CANINE HEALTH

Ask your veterinarian about PPA for serious urinary incontinence in older dogs, spayed females or neutered males.

HELP FOR CANINE URINARY INCONTINENCE PROBLEMS

Research notes by Roberta Lee, DD., PhD., ND., TheDogPlace.org Science Editor

Elderly, spayed or neutered dogs may "leak" urine but frequent urination can indicate a kidney or bladder infection so here's how to collect a urine sample for your veterinarian.

Frequent urination or leaking is a not an uncommon problem but here are answers and protocols that will help with diagnosis and proper treatment. Leaking or having to urinate every two or three hours is not a housebreaking problem, it is a sign of what could be a serious health problem in your dog.

See reference and other links below for housebreaking help but for difficult or uncontrolled urination, see your veterinarian! First though, be a good diagnostician because you are the only one who can provide accurate symptoms and a urine sample in order to help your vet determine the cause of a urinary problem.

Leaking urine is an obvious signal of kidney or bladder problem but if combined with excessive thirst it may indicate diabetes or something called Cushing/s disease. Having done a simple urine analysis, your veterinarian can do bloodwork to check for disease. Prompt diagnosis is important! Frequent urination can be caused by a simple, treatable infection or it could indicate bladder stones or even a tumor.

Female dogs will urinate frequently when they are in estrus (heat) but that is normal signaling and not to be confused with a kidney or bladder infection or some kind of urinary tract obstruction. Male dogs will urinate more frequently (mark territory) if your neighbor's female dog is in estrus. But if all else is normal and your dog begins to leak or has to "go" often, you need to collect a urine sample.

Attach a small plastic cup to the end of a fishing pole, a slender stick, even a handy measuring "yardstick" which can be easily purchased. With a small female dog you may have to attach a small "saucer" to a yardstick in order to slide it under her when she squats.

To collect a urine sample without having to follow your dog around waiting for it to pee, you can confine him or her in a garage, utility room, bathroom or other area where there is no carpeting.  The dog will have to "go" sooner or later, so be prepared with an eyedropper and preferably, a small glass container that can be sealed to prevent spillage on the way to the vet's office.

Do make the effort to collect a urine sample at home because if the vet has to do it, your dog will likely suffer pain and trauma... That said, do not let them anesthetize the dog in order to collect a sample. Easier on the vet tech but risky and NOT easy on your dog.

The website publisher is a long-time dog breeder and natural health expert which is why she does this.  I am a pet owner who also believes in natural or herbal cures for people and for pets. If you have tried some kind of home remedy without success, there is one tried and true old treatment for urinary bladder or tract infection. Apple cider vinegar and honey.

Depending on the size of your dog, a teaspoon to a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and an equal amount of pure honey, not the usual sugar-added stuff on most grocer shelves. Just like in people, the honey downplays the "bite" of the apple cider vinegar but honey is also one of nature's most effective healing agents. (they will put more information on that somewhere below.)

In November 2011, FDA officials announced that PPA, a human-approved drug found in weight loss aids and nasal decongestants, eventually would be pulled from the market after a Yale study revealed a link between the drug’s use and hemorrhage stroke in women. Veterinarians also prescribed the drug off-label to treat bladder control problems and canine urinary incontinence. When FDA officials advised pharmaceutical companies to discontinue PPA production, DVMs lost PPA sources.

But it wasn’t long before at least one manufacturer restarted PPA output. According to Larkins, pharmaceutical companies and veterinarians can apply for regulatory discretion with the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Regulation (CDER) to purchase or make PPA for canines. The regulatory discretion is temporary and will last until CDER bans the drug or pharmaceutical companies invest in testing PPA as a canine urinary incontinence treatment and receive FDA approval, she says.  The product is available through most veterinary distributors, but some compounding pharmacies, which do not fall under FDA guidelines, also are marketing PPA.

The best preventative is DO NOT SPAY OR NEUTER⁽¹⁾ your dog. Among other serious health risks, urinary incontinence and frequent urination is predictable as the dog ages.  If your dog has urinary incontinence, see your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.  Neither you nor your beloved dog have to suffer.

Reference and Related Information Articles:  (1) Spay & Neuter Health Risks  ~  Housebreaking The Puppy  ~  ii THERAPY vs. CURE

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