Urinary incontinence is an involuntary leakage of urine occurring in spayed female dogs. It can occur months or years after the dog has been spayed.
Most of the time the leakage occurs due to low hormone (estrogen) levels. While dogs can urinate normally, they cannot control leakage due to loss of estrogen and muscle tone.
Up until now human drugs which have been banned from human use due to serious side effects, have still been used for dogs with urinary incontinence. The drugs are phenylpropanolomine (PPA) and diethylstilbesterol (DES).
The FDA has now approved the first drug for estrogen-responsive urinary incontinence in dogs – Incurin (estriol).
The FDA tells us that Incurin,a natural estrogen hormone, has shown to be effective for the control of estrogen-responsive urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs, one year of age or older.
The most common side effects with Incurin can be a loss of appetite, vomiting, excessive water drinking and swollen vulva.
If your dog shows signs of urinary incontinence, she should be taken to the veterinarian for an examination to rule out any other problem.
Intervet, Inc. of Summit, New Jersey manufactures Incurin. It will be available through veterinarians at a date to be announced.
