peeing problem

[Basset Mom]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with their dogs leaking pee when relaxing. A friend just got a 1 year old basset and it has this problem of course they are going to be taking her to their vet but I was curious if anyone has heard of this and what they had to do to correct this, the previous owner said that there is a pill that she can take that will correct this and there is a surgery that can be done also. She is the sweetest little girl, they brought her over today to visit.

[Cincy'sMom]

My mom's 15 year old poodle/beagle mix has had problems oer the last few months being able to control her bladder. She is now on medication that has helped. I believe her problem is age, but I have heard of other females having this problem once they are spayed. If she is able to control it with medication, that seems to me, like a better option then surgery (unless of course there are long term affects of the meds)

[Basset Mom]

Do you know how long before the medicine started controlling it?

[Cincy'sMom]

Not exactly, but she has only been on the meds 2-3 weeks. I think it maybe took a couple days? I'll check!

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

Yes, Oreo has this problem. Her vet called it "spay incontinence" after she ruled out a UTI and other possibilities. This leaking while sleeping in houstrained, young, spayed dogs can be due to an estrogen depletion. There are two meds that do help, and which you take depends on which drug the individual dog tolerates better, your vet, and the availability in your area.

The first is PPA, or phenylpropanolamine; it was the active ingredient in some diet pills for humans that have been banned, but it seems to be safe for dogs. Oreo took this once a day and had good results with stopping the leaking, but a side effect for her was restlessness.

The second is DES, or diethylstilbestrol; this is a synthetic estrogen also banned from human use but OK for dogs in low doses. Oreo now takes this one pill twice a week also with good results. I've read a side effect with high doses may be bone marrow depletion, but our vet says that at our dose she is OK.

There is more information on both if you search Google with the drug name and "dogs".

We have to buy both drugs from a compounding pharmacy at the local (human) hospital, but they don't cost too much.
Sorry this is long, but I hope this helps! Others here on PT also have this problem, so you should get lots of info. Best wishes to the pup!