Natural Incontinence "Medication"

[mnp13]

Ruby is having her yearly bout of incontinance. She has pills that she takes but they make her vomit sometimes. This is the worst round so far, she usually only leaks when she is in deep sleep but she is now leaking even during little naps and occasionally when she is just walking around the house.

I'd like to get her off of the drugs and on to something non-pharmicutical.

Any ideas?

[Marinepits]

What drug is she on now?

Our old girl Sam (RIP) was on several meds over the years for incontinence.

[mnp13]

It starts with a P and is about 15 letters long. It comes in a purple bottle. I don't have the bottle here with me.

[a-bull]

Has she been checked for diabetes?

[Marinepits]

It starts with a P and is about 15 letters long. It comes in a purple bottle. I don't have the bottle here with me.

Proin? (Pro-in) White bottle, purple label?

[Marinepits]

Has she been checked for diabetes?

Michelle, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ruby's issue cropped up because of her pyrometria and subsequent spay, yes?

Sam's was due to a poor spay job about 2 years before we adopted her.

[mnp13]

It starts with a P and is about 15 letters long. It comes in a purple bottle. I don't have the bottle here with me.

Proin? (Pro-in) White bottle, purple label?

That's the stuff!

Has she been checked for diabetes?

Michelle, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ruby's issue cropped up because of her pyrometria and subsequent spay, yes?

that is correct

[a-bull]

Has she been checked for diabetes?

Michelle, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ruby's issue cropped up because of her pyrometria and subsequent spay, yes?

Sam's was due to a poor spay job about 2 years before we adopted her.

I was just thinking if she has issues with incontinence, it would be a constant issue . . . whereas incontinence from diabetes could come and go.

[mnp13]

Actually, it is a cycle for her approximately every 8 months

[Marinepits]

We tried Sam on Proin for a bit, but it didn't really help, even at maximum dosage. The only medicine that worked for her was DES and most vets won't prescribe that anymore. I believe it's a synthetic hormone and can cause all sorts of problems. She was on a very low dose of it for about 12 years -- she passed at 15 due to kidney failure but it's unknown if the DES caused the kidney failure.

We never tried any natural substance, but I can ask around.

[Marinepits]

Has she been checked for diabetes?

Michelle, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ruby's issue cropped up because of her pyrometria and subsequent spay, yes?

Sam's was due to a poor spay job about 2 years before we adopted her.

I was just thinking if she has issues with incontinence, it would be a constant issue . . . whereas incontinence from diabetes could come and go.

Maybe it would be a good idea to get Ruby tested for diabetes?

[mnp13]

Is that part of a normal blood panel, because if it is she's had the test 10 times by now.

My vet has never mentioned it and I get the pills from her directly. The cyclic nature of the problem follows a heat cycle funny enough.

[Marinepits]

I'm not sure if it's part of a regular blood panel. That might depend on the vet.

I just sent out an email to my vet. I'll let you know what she says.

[a-bull]

Probably not part of the blood panel. They usually check the urine.

[SisMorphine]

A remedy for incontinence, as far as homeopathy is concerned, would depend specifically on the dog as there wouldn't be a general cure-all because they need to know everything about the dog to be able to decide upon the best remedy to give. So as far as a "natural medication" there isn't an all-encompassing one. Homeopathy treats the body as a whole, does not just treat the symptoms.

[concreterose]

I looked up spay incontinence in The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.
It says that the Standard Process supplement Vasculin is recommended for muscle and nervous system support in dogs and cats with sleep incontinence; give 1 tablet per 7 to 10 pounds of body weight, up to 9 daily for larger dogs.

There are also hormone-balancing herbs that can help spay incontinence. They are:
-Licorice root-specific for the adrenal cortex. One of the ingredients, glycyrrhetinic acid, or GA, mimics the adrenal hormone aldosterone, which is involved in salt and water metabolism.
-Tinctures made from fresh hops can be used for female hormone regulation in both spayed and intact animals.
-Dong quai (widely known as 'female ginseng') exerts a regulating and normalizing influence on hormone production through it's positive action on the liver and endocrine systems.
-Wild yam cream has been valued by herbalists and is prescribed in Oriental medicine for problems associated with the splen, kidneys, liver and lungs in both men and women. Wild yam creams are widely sold as a natural hormone replacement therapy.

Other herbs with estrogenic properties include pomegranate seeds and black cohosh.

[pocketpit]

Probably not part of the blood panel. They usually check the urine.

Not true. Blood Glucose is typically in most panels and would be the first test done if diabetes was suspected. Checking the urine for keytones would come later.

[a-bull]

Where I am, I have yet to have a vet do it as part of a "normal" blood panel---unless you specifically mention symptoms or ask for it.

I'm sure a bloodtest is probably more accurate, but my Mom's dog has it and her vet did the urine test first rather than jumping into the bloodtest.

[Kingsgurl]

That's because Diabetes Insipidus is a failure of the kidneys to make use of anti-diuretic hormones produced by the body which concentrate urine.
http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dedibetinsp.html

it's not like the other kind of diabetes in which the body has problems dealing with sugars. I think the first test they do when screening for diabetes insipidus is a test on how concentrated the urine is, then another test with water withheld for a bit to see if the concentration level elevates.

[a-bull]

That's because Diabetes Insipidus is a failure of the kidneys to make use of anti-diuretic hormones produced by the body which concentrate urine.
http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dedibetinsp.html

it's not like the other kind of diabetes in which the body has problems dealing with sugars. I think the first test they do when screening for diabetes insipidus is a test on how concentrated the urine is, then another test with water withheld for a bit to see if the concentration level elevates.

Hey, thanks for the info.! I knew I wasn't hallucinating.