We have a 9 month old Blue Heeler mix that was spayed at 5 months of age. Starting about 1 1/2 months ago, she became more and more frequently incontinent, wetting on me, my husband or the couch when we were cuddling together wataching TV. Checks of her bedding noted occasional incontinence there, too. Emily is on 25 mg of Proin twice a day. Having now read these posts, I don't know what to do. I was told by a colleague that spaying a dog before she goes through her first cycle can cause incontinence. I don't want to lose Emily; I don't know what we will do. For sure, these posts have caused me great concern. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

This drug is not good for diabetic pets or any incontinence drugs, the leaking most likely stops when insulin therapy has started. Always double check the medicines you are given, checking online is easy.

I know some pets when excited will drip some urine, I had a toy terrier that did that, but any dog who is constantly leaking urine should be tested for diabetes, if you don't want to take them into the vet for this, you can buy the keto-diastix and test urine at home, diabetes usually does not appear in puppies, its onset can be at 5 yrs maybe sooner.

Our dog Riley has been on Proin 50 for 1 year. She is 3 yrs old. Within the last 10 days she has had 3 seizures. They last for 2 1/2 hrs!! She runs around with a pain/spasm in her back hip and her eyes have a frantic look. She is running around hyper & panting, running into walls and pacing all around the house. We can't settle her down, of course no one sleeps until this is over and then she sleeps very deeply.

She will never have another proin. Hope that taking her off of this medicine makes a difference. Watching her and not being able to help her, is awful.
Thank you for sharing your stories and suggesting something else!
Nancy

Originally Posted by mylittlebecky

I have some new information about PROIN (phenylpropanolamine(PPA) or Dexatrim(in humans))

As some people may know, Dexatrim, a diet drug containing PPA was taken off the market because it caused CVA (stroke) in humans. When the veterinary community started using this drug, now called Proin, to help with urinary incontinence there was "no known correlation with CVA in dogs." (I wonder who did a study on a compounded drug that no drug company makes any money from)

So, I was debating whether to put my little dog on Proin, my great dane has been on it for ~2years. My doctor said "here's something I found about Proin you should read before you put wala on it. I had beth [her dog] on it for years and never had any... oh sh*t I bet she stroked out on me." You see beth had been on PROIN for urinary incontinence and had died ~1year ago from a stroke. Within seconds of the onset of symptoms, beth was dead. They were home and going to the car but before they could make it there she was gone. They are both vets and his clinic is literally across the street.

I am so shocked by this. It seems like every older canine female patient seen at clinics these days is on Proin. There are other alternatives like artificial hormones (DES) and the natural hormones in in soy, but I don't think most people are given these options. It's not to say that DES is without side effects, but compare those to CVA and it seems like a better choice. Plus, we have the natural soy isoflavones to try as well (side note, I have read many great things about them and will be trying them with my dogs). Many patients on Proin aren't even having their blood pressure monitored.

The info I saw was on VIN (so I can't link it) and it constituted of anecdotal evidence from board certified neurologists who stated that they have seen many dogs with MRI evidence of CVA with no other cause of CVA other than Proin. This, in combination with the existing info in humans, is enough to convince me. Will there ever be studies? I doubt it, because as I said earlier, this drug is compounded for very little money from several veterinary pharmacies. There is no large drug company standing behind the product in either veterinary or human medicine. I wonder why?

My dogs will not be on this drug ever again. It is the choice a urine in the house or death. I'd rather they sleep in a cage with bedding that I can change daily (or several times a day) or put underpants on them or take them out hourly during the day and deal with it at night than to loose them. The natural estrogens in soy will be my choice.

ps I am an RVT with 8 years of experience in both day practice and the past two years in emergency medicine.

So terrible! PROIN Get away!

After posting my worried note about our 9 month old puppy two weeks ago, my husband and I immediately took her off Proin that night. Since then, she's doing well and has stopped scratching so much. That was a symptom I found in my research on Proin. We ordered Leaks No More last week and expect it to arrive any day.

As an aside, I highly recommend Entirely Pets as a source of purchasing prescription and homeopathic medications (EntirelyPets Discount Pet meds Pet Supplies & Flea Medicine). They are cheaper than 1-800-PETS and their service is impeccable.

