Senior Incontinence And Stilbestrol

[Guest Alichou]

Hi guys,

 

Has anyone put there greyhound on Sibestrol to control incontenence? My 13.5 year old male grey has incontinence, most likely resulting from more water intake due to mild kidney disease or just old age. I've been controlling it pretty well as it only happens through the night. At night time we put a diaper on him, and walk him just before we sleep, however our vet is recommending Stilbestrol 1mg tablets to be taken once a day for 5 days and then once every week thereafter. I haven't administered them yet as I've done some research on the drug and its side effects. I'm posting in this forum to find out if anyone else uses the drug for similar issues and have they noted any side effects or changes in their grey?

 

Many thanks,

 

Alison

[buddibear]

Not for a grey (yet) but my 8yo Standard Poodle has been spotting during a long sleep or bouncing off the sofa. She is on 1mg Stibesterol and in the test dosage period. She is 50 #.She went for 5 days and then she leaked, 3 or 4 days may be the number. She was checked for UTI twice, 1st test came back bacteria and white cells. after antibiotics she still spotted. Vet says older female who may had puppies can have bladder leaking. This was also the case with our 14yo female Dalmatian years ago. Dalmatian was taking PPA (phenylpropanal?) stuff that was in Sudafed!

[Guest Alichou]

Thanks buddibear. I'm really debating whether or not to try the drug. I noticed some of the side effects for males were of course feminization and then other things such as bone mass supression and things like that. He is relatively healthy and on no medications with the exception of glucosamine and adequan injections (for arthritis). I'm really hesitant about putting him on this drug as I don't want his mood to change or for him to suffer from any side effects. I discussed this with vet but they still think it's ok for him to be on.

[JJNg]

Stilbestrol, or DES, is a type of estrogen and typically isn't used as a first choice for incontinence in male dogs. Any reason your vet is recommending this over other meds? There is a percentage of males that do seem to respond to this, but not a whole lot of data since not very many vets use it for male dogs. Most of the experts seem to think that from a theoretical and mechanistic standpoint, using estrogen to treat incontinence in a male doesn't make sense. Usually phenylpropanolamine (Proin, PPA) is the first med used for males, and testosterone supplementation can be tried if PPA is inadequate.

[Guest Alichou]

Thanks Greyaholic. Im going to ask about Proin or PPA. Im not sure his reasoning for issuing this particular horomone. Dante does have mild kidney disease but Im not sure if that was a factor in determining this particular drug or not. Either way, I dint think I will be using this drug as Im not comfortable with the potential side effects. I'll stick to diapers and late night pees before bed and inquire about Proin in the interim.

[GeorgeofNE]

I wouldn't put a dog that old on anything unless it was to control pain.

 

I would stick with the belly band and love him as he is for whatever time he has left!

 

My dog is not yet 12, but he is leaking at night. I talked to the vet and she said that since he is on an NSAID for pain, Proin could cause high blood pressure and I decided it wasn't worth it. I put down hospital bed pads everywhere he's likely to sleep and do extra laundry.

[Batmom]

PPA or Proin is much more likely to have severe side effects (such as stroke) than DES. I'd be very cautious about using it in any dog and yet more so in an elderly one.

 

DES isn't likely to have any side effects at the small doses used for incontinence but as others have noted it may not be effective at all for a male.

[dixidoll]

My female whippet has been on DES for about 2 years, she is now 15 years old. Without it she will have a huge puddle in her bed at night. Using this she is fine. She does the once a week. No problems with her health from it.

[Guest Alichou]

Yup, I didn't bother putting him on the medication. Instead we use reuseable diapers and he does fine that way. He also hasn't been drinking too much before bed lately and incontinence has stopped.