Has she become incontinent?

hi all

I thought we were out of this danger zone as Ruby has been on meds since May this year but last night we hit a new low.
Ruby wet herself in the middle of the night and didnt even wake up doing it.
She went out to the toilet at 1am before we went to bed and I got up at 6am and there was a huge huge wet patch on our bed.
I get really upset thinking about it as this means what? She cant sleep with us anymore or She will have to wear a nappy at night.... I can just imagine her face now and it isnt impressed (she wont even wear a coat let alone a huge pair of pants!!!

Im at a loss of what to do really, its the first time it has happened but does this mean now that it will keep happening or maybe its a one of that wont happen often?
I knew there was this risk when we put her on the Frusomide but I cant stop her from drinking as she gets sooo thirsty. She drinks at least a litre of water a day by my estimate- this is quite a lot for her size- before she got SM she would only have around 0.25 litre a day.

Anyone any suggestions?

icon_nwunsure

No, I don't think she is incontinent. That means she has little control over her bladder, most of the time. from the sounds of it, you've just seen this the one time recently, and this is a common issue with frusemide. From a human point of view, taking frusemide is like drinking a large cup of coffee right before bed! Think how you'd manage that -- you'd use the bathroom a couple of times before turning off the light.

Generally the best approach (going by how most deal with this side effect) is to give it at least 90 minutes before bedtime and take her out to pee 30 minutes after the pill, and then again just before bedtime.

Also often they start out wetting themselves a few odd times as they get used to the meds then it settles. This happened when Leo was on frusemide. But he'd have occasional accidents.

I didn't like this side effect though as sometimes Leo would wet himself still, and switched to cimetidine. But for the most part, you can manage it simply by making sure she gets out to pee twice before bedtime. Most dogs on frusemide seem to really have to pee after 30-45 minutes and then again about 60-90 minutes after.

I do think you might wish to rethink having her on the bed though or else train her to a dogbed sitting on your bed, with a lining. I don't think it is quite fair to call it a low though :flwr: -- she has a serious illness, she needs these medications, and though it can be disconcerting, it is a matter of adjusting to some compromises to keep her as much a part of your life as possible. I'd lift water an hour or so before bedtime as well; that should help.

Also it might be worth testing her for a UTI if it happens again in the near future.

PS is she getting tested every three months now that she is on frusemide? I'd just want to be sure there are no complications that might be causing her to drink so much water. Maybe check with your vets about side effects of frusemide. It is a common drug for dogs for heart issues so I am sure they can give you some advice and more information.

I do think you might wish to rethink having her on the bed though or else train her to a dogbed sitting on your bed, with a lining.
Ill try but cant promise anything

I don't think it is quite fair to call it a low though :flwr: -- she has a serious illness

I didnt mean a low for me ( she could never make that happen )- I meant for her. It cant be nice for her - usualy when she needs to go during the night she'll get up and let us know for one of us to take her out. I just found it unusual for her not to have reaslied.

she needs these medications, and though it can be disconcerting, it is a matter of adjusting to some compromises to keep her as much a part of your life as possible. I'd lift water an hour or so before bedtime as well; that should help.

Also it might be worth testing her for a UTI if it happens again in the near future.

PS is she getting tested every three months now that she is on frusemide? I'd just want to be sure there are no complications that might be causing her to drink so much water. Maybe check with your vets about side effects of frusemide. It is a common drug for dogs for heart issues so I am sure they can give you some advice and more information.[/QUOTE]

yes we havent quite reached the 3 month mark of her being on the Frusomide yet- couple more weeks to go.

I have had a similar problem with Chaos since yesterday afternoon. I first noticed some drops of urine on the carpet after she had been humping her toy dog. She hadn't done this for some time but has been so much better since being on the steroids. Last night she woke me up by whining first at 3 am, then 6 am and went out and needed to pee. The second time she went twice. Today on our walk she must have been about 15-20 times, though I don't think she was passing much.
I am hoping it is not because of the steroids but she has been having them now for about 3 weeks and not had this problem before. The only other thing I can think is she might have got a bit of a chill from going in the river yesterday morning. I am not going to let her go in there again.
I have a call in to the neurologist regarding SM treatments for her so will mention it when they call and also if it continues will have to take her to the PDSA. Wonder if anyone had any thoughts on this.

I'd have her checked for a UTI. I once had a dog that was prone to them, and the first sign (every time) was finding a wet spot in her bed, and then multiple drops around the house where she had been.

If it's not a UTI, then I would buy a waterproof mattress pad for your bed (they sell them at Wal Mart) so if she does have an accident in your bed, you can easily wash the bedding but not worry about it soaking into the mattress.

Hopefully it was just an isolated incident!