I have a leaker too. She started leaking soon after she was spayed.

Apparently, a problem with the spaying procedure resulted in this happening. Any event, if your dog is just leaking, there is a medication for that. My old gal has been on it for 11 yrs. It is called Propalin 50 Chewable Tablets(Phenylpropanolamine), dose is 50. mg am and 50 mg. p.m. I give it with her meals and it has worked since she was first put on it. Occasionally, when she has been put on another medication, she will leak, but that has only happened a few times, and we could increase the Propalin dose to accommodate the other med while being taken.

Old gal also had problems with urinary tract infections throughout her life. She had one when we first rescued her and brought her home. I noticed she was going out to pee more often that I thought "normal". Sure enough, the urine sample revealed the infection. Antibiotics knocked it out.

The circumstances are just so similar, since my old gal started her leaking at about the same age as your girl. No smell to it either.

Once your dog's infection clears up, if she is still leaking, ask the vet if you could try the Propalin. It has worked for us for 11 years now.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks labmomma!

When we got Kai, she was only 3 months old and spayed. I thought that was very young, but my vet and the rescue league said spaying is being done at an earlier age to prevent puppies.

I will ask my vet about Propalin.

I have been researching this subject (as I do everything that involves my three dogs) and have heard of using cranberry juice in their water for infection.

Thanks again,

SG

You can also use the cranberry capsules and they may be easier to get down your dog than the liquid. What kind of crystals did she have? You do want to be careful with acidifying the urine too much depending on the type of crystals. The growth of some types are actually encouraged by a more acidic ph. Sorry I don't recall the particulars of each but maybe Meghane can explain in more detail.

One thing you may want to check or if you're not sure have your vet check is that her vulva is shaped/positioned correctly. Some dogs are tucked under too much and that causes the urine to not drain completely thus leading to a UTI. That can be corrected surgically.

Lisa

I tried the cranberry not with this old gal but with an older long gone labrador. He wouldn't drink it since it was too bitter. Maybe if you mix it with some regular water, or try the capsules..

Let us know how she does.

Thanks everyone for your help.

I talked to my vet this morning, and she thinks Kai needs to be on Propalin for an extended period of time. (She has ruled out other issues).

I would like to know if there is a generic substitution for this.

Thanks again,

SG

There is another drug that is used. Cystolomine. Wouldn't swear that the spelling is right and honestly I don't know if it's any cheaper or not.Since I work for a vet I tell them when I need a refill on something and it goes on my account, plus I get everything at cost so I don't know what the current charges are for some of the drugs or how much it varies, if any, regionally. You may also be able to get the PPA thru a compounding pharmacy or order online with a script from your vet.

Lisa

Phenolpropanolamine was used here in the US for years as a decongestant for humans. It was over-the-counter and was the only alternative to Sudafed and its generics. DH is so sensitive to Sudafed that he gets panic attacks if he uses it, so PPA was his only option. I got the pharmacist to order a big bottle (1000 tablets?) because that was the only way we could get it. It was all of $10 - $20 for the jar.

Then they confirmed that PPA can cause a higher incidence of stroke in some people and they took PPA off the market here for humans. I wonder if it is still available in Canada OTC?

Yep, PPA is off the market for the stroke risk. If your dog is a breed that experiences problems with strokes, I'd be wary about using it.

My old lab use to have spay incontinence and was on a very, very small dose of DES (diethylsilbestrol- synthetic estrogen, known for causing reproductive problems in the human offspring of those who used it a couple decades ago), 1mg once per week would keep everything high and dry. Then a new vet told me that DES wasn't approved for that use and would only get her a much stronger, more expensive form of DES. I got fed up with the whole thing and went looking for a different solution- ended up at this forum in 1998 and was given the name of a homeopathic compound for incontinence (Enuraid). One bottle of 50 cost $5 and we just started giving them to her whenever she leaked. We never even finished off that bottle before she stopped leaking completely. That was the experience of the woman from this forum who gave me the product name too.

Personally, I think it's premature to put the dog on a medication for incontinence when she's obviously got some other things going on with her urinary tract. It wouldn't hurt the dog to give her cranberry tablets each morning and they are readily available with the vitamins at Target or Walmart or any health food store. My old girl had a bladder infection not too long ago and I gave them to her by rolling them in margarine she gobbled them up quickly and the bladder infection was gone within 2 days.

I think OP said the dog was done with the UTI. I have had my female lab on PPA/Propalin for 10 years, no adverse side effects, no leaking.

