A Wee Problem

[mallakoff]

My dog with spey incontinence was eventually on two different drugs to keep it under control.

I had her on a herbal treatment programme for 12 months quite successfully. Spey incontinence does not go away.

what was herbal treatment ? Sounds interesting

[mallakoff]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/8065334161_2079e8431d_b.jpg

I am in love .................................. and what a lovely photo! :)

yeah Bearu has a knack of falling asleep with funny faces and in odd positions. It looks like a hair bomb exploded on his face :D

Edited October 23, 2012 by mallakoff

[Tassie]

Lovely dogs. :)

Great that CFS popped in :D .

And I would just add (based on a friend's experience) - if you're not entirely happy with the general vet's solutions, it might be worth getting a specialist opinion. As piper says - there may be things going on inside the bitch - maybe structural and fixable) which will mean the Propalin is not fully effective.

And congrats for being brave - and for sticking with DOL. We/they occasionally get a little heated, but used wisely, it's a great source of information, experience and support when you need it. :D

[mallakoff]

Lovely dogs. :)

Great that CFS popped in :D .

And I would just add (based on a friend's experience) - if you're not entirely happy with the general vet's solutions, it might be worth getting a specialist opinion. As piper says - there may be things going on inside the bitch - maybe structural and fixable) which will mean the Propalin is not fully effective.

And congrats for being brave - and for sticking with DOL. We/they occasionally get a little heated, but used wisely, it's a great source of information, experience and support when you need it. :D

Cheers ,yes thanks to all. The info has been very helpful. I feel I'm on the right track now to help Freya

Edited October 24, 2012 by mallakoff

[noisymina]

My dog with spey incontinence was eventually on two different drugs to keep it under control.

I had her on a herbal treatment programme for 12 months quite successfully. Spey incontinence does not go away.

what was herbal treatment ? Sounds interesting

I'll have to do a search and see if I can find the list of what I used. It was not cheap (but then Propalin isn't either) and was a bit of work. Will have a look over the next couple of days and see if I can retrieve it.

One of the cheapest and easiest to find is Corn Silk - a good tonic for the urinary tract - so they say.

My new little girl (in the Avatar) happily eats a bit of corn silk when I open the corn cobs to cook dinner. :)

Edited October 24, 2012 by noisymina

[noisymina]

This is one misc resource still on my computer - dunno where the rest has gone!

It is not the exact recipe I used , but I did use rose hips and cornsilk. If you want to Google, you will probably find more than I found back then!

So......Quote:

Cornsilk: Cornsilk is a diuretic which helps eliminate urine (waste product) more often, and soothes the urinary tract through an anti-inflammatory action. It is a safe herb and can be used long-term with no known side effects.

"Corn silk, when ingested, primarily acts as an anti-inflammatory in the genitourinary tract (kidneys, bladder and urethra). Its potent astringent effect can tighten and strengthen the smooth muscles of the bladder, which is why it may benefit incontinent animals.

Corn silk does not fight bladder infection nor does it alter urinary pH (it does not treat crystals) so these conditions must be ruled out prior to its use. Corn silk must be given daily for several weeks before the positive effects are noticed.

Use fresh corn silk when available. During the winter, corn silk can be purchased at the health food store. I recommend organic as most corn is treated with herbicides that are passed up the food chain. The amount to feed your pet is based on its size, other medications and concurrent health issues."--Natural News (newsletter of Natural Pet Animal Hospital).

Nature’s Way (530 mg. capsules) (carried at health food stores, call 800-9NA-TURE, or http://www.natureway.com). For a 60 lb. dog, start with ½ the human adult dose and adjust up or down over a week to find the dose which provides relief. For smaller/larger dog, adjust accordingly.