We immediately took Emily off Proin after I read this website. Two weeks out, today she's incontinent again, but she's no longer itching incessantly and seems less strung out. We've begun Leaks No More homeopathic treatment. I sure hope it works. She's 9 months old now and very smart, playful, and happy. I'm grateful for this website and the information which likely helped us save her life. - Doting_Mom

OMG, took my older female jewl, to vet last week because she'd started having seizures!!!! asked if proin could be causing them and was told no... im so glad i decided to look it up on line today - she did get one dose this morning and now after paying close attention to her behaviour i can tell that she's getting side effects that are definately related to proin - panting, paceing, and a restlessness thats not usual for her, so she will not be taking anymore from this moment on... i hope that we make it through these next few days without any more seizures... and have her just enjoy what she's got left.. feel so bad for her knowing that i made the decision to have her start taking these meds in the first place...

Hi All,

My 3 and 1/2 yr old Siberian Husky was prescribed Proin for her "dripping", as well. Having gone online, and done lots of my own research, I discovered that there are MANY reasons why a dog may be having urinary incontinence; including neurological problems, anatomical/congenital issues (some dogs are born with the ureters in the wrong place! I guess, Huskies, in particular are prone to this congenital issue..), kidney disease, stones, UTI's, "spay incontinence" due to low levels of hormones after ovaries are removed in the spay process, stress/anxiety/behavioral, diabetes, simply not being let out enough!, and on and on and on.
One thing about Proin, yes, it will tighten the sphincter, so less leakage, but still doesn't give an indication of what the origin of the problem is!

I gave my pup 1/2 dose for 3 days, anyway, and she developed lethargy, depression, and constipation. Sat in a corner for 3 days- VERY unlike her.
I decided to forget that.

I took my dog to another vet, who suggested all of the problems it might be, but to rule out spay Incontinence by taking DES (estrogen). This is known to have the horrible possible and severe side effect of bone marrow suppression, so didn't want to do that either!
The "natural" formulas online seemed exorbitantly expensive, plus, I'd never heard of any of the manufacturers (I'm in the natural healthcare industry..). I decided to go the pure and simple route, and just
try my pup on some soymilk.
Phytoestrogens- plant-based components that have estrogenic properties in the body- are safe, when taken from food. I wouldn't recommend buying soy isoflavones, the isolated active phytoestrogens- in capsules, as there are conflicting studies on their safety. The whole food, however, is considered safe.
SO- If the reason for your dog's incontinence is due to hormonal deficiency, from being spayed, than soy might be the way to go.

So...so far, I've given my dog 1/4 cup soymilk (unflavored, organic, needs to stay refrigerated, of course), twice a day. She laps it right up; loves it.
It is only the 3rd day, and the dripping has stopped! It may be a coincidence, but I'm going to give it a week, and see if this really does the trick.

Wouldn't it be great if an EASY and SAFE solution existed?!!

Best of luck to all-

PS. Decoartist, I'd definitely go for a second opinion if I were you! Your poor dog..that sounds kinda serious...

Originally Posted by Doting_Mom

We've begun Leaks No More homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathy is simply a scam. You are puchasing overpriced water to sprinkle on you dog's food. The ingredients they quote are generally nonexistent in the finished product due to dilution.

Feel free to search for homeopathy on quackwatch dot org for data.

Natural remedies are almost always a scam. Some are rather dangerous.

I am sorry that some of ya'll have experienced dangerous side effects with Proin.

[Bailey24]

We lost our 12 year old Golden on 6/19/09 after giving her one dose of Proin 50 along with an anitbiotic. After bringing her to the vet one morning with concerns about occasional incontinence, the vet prescribed Proin 50. I gave her one pill along with an antibiotic and within an hour our Bailey was having a seizure and vomiting. Rushed her back to the vet and they insisted it had nothing to do with the Proin. Suggested more tests - blood work etc. Brought her back home and soon after she collapsed and could not get up. Back to the vet and after xrays was told she had a growth on her liver (liver levels were off according to the bloodwork) and the tumor was bleeding. She was basically bleeding internally and there was nothing we could do. I still feel the Proin has something to do with her death. Maybe she did have cancer and we did not know it yet, but the side effects of Proin I believe hastened her death. So be careful to make sure your dog is healthy enough to tolerate this drug. We miss our beloved Bailey terribly!