Miss Lucy is a JRT who is at least 16 years old. She no longer remembers to use the dog door to go outside when she needs to pee. She just pees wherever she is at the time, making for some unfortunately placed puddles. She is otherwise happy and healthy. Appetite good, tail wagging, still able to get up on the bed and/or sofa. We’ve just been cleaning up after her. We bought some of the sprinkle-on stuff to absorb the pee, but she just walks through it, spreading it around, and making a worse mess. She uses the dog door to go outside, and does go outside when she wants to. Pee is normal color and she doesn’t seem to have any difficulty going. Any suggestions?
I would have her checked for a UTI fairly soon, as that can cause incontinence.
There are meds like Proin that are pretty effective and safe for incontinence, and you can also buy doggie diapers.
I would visit your vet to make sure she doesn’t have an infection, and look into medication if that’s all clear.
I second the recommendation for Proin. It really improved the quality of life for my sweet elderly Lab mix I used to have. She had her pride and just hated it when she would pee in inappropriate places. The Proin gave her the bit of extra control to help me get her outside in time.
Inexpensive disposable baby diapers can be altered for a female dog’s incontinence needs, and they cost a lot less than the kind specifically for dogs. With my angel queen Basenji who I lost at nearly 17 years not quite a year ago, I bought the diapers based on an estimate of her waist and cut a hole in the back for her tail before putting them on. They were very helpful for overnight, as her preferred sleeping place was in my arms. :sadsmile:
[QUOTE=laskiblue;7057825]
I second the recommendation for Proin. It really improved the quality of life for my sweet elderly Lab mix I used to have. She had her pride and just hated it when she would pee in inappropriate places. The Proin gave her the bit of extra control to help me get her outside in time.
Inexpensive disposable baby diapers can be altered for a female dog’s incontinence needs, and they cost a lot less than the kind specifically for dogs. With my angel queen Basenji who I lost at nearly 17 years not quite a year ago, I bought the diapers based on an estimate of her waist and cut a hole in the back for her tail before putting them on. They were very helpful for overnight, as her preferred sleeping place was in my arms. :sadsmile:[/QUOTE]
Aw :sadsmile:
Some drug stores sell the good hospital-type bed pads. Quilted on top water proof underneith to protect rugs or beds. I like them better than ‘puppy pads’.
Ugh, I have very few useful suggestions but lots of sympathy. I have a 5 year old Great Dane who developed sleep incontinence two years ago. Great Danes sleep a LOT, it is not a good situation (especially as her preferred sleeping spot is on the couch). Proin is not an option for her because of her anxiety level, but fortunately we completely by accident (no pun intended) discovered that the root of her issues is apparently nerve-related, and as long as she has a chiropractic adjustment every three weeks her incontinence is fairly well-controlled. That’s not as likely to help if it is age-related, though. In addition, I keep her on a homeopathic remedy called Leaks No More that I do think has helped her. I tried every variation of diapers, human and dog, that I could find and couldn’t find one that fit well enough to stay on her. So I buy her waterproof dog beds, and steam clean my couch regularly. I did buy a waterproof couch cover (quilted microfiber on top, actually reasonably attractive), which would probably be a great option for most dogs, but waterproof does not apparently mean Great Dane pee level of waterproof. It is a really really frustrating problem to deal with, though.
Our standard poodle has spay incontinence issues. She does well on Proin.
My mom’s miniature poodle cannot take Proin (or anything else either). She wears doggie diapers most of the time and my mom monitors/limits her water intake.
[QUOTE=Pookah;7066316]
Ugh, I have very few useful suggestions but lots of sympathy. I have a 5 year old Great Dane who developed sleep incontinence two years ago. Great Danes sleep a LOT, it is not a good situation (especially as her preferred sleeping spot is on the couch). Proin is not an option for her because of her anxiety level…[/QUOTE]
What is the link between Proin and anxiety? The dog I had one it is about the most tightly wound guy you could find and I didn’t notice any change, except that he wasn’t peeing everywhere.
[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7066906]
What is the link between Proin and anxiety? The dog I had one it is about the most tightly wound guy you could find and I didn’t notice any change, except that he wasn’t peeing everywhere.[/QUOTE]
The active ingredient in Proin, phenylpropanolamine, stimulates the production of catecholamines, which result in vasoconstriction of smooth muscle. Smooth muscle is located at the urethral sphincter, so contraction of musculature there allows for urethral pressure to increase and leaking to be controlled.
ALL dogs that are spayed experience a decrease in urethral pressure following ovary removal. Some experience a further decrease than others, and this is what results in spay/acquired incontinence. Proin is effectively able to increase urethral pressure back to what it was pre-spay.
Regarding behavior and anxiety: phenylpropanolamine stimulates catecholamine production: epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. These are uppers, if you will, and can result in behavior changes/anxiety in some dogs. It is absolutely an individualistic response however - a lot of dogs are fine on it, some can only handle it at a lower dose, and some can’t handle it at all.
My PSA for all you owners with dogs on Proin: it vasoconstricts smooth muscle all over the body, not just the urethral sphincter. This means vasoconstriction of blood vessels - hypertension is a possible adverse effect of Proin administration. Please be sure to have your dog’s blood pressure taken regularly!
Sign me up for the support group. 12 year old female GSxLab with bladder cancer :(. I use the large flat pads over a foam mat, and under bath mats. Laundry at least once a day.
I fourth the recommendation for Proin. When my lab was 10, she started leaving little puddles when she stood up, and completely wetting herself while sleeping. Nothing quite like chasing an old lab around as she wagged her pee soaked tail through the house :lol: We started her on Proin and at 13.5 years, she still is pee free 
