[SallyMaeBoofums]

I have a three year old female basset hound that is fully potty trained. Over the last couple months she has peed while she slept several times. I am not sure if she is mad at us, to lazy to get up or if something is wrong. Has anyone ever heard of something like this. Any suggestions?

 

[biscuit]

My lovely and perfectly gigantic German Shepherd girl does this. She has spay incontinence.

It was very bad when I first adopted her --- she would almost flood an area, so I was scared she had some horrible disease.

But it's gotten much much better -- she still does it a bit, but nothing like it was.

For her, exercise, better nutrition and a major lessening of stress made all the difference in the world.

If your girl has stress incontinence, sometimes the only thing that works is some drug --- ??? Can't remember what it is. Here, though, lots of exercise, good eats and much reduced stress (she wasn't in a great situation before) have made a huge difference.

Because she does still do it a bit, I have the sofa covered with a thick comforter and have encouraged her not to lay on the floor, but stay on her bed. That makes cleanup easy and allows her to engage in the normal indoors doggie hi-jinx.

Be sure to get her to a vet --- other things can cause this, too, I imagine --- but if it's spay incontinence, it's actually pretty easy to deal with.

 

[shallhb]

Couldn't agree with Biscuit more--if it is spay incontinence--it's really treatable.
Check with your vet.

 

[Mikey T]

The typical dog that develops what you describe are spayed females of middle age or older, but can effect males and intact dogs as well, hence the name Spay incontinence. It is thought to be exaserbated by the reduction in sex hormones. The usual treatment has been Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which was a common incredient in diet pills and cold medicines until just a few years ago when it was linked to strokes in young women, and banned by the FDA. No similar link has been found in dogs, and PPA has been released for use in dogs under the brand name "Proin".

Prion has replaced Phenylpropanolamine

URINARY INCONTINENCE

juhen incontinence results from loss of urethral sphincter tone, the disorder is known as sphincter incompetence. The causes of sphincter incompetence are unclear. The disorder can occur in male and female dogs of any age or breed. The most striking feature of urethral sphincter incompetence, however, is that the overwhelming majority of cases are spayed bitches.

The onset of incontinence can take place immediately after surgery or many years later. In most cases, incontinence is observed about three years after spaying. Obviously, the underlying mechanism of incontinence in these dogs must be related to ovariohysterectomy. Some veterinary urologists believe the culprit is low post-surgical estrogen concentrations. This is supported by the finding that many affected bitches respond to estrogen therapy. However, the theory doesn't explain why some bitches become incontinent after spaying and others don't. It also doesn't explain why pregnant bitches (with high progesterone and low estrogen levels) don't become incontinent.

Incontinence in the Bitch

Urinary Incontinence

The most common clinical signs are urine dribbling from a recumbent or sleeping dog. Dribbling may even occur in the standing dog when not excited.

In spayed bitches urinary incontinence is reported to have an incidence of between 11-20%. Acquired urinary incontinence occurs in 20% of spayed dogs with a strong correlation between bodyweight and the risk of urinary incontinence.

Loss of spincter control is not the only cause of these symptoms and other causes such as stones, atotomical defect, diabetes and other desease that effect the kidney's along with Urinary tract infections must be ruled out. See you vet but be sure to explain when the problem is occuring because far to often they are too quick to diagnose it as a behavioral problem rather than a medical one.

[ August 27, 2004, 06:48 AM: Message edited by: Toughynutter ]