Incontinence In Older Dogs

[bushies.girl]

Little Meggie our JRT is 14.5 yr s old and is becoming incontinent particularly during the night    ... Any suggestions I can use to help her pls? 

[mtnlane]

Bushie, when our LL started to suffer from this, her previous vet put her on Stilbestrol which worked well for her.

She is now on Incurin though as it is more 'natural' and impacts less on her skin condition as a result.

Incurin is a daily dose whereas Stilbestrol (after an initial period of daily doses) we were able to reduce to one every two days.

Still prefer the more natural one though.

Hope this is of some help to you and relieves your Meggie's embarrassment  

[ashjoma]

Has the vet checked her for a urinary tract infection ?

We had an elderly Maltese x. She would have incontinence. She would go on antibiotics which would clear things up and help for 6 months or so, then it would recurr.

Then she started having blood stained urine, more antibiotics.

We chose not to put her through invasive testing.

Then when she was about 14 , She passed obvious blood and the vet thought he could feel a mass in her bladder
She ended up getting worse and eventually was put to sleep.

[channys_mum]

Have a chat to your vet, it's the surest way to go.

My Honey dog is in early stages of kidney failure, but then at 16.5 something is bound to be failing. She is doing fine incontinence wise thus far. Only has accidents when she can't get out, or if she heads off the wrong way. She is blind.

Good luck with your little mate Meggie.

[tcmsecretuseid]

So far you have gotten some very good suggestions. 

You are looking at the age of your dog, which is one reason why she is starting to become incontinent. However, it could be anything, from a weak bladder, to a bladder infection, etc. 

Call the vets office, and make an appt. 

In the meantime, you might have to take her out several times a day, and at least once in the middle of the night. Pee-pads have a scent on them that helps let the dog know that they are allowed to go in the house. I would use them as a last resort. I had a 20 year old Doxie who used those in the end. He was blind, could barely walk, and really didn't even try to go out on his own. We would take him outside, but it was hit and miss in the end. Scooby was worth the extra work. 

Do you have carpet? There are some spot cleaners that are made specifically for cleaning up urine. 

(((Maggie)))

[bushies.girl]

Thanks so much for your suggestions, I pretty sure it's more to do with her age than an infection etc but will def make a vet appointment for her, hopefully she will be with us for a while yet

[ten*teeny*tiny*toes]

Bushie, my mum's dog was 17 and a half, there were some tablets from the vet that worked a treat.

Not cheap but worth it for sure.

[bushies.girl]

Thanks 🙂 Am going to ask the vet about them, we she has her visit

[mtnlane]

Bushie FYI I just found our most recent vet account - $51.50 for a months supply of Incurin.

Expensive but well worth it imo.

Unfortunately pharmaceutical companies seem to prey on pet owners' love of their pets with their prices!  Not being able to purchase this type of medication direct from an alternative source at a lower cost (instead having to go through your vet) when it has proven to be efficacious is just profiteering imo 

[bushies.girl]

Thanks so much! I agree we pet owners are at the vet's mercy. My vet charges $96 for Comfortis, I can buy it online for around $60 which is a huge difference. With 3 GSD's I go through 1 packet every 2 months so the saving does add up.