New Baby - Grey had FCE/Incontinence, Help!

[ArrowOwner]

Hello Grey Friends! 

Hoping folks might have some insights on this tough situation. We have a 12 year old female grey called Arrow (racer, broodmare). She was the picture of health for an older grey. Then, three months ago we brought our baby (first and only) home from the NICU. She cried a lot that first night in our bedroom directly above where our grey sleeps. The next morning, Arrow was walking weird and had a hard time with stairs. We took her to the vet and they diagnosed an FCE (Spinal Stroke). Luckily it seemed minor, and she was back to normal in less than a week. 

Now, a few months later, she's starting to have incontinence at night. One early morning she was asleep on the couch, and we saw her leak her entire bladder - so it's definitely not intentional (at least not always). She's now had 8-10 accidents. We've done urine and bloodwork, and nothing's getting flagged: not UTI, liver/kidney stuff, nothing. The other component is she's now drinking a ton of water all the time, wants out constantly, and is still having night time accidents. Our vet is stumped, and it's becoming a very hard situation - particularly with our first newborn at home and the sleep deprivation/general chaos that accompanies a new baby. The other thing I'll mention is that the dog still loves her walks, likes getting petted, and generally seems to be doing ok. She doesn't seem to be in rapid decline or anything like that. We have some doggy diapers on order, but otherwise we're not sure what to do. 

Any insights into what might be going on with our grey would be much appreciated!

Edited September 7 by ArrowOwner

[greysmom]

It's very common for older broodies to develop incontinence.  This is because a female dog's estrogen levels decrease after spaying, which can weaken the urethral sphincter muscle that controls urine flow. This condition is also known as urethral incompetence or hormone responsive urinary incontinence.  Often it can be decreased and/or controlled with the addition of a hormone such as diethylstilbestrol (DES), which is a non-steroidal estrogen substitute.  Incurin, Proin, Prazosin and several other drugs can also be used to treat urinary incontinence. 

It can be associated with early signs of dementia (which there are also drugs to help), and with lumbosacral stenosis and other spinal nerve issues including the FCE she experienced (gabapentin is the go-to drug currently for nerve issues).

Washable bed protectors and diapers will be your best help until you can get this under control, if you can.  I have my dogs beds wrapped in washable, twin-size bed protectors, with washable pads on top of that.  

[ArrowOwner]

Thank you! She is currently on Proin, which seems to not have helped at all. I will check out the other options. Much appreciated!

I forgot to mention, her eating is also becoming unstable. Some days she loves her treats and eats her meals right up. Other days, she's just not interested. 

More insights welcome. This is a huge help! 

[Remolacha]

As said, incontinence in an older broodie is not unusual. The FCE might have triggered it, or that might just be a coincidence. You said she has had blood work, did they test for Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease, or diabetes? These are not very common, so they might not have been tested for, but can have symptoms similar to what she is experiencing. 
getting picky about food is also common in older dogs, most of mine have ended up skipping breakfast 

[ArrowOwner]

Thanks, I will check on this. Definitely no diabetes showing up in tests. But the huge amount of water she's drinking is the one thing that is confounding to us. Thanks again!

[Victor]

Sorry to hear this!

I know you said no UTI, but did they do a urine culture?

Also, I know you said her kidneys are fine, but did they check her SDMA? And urine protein creatinine ratio?

Proin isn't ideal for greyhounds. If it's not helping anyways, ask your vet if you can try estriol. And if estriol doesn't help try DES. Estriol worked for one of our girls, but not another, who is doing well on DES.

Is she on a daily aspirin regimen? Dr. Couto recommends that greys that have had a stroke stay on 1/2 of a chewable baby aspirin per day (that's half of an 81-mg chewable aspirin) to prevent further strokes.

Best wishes for Arrow and your family!

[MP_the4pack]

Have her checked for diabetes insipidus.  (Not the same as sugar diabetes). Its a hormone thing. The only real test is to put her on meds for a week to see if it works.  My Bubbles was diagnosed earlier this year. Drinking a lot, and accidents.  All other tests were negative and proin didn't work. 

[ArrowOwner]

Thank you so much! I will bring these tests/concerns up with my vet this week! 

Quick diaper question: I tried some Paw-Inspired Ultra Protection diapers last night (Large). They don't seem to fit very well. I feel like it's because of the unique grey physique of big hips/upper legs and tiny stomach. Anyone have diaper recommendations? Thank you again y'all. So helpful...

[macoduck]

Agreeing with Greysmom and Victor: get her off the Proin and switch to DES or Estriol.

Edited September 8 by macoduck

[ArrowOwner]

Thank you! While she is drinking a ton of water, should we give her as much water as she wants or should we limit it in order to avoid more accidents?