# PPA and Urinary Incontinence



## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Okay, Ruby is only an honorary Maltese (she's my Yorkie), but I believe she is suffering from urinary incontinence. I mean this girl can pee! She pees when she's just standing there, she pees when she is eating, drinking water, etc. She's even dribbled on me when I've picked her up. And, she pees a lot and often.

We don't know how old she is, but she's at least 8 or 9, appears to have had multiple litters, and has had a mastectomy to remove all of her nipples but two due to mammary tumors (benign). The surgeon had to go so deep as the tumors were into her muscles. So her skin on her chest and belly down to her yoo-hoo is very very tight (not sure is this contributes in anyway to her issue).

She has had all the urine tests including the ACTH stim test for Cushings and everthing came back negative, even her sugar levels are normal. She can go all night without peeing in the bed (which is maybe 4 or 5 hours as I can't sleep), but she sleeps like a rock and doesn't move a muscle when sleeping, but I have to rush her to the pad as soon as she wakes up. She will try to make it to the pad sometimes, but rarely makes it and leaves a little trail along the way.

I've tried diapers, but is that a poor sight. She won't move a muscle when it's on. 

So...I spoke with the vet and today we are starting her on PPA. She will get a quarter of a 25 mg tablet three times a day for a week and then I'll call the vet to update. If it appears to be working we will go to a quarter twice a day.

Does anyone else have experience with incontinence and PPA. I would be greatly intersted in hearing your experiences and any advice you have. 

Might there be other conditions that I'm not aware of that she should be tested for that could be causing this.

Thanks!

Hugs,

Linda


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm sorry I have no experience at all with PPA. But wanted you to know I hope you find some answers and help soon. Poor little Rugby is probably humiliated that her incontinence issues are being discussed on the world wide web. And to top that off...I wanted to give this thread a little 'bump'.:thumbsup:


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

Linda I feel so badly for you and Ruby. I don't have any advice for you but I did go through something similar when we first got Katie. She was only 4 months old and she had what I would call stress incontinence. When ever you looked at her or talk to her she would pee right in front of you. Whenever company came into the house she would piddle. I felt so badly for her but I was very hopeful that she would out grow it. I never scolded her for it, she just broke my heart I felt so bad for her. I did take her to puppy school and I think she gained a lot of self confidence and within several months it all stopped. Oh, by the way, at the beginning of all this I did have her checked by our Vet and they found nothing physically wrong with her. I know Ruby's problem may well be physical but I do kinda know what you are going through. Some dogs with stress incontinence never get over it. I will pray for her that the medication will help.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

I wish I knew something about PPA and its effects on incontinence, but I DO wish you the best with this course of treatment. Please let us know how it goes for sweet Ruby.


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Crystal&Zoe said:


> I'm sorry I have no experience at all with PPA. But wanted you to know I hope you find some answers and help soon. Poor little Rugby is probably humiliated that her incontinence issues are being discussed on the world wide web. And to top that off...I wanted to give this thread a little 'bump'.:thumbsup:


Thanks, Crystal.

ROFL - If you don't tell Ruby her personal issues are being discussed, I won't. And, she's in her own little world so she probably wouldn't care - poor baby. Now, if it was Sophie, that would be different! She probably reads SM while I'm at work! lol

Thanks for the bump!

Linda


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Thanks for sharing. I don't believe it's any kind of stress or submissive peeing. She's never scolded when she pees or any other time. 

In fact, my daughter who was her foster mom was pretending to be Ruby the other day and saying, things like "I've found the perfect home, I get to eat when I'm hungry, play with my sisters, get treats, sleep where and when I want....and I can even pee anywhere and everywhere I want and no one ever yells at, me. They just clean it up! I'm in heaven!!!!! Of course, she was saying this as I was on my hands and knees wiping the floor. lol

Thanks for your prayers for Ruby and I'm so glad Katie's problem stopped.

Linda



lynda said:


> Linda I feel so badly for you and Ruby. I don't have any advice for you but I did go through something similar when we first got Katie. She was only 4 months old and she had what I would call stress incontinence. When ever you looked at her or talk to her she would pee right in front of you. Whenever company came into the house she would piddle. I felt so badly for her but I was very hopeful that she would out grow it. I never scolded her for it, she just broke my heart I felt so bad for her. I did take her to puppy school and I think she gained a lot of self confidence and within several months it all stopped. Oh, by the way, at the beginning of all this I did have her checked by our Vet and they found nothing physically wrong with her. I know Ruby's problem may well be physical but I do kinda know what you are going through. Some dogs with stress incontinence never get over it. I will pray for her that the medication will help.


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Has Ruby been x-rayed/ultrasounded to see if there's stones or a tumor in the bladder?