Raw powder/silk: Much cheaper than capsules. Can be bought in bulk at health food stores. Pulverize in a coffee bean grinder or blender (dry) until a fine powder. Mix into food. For a 60 lb. dog, start with 1 tsp. each meal and increase by ½ tsp. every two days until relief occurs. You can also make your own by rinsing, carefully drying, and saving the silk from ears of corn, but be sure it is from organically grown corn.

After using either version for one month, you can experiment with reducing the dose slowly over two weeks to find the maintenance dose. If leakage occurs, increase the daily amount.

Fennel: The April 1, 2003, issue of The Whole Dog Journal discusses the use of Fennel. "Fennel also has estrogen-like properties, which may explain why the herb has been used for centuries to increase milk production in nursing mothers. Some herbalists find that Fennel helps alleviate urinary incontinence in spayed dogs by acting on hormone imbalances that contribute to the problem. . . . Fennel seed represents another option for relief of gastric discomfort. A cooled tea works very well for this purpose; one teaspoon of dried seeds in eight ounces of boiling water, steeped until cool. The tea can be fed at a rate of two to four tablespoons for each 20 pounds of your dog's body weight, or it can be added to his drinking water, as generously as he will tolerate. Fennel is high in vitamins C and A, calcium, iron, potassium, and varying amounts of linoleic acid. It is an especially good nutritional adjunct for dogs whose chronic indigestion cannot be attributed to a specific disease entity. Fennel also helps increase appetite and freshens breath - thanks to its antibacterial activity in the mouth - by minimizing belching."

Schizandra: Can be purchased in bulk form or in capsules. It is contraindicated in animals and people with heart problems.

Parsley and Honey: Fresh (not dried) chopped parsley and raw unprocessed honey (i.e. from the health food store). This was recommended to me and the woman said she's seen it work on a lot of dogs. She recommends that, for instance, a large Lab would need about a teaspoon of each (chopped fresh parsley and honey) one time daily.

Maureen (the woman who gave me this tip) says, "I give 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley with 1 teaspoon of honey for any size dog. I think perhaps if I had a 4 pound dog I might cut it in half -- but I don't think a teaspoon of each would hurt anyone -- dog or human! My sister takes that amount -- so does a Rottie, so does a black lab (1/2 the weight of the Rott) so does a Sheltie, etc. Since both ingredients are natural and healthy, I don't worry that much about it. It just seems to work!"

So:

1/4 cup boiling water on:

Cornsilk - 1 teaspoon, increase to 2, decrease a little later if wanted.

Fennel seed – ¼ teaspoon

Fresh parsley – 1 teaspoon

When cool, add:

Rosehips – ½ teaspoon?

Honey (1 teaspoon)

Yoghurt

[mallakoff]

This is one misc resource still on my computer - dunno where the rest has gone!

It is not the exact recipe I used , but I did use rose hips and cornsilk. If you want to Google, you will probably find more than I found back then!

So......Quote:

Cornsilk: Cornsilk is a diuretic which helps eliminate urine (waste product) more often, and soothes the urinary tract through an anti-inflammatory action. It is a safe herb and can be used long-term with no known side effects.

"Corn silk, when ingested, primarily acts as an anti-inflammatory in the genitourinary tract (kidneys, bladder and urethra). Its potent astringent effect can tighten and strengthen the smooth muscles of the bladder, which is why it may benefit incontinent animals.

Corn silk does not fight bladder infection nor does it alter urinary pH (it does not treat crystals) so these conditions must be ruled out prior to its use. Corn silk must be given daily for several weeks before the positive effects are noticed.

Use fresh corn silk when available. During the winter, corn silk can be purchased at the health food store. I recommend organic as most corn is treated with herbicides that are passed up the food chain. The amount to feed your pet is based on its size, other medications and concurrent health issues."--Natural News (newsletter of Natural Pet Animal Hospital).

Nature’s Way (530 mg. capsules) (carried at health food stores, call 800-9NA-TURE, or http://www.natureway.com). For a 60 lb. dog, start with ½ the human adult dose and adjust up or down over a week to find the dose which provides relief. For smaller/larger dog, adjust accordingly.

