chuks in her bed but also got human incontinence pads that are washable and wick the urine away from her. I bought some spray bath for her so I don't get any more urine burn on my poor girl.

naturaldobe · 12-10-2009, 08:19 AM

See, this is one of the reasons I wanted a male instead of a female! Oh well, you take the cards you're dealt. Does anyone know any way to prevent spay incontinence from happening? And at what age would you recommend spaying a female Doberpup?

mandyjw · 12-11-2009, 11:02 AM

My older dobes have had problems with it since they were spayed at 6 months. I was going to wait to spay my puppy until after her first heat as I heard it's a lot less likely to happen if you wait. After reading this thread I'm not sure if it's worth it. Thoughts?

Murreydobe · 12-11-2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mandyjw

My older dobes have had problems with it since they were spayed at 6 months. I was going to wait to spay my puppy until after her first heat as I heard it's a lot less likely to happen if you wait. After reading this thread I'm not sure if it's worth it. Thoughts?

I've owned three bitches who developed spay incontinence-every one of them was spayed as a mature adult of at least 3 years of age. I don't believe it makes a bit of difference when you spay them.

GRAYGHOST · 12-11-2009, 03:29 PM

My AmStaff has this problem and the DES has controlled it. All Creatures Great and Small The Lord God Made Them All.

2-charming · 04-16-2010, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murreydobe

I've owned three bitches who developed spay incontinence-every one of them was spayed as a mature adult of at least 3 years of age. I don't believe it makes a bit of difference when you spay them.

Murrey does incontinence happen right away after spaying or later. If this happened to an older bitch I would just assume it was old age. My girl was spayed about 2 months ago, so far so good. I was hoping this meant we would have no problems .

jazzigua79 · 04-21-2010, 08:49 AM

My girl was spayed a little after a year, after 1st 2 heats. I didn't notice her leaking until almost 6 months later and it's very sporadic. When I do notice her leaking I give her the PPA drug, 1/2 tablet for a couple days and then she is fine again. If others have had luck controlling with diet I would be interested in more information!

R2reddobes · 04-21-2010, 11:27 AM

Mine was spayed after her first heat and started leaking not long after. She was on PPA most of her life. One pill per day usually helped but sometimes had to go to 2 pills a day. PPA was banned from human use because (I think) of the risk of strokes. Have any of your vets ever mentioned a risk?

KokoPuffs · 04-21-2010, 07:29 PM

Has anyone been told their female could be spay incontinent because of recurring (6-8wks) UTI's/bladder infections that always show a weak positive but don't culture? All else checks out well, but she ALWAYS has to go out, can't cut it off or goes a little, comes in freaks out and has to go back out a few minutes later. At times she does cry and she is NOT a big drinker. In all honesty, she is borderline a camel! Oh, and she does leak here and there when there seems to be inflammation, but I have blankets and sheets out everywhere for her. She's always had plumbing issues, though more so with #2 than #1.

She was a rescue, so I have no idea how old she was when spayed, but I would guess she was young.

**CourtneyJ** · 04-22-2010, 08:04 PM

Shannon is only a 1 1/2 and she was spayed at 6 months.

Too early for anything meaningful but no issues as of yet.

She had a couple leaking issues 8-10 months ago which they attributed to UTI's. Gave her the medicine and cleared up no issues.

But wanting to avoid similar issues, I did some research and give her pala-tech daily cranberry supplement.

Maybe no correlation but no issues since I started the cranberry.