Joy


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Amy ,our cocker had issues w/ urinary incontinence too,doc per her on meds,I'll have to see what they were but he told me I'd notice w/ in a day or two if it worked. Gave her a pill everyday. I was amazed at how quickly it worked and how easy it was,just one pill per day.


My neighbour had the same thing starting w/ her fluff,she said she wasn't going to deal w/it,so I gave her my left over pills and had her try them,I don't like to do that but I figured ti was worth it if she'd actually start taking her in for incontinence instead of euthanizing...well they worked so she went to the vet and gave Dancer pills everyday for a few months,then sadly decided she didn't want to spend the money or time dealing w/ giving pills......new carpet...


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## romeo&juliet (Jun 23, 2011)

I am truly sorry i really cant help with this situation and i hope and pray you can find out whats going on. I just wanted to let you know Ruby is in my prayers and thoughts:wub:


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Thank you. I will definitely let everyone know how it goes on the PPA.

Linda



almitra said:


> I wish I knew something about PPA and its effects on incontinence, but I DO wish you the best with this course of treatment. Please let us know how it goes for sweet Ruby.


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Joy, thanks for bringing this up. Honestly, I don't remember. I will have to look through her records and see if any kind of x-rays, etc., were done. Possibly when she was with my dd - my vet is also the rescue's vet and he very thorough.

Linda



vjw said:


> Has Ruby been x-rayed/ultrasounded to see if there's stones or a tumor in the bladder?
> 
> 
> 
> Joy


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Aw, Michelle, that is so sad about your neighbor's dog and so nice that you reached out to help her.

The vet said it would take a good five days or so to see any change. I'm praying that it works for Ruby. If not, I'll have to inquire about further tests, as Joy mentioned, if they weren't done before. I need to pull up her records - first I have to remember my sign in name for the pet portal.

Linda



michellerobison said:


> Amy ,our cocker had issues w/ urinary incontinence too,doc per her on meds,I'll have to see what they were but he told me I'd notice w/ in a day or two if it worked. Gave her a pill everyday. I was amazed at how quickly it worked and how easy it was,just one pill per day.
> 
> My neighbour had the same thing starting w/ her fluff,she said she wasn't going to deal w/it,so I gave her my left over pills and had her try them,I don't like to do that but I figured ti was worth it if she'd actually start taking her in for incontinence instead of euthanizing...well they worked so she went to the vet and gave Dancer pills everyday for a few months,then sadly decided she didn't want to spend the money or time dealing w/ giving pills......new carpet...


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

romeo&juliet said:


> I am truly sorry i really cant help with this situation and i hope and pray you can find out whats going on. I just wanted to let you know Ruby is in my prayers and thoughts:wub:


Thank you, Ursula. Love your siggy pic!!!

Linda


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Oh dear! I hope you get a solution. Only thing I was thinking was bladder stones. My Sophie was having a lot of accidents and it turned out she had 7 huge bladder stones. They were like smooth pebbles. The vet was amazed how little bladder she had available to her.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Linda -- haven't had any experience with this, but I'm sending prayers that the PPA helps.

BTW, how is Sophie doing with her Crushings? Still send a lot of prayers for her well being.


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

silverhaven said:


> Oh dear! I hope you get a solution. Only thing I was thinking was bladder stones. My Sophie was having a lot of accidents and it turned out she had 7 huge bladder stones. They were like smooth pebbles. The vet was amazed how little bladder she had available to her.


Thanks, Maureen. Later this evening I'm going to get into her records and see if they had done any scans on her. I wonder if the PPA works, could she still possibly have stones? I'm just amazed at how much urine Ruby produces at one time and still she goes all day long. 

Linda


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Lacie's Mom said:


> Linda -- haven't had any experience with this, but I'm sending prayers that the PPA helps.
> 
> BTW, how is Sophie doing with her Crushings? Still send a lot of prayers for her well being.


Lynn, thanks for the prayers - they are greatly appreciated!

Thanks for asking about Sophie. She is doing amazingly well on the Trilostan for the Cushings. She's had several follow up stim tests and the results were excellent. She could still lose a little weight - she is always hungry. I have to watch her and Ruby like hawks to make sure they don't steal Annie's food. lol

Her water intake has leveled off and she is no longer lethargic - she's back to her active little self. She does still get those little bumps on her rump and the hair back there is a little thin, but all in all she is doing wonderful!

I just pray that she's with me for a long time. The thought of Cushings taking her from me at an early age is too much to even think about. Especially since she was diagnosed at such a young age.  I love her so much.

She's so funny. Every morning after breakfast if I don't give her her meds immediately she runs over to where I keep it and barks her little head off to remind me. She loves it!

Linda


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