Raw powder/silk: Much cheaper than capsules. Can be bought in bulk at health food stores. Pulverize in a coffee bean grinder or blender (dry) until a fine powder. Mix into food. For a 60 lb. dog, start with 1 tsp. each meal and increase by ½ tsp. every two days until relief occurs. You can also make your own by rinsing, carefully drying, and saving the silk from ears of corn, but be sure it is from organically grown corn.

After using either version for one month, you can experiment with reducing the dose slowly over two weeks to find the maintenance dose. If leakage occurs, increase the daily amount.

Fennel: The April 1, 2003, issue of The Whole Dog Journal discusses the use of Fennel. "Fennel also has estrogen-like properties, which may explain why the herb has been used for centuries to increase milk production in nursing mothers. Some herbalists find that Fennel helps alleviate urinary incontinence in spayed dogs by acting on hormone imbalances that contribute to the problem. . . . Fennel seed represents another option for relief of gastric discomfort. A cooled tea works very well for this purpose; one teaspoon of dried seeds in eight ounces of boiling water, steeped until cool. The tea can be fed at a rate of two to four tablespoons for each 20 pounds of your dog's body weight, or it can be added to his drinking water, as generously as he will tolerate. Fennel is high in vitamins C and A, calcium, iron, potassium, and varying amounts of linoleic acid. It is an especially good nutritional adjunct for dogs whose chronic indigestion cannot be attributed to a specific disease entity. Fennel also helps increase appetite and freshens breath - thanks to its antibacterial activity in the mouth - by minimizing belching."

Schizandra: Can be purchased in bulk form or in capsules. It is contraindicated in animals and people with heart problems.

Parsley and Honey: Fresh (not dried) chopped parsley and raw unprocessed honey (i.e. from the health food store). This was recommended to me and the woman said she's seen it work on a lot of dogs. She recommends that, for instance, a large Lab would need about a teaspoon of each (chopped fresh parsley and honey) one time daily.

Maureen (the woman who gave me this tip) says, "I give 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley with 1 teaspoon of honey for any size dog. I think perhaps if I had a 4 pound dog I might cut it in half -- but I don't think a teaspoon of each would hurt anyone -- dog or human! My sister takes that amount -- so does a Rottie, so does a black lab (1/2 the weight of the Rott) so does a Sheltie, etc. Since both ingredients are natural and healthy, I don't worry that much about it. It just seems to work!"

So:

1/4 cup boiling water on:

Cornsilk - 1 teaspoon, increase to 2, decrease a little later if wanted.

Fennel seed – ¼ teaspoon

Fresh parsley – 1 teaspoon

When cool, add:

Rosehips – ½ teaspoon?

Honey (1 teaspoon)

Yoghurt

Thanks for taking the time to look that up for me much appreciated ,I'll try these different herbs/foods for sure.

I did google search like you said and found that many people have had success with various these foods/herbs and other homeopathic remedies

Great info thanks

[dee lee]

Sounds like my girl.

Her incontinence comes & goes. We used silboestrol for a while, at first as directed then intermittently whenever I noticed little dribbles.

But... Over the last year or so, I had noticed that she was guzzling a lot of water each time- & it seemed to be habitual.

Since running out of my stockpile, I have been only keeping a minimal amount of water in her bowl at any time.

I put a glass of water in each time I see it empty, but no more (unless she is home alone for a long period).

Since doing this we have had minimal leakage. I'm convinced she was just drinking more than she could hold.

[noisymina]

name='mallakoff' timestamp='1351248000'

Thanks for taking the time to look that up for me much appreciated ,I'll try these different herbs/foods for sure.

I did google search like you said and found that many people have had success with various these foods/herbs and other homeopathic remedies

Great info thanks

I think it is definitely worth a try. Nothing to lose!

Edited October 27, 2012 by noisymina