I don't want to do homeopathic remedies. First they don't do enough testing on the human element, so I know for sure that the testing isn't there for the pet/animal contingent. I want to go with what has been tested to be tried and true. I also think that people should not use homeopathic without alot of knowledge regarding same and alot of the time that knowledge will lead you to not want to use the homeopathic remedies. I have a friend who is a rep. for Boiron so I know all the standard sales pitches for using the natural way. I just don't buy them all.

The craberry capsules would be good if the dog had a UTI, but really it is an old wives tale about the cranberry, or at least that's what the MD has told me? Any event, the cranberry won't hurt her, it may change the urine Ph.

Actually there are some studies that indicate that cranberries do have a property that helps prevent the bacteria from sticking to the surfaces of the urinary tract. Remember tho the OP said the dog also had crystals in the urine. She really needs to know what kind and if the crystals go away when the infection does. Different types of crystals form in diffeent ph's and you don't want to alter a ph enough to encourage the growth of more in a dog that is prone to them. I think it is calcium oxalate that likes a lower ph. The cranberry may not cause enough difference to affect crystal growth but I would be cautious about it. The pup may need to be let out fairly often to to avoid urine staying in her system very long.

Lisa

I do that with my old gal. I make sure she goes out alot during the day, and once before bed just to prevent any urinary problems since she has a history. She never had crystals. I do think that animals like humans, need alot more water than they probably already drink.

I know the cranberry changes the ph, but I don't know that much about it, the vet could probably tell OP about usuing cranberry. I know I did use it with my gal, but diluted with water since it is quite bitter if you don't buy the stuff loaded with sugar:)))

We drink Knusden (sp?) and it has very little sugar - it is really kind of sour, makes you pucker, whoooha. Besides the urinary ph, the cranberry has now been found to be one of the most important antioxidants available, as well as one of the most easily accessible. More antioxidants that pomegranate, wine, etc. Go figure.

labmomma- I am not a devotee of homeopathic remedies and am very suspicious of them in general as well. We decided to try the homeopathic compound because it had a great reputation and I was completely frustrated with the vets we were dealing with at the time. My lab "leaked" and was on medication from 1994-1998. In 1998 we gave her about 20 homeopathic tablets over a few week period of time and she stopped leaking completely. We threw the rest of the bottle away after about a year- she has needed nothing at all since. She is now almost 14 years old and still very happy and well. I don't know how or why it worked, but frankly I don't care! I am just happy that she is medication and leak free! (If only I could say the same about the car...) There is definitely something to it and I dare say it hasn't had any negative effects on her.

I took PPA for many years for allergies and the stuff made me feel dopey and miserable, which is one reason I wasn't real eager to give it to doggy every day. I don't know what kind of dose dogs take offhand though. My dog is a lab and I've been told that they are prone to strokes, and with the PPA-stroke connection that caused it to be taken off the market for people, I'd not be comfortable giving it to a potentially stroke-prone dog. What we did turned out to be very right for our dog, but I respect your suspicion of homeopathy and decision to do what it right for your dog.

Thanks again everyone for your advice.

I got the Propalin from the vet on Monday, gave her one pill, and the leaking stopped. Vet says she needs one pill daily forever.

I have been doing research on cranberry added to diets. From what I have found, the sugar, even if there is a very small amount, can cause yeast infections.

I would prefer going the homeopathic route with this. I am concerned about the possibility of stroke that I will quiz my vet about. I will also ask her about DES.

My vet that I really love and trust completely, told me that Kai has spaying incontinence. (muscles that control things are weak).

Thanks again everyone!

SG

That was the same explanation for my old gal's leaking - spaying incontinence. I have had no problem with my lab and know nothing of a correlation between PPA/Propalin use in dogs and stroke. After 13 years, I am not going to mess with the meds we are giving old gal. I am glad she has been with us as long as she has. With all the problems, seizure, leaking, severe hip dysplasia, I thought she would be gone long before now.

If I had a young dog, I would use the Propalin, but would ask the stroke questions. I am not a homeopathic believer despite FIL who does nothing but homeopath remedies, herbs, tinctures, drops, etc. He doesn't believe in our current way of treating medical issues in this country. Never sees an MD, goes to the chiropractor, herbalists, holistic doctor, etc. That's his option, I just feel that there is some science behind what I have been giving old gal and to me, that is the clincher.

You may find that you will need to increase the Propalin (if you stay on it) as your dog's weight increases. We give old gal (92 lbs) 2 per day, morning and evening. She has only leaked twice since being on the PPA. Both times she was given other medication that the vet warned us may interfere with the efficacy of the PPA.

Best of luck to you.