My 11 yr old beagle is leaking urine

[dominosarah]

My beagle has been leaking urine this past week.  She leaked all over the bed last night.  She has degenerative hip disease on top of this and is taking .5 mg prednisone every other day.  I called the vet today and they said they could put her on a hormone type med..DES is what i think they said.  I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about this.  I am not a real fan of medicating my girl in the first place.  We have tried all the other pain meds and the prednisone has worked the best to keep her comfortable.  I am really torn right now.........this little girl of mine is my life so i want to do the right thing for her.  Thank you..........sara

[Megan136]

Sara,  Can't help with medical advice, but just to let you know that I posted early Jan as my dog has a terminal illness and the support I've received from this site has been fantastic and I know it's a big boost to get a reply and to know that you're not alone!  I personally would say that as long as you can keep her pain controlled, hang on in there with her. That's what we're doing with my fur baby who has liver failure. The only thing I would say, is that my dog has been on prednisone in the past several times, I believe it's a form of steroid and from what I've read about it, I don't think it's a good long,long term treatment as it can cause other problems.  Saying that, if it's working for your girl and she doesn't have any other major problems, then why not?   My fur baby also leaks when he's having an "off" day and it took me a while to work out what it was (duh!!) as it doesn't smell at all and it's bright yellow!!!  A bit of dog wee isn't going to kill you!   Thinking of you and don't forget this site and all of us who read it and are there with you.

[dominosarah]

Thank you both for your responses......I am going to check some of this out...........She is a happy little beagle tonight but had more accidents today.       sara

[Jaybay]

I wouldn't add any medications without having some basic labs done first.  The urine leaking might be from simple lack of muscle tone that comes with age; a urinary tract infection; or even kidney failure.  I'm a bit surprised your vet hasn't discussed this with you or advised another exam before adding more medication.  You can bring a fresh urine sample in and ask him to do a quick dip stick test to see if infection is present.  It's not as in-depth a test that would be needed to evaluate for things like electrolyte levels, but it's an inexpensive place to begin.

I don't know anything about DES, but you might try asking about it on the Ask a Vet board here at Med Help.  Dr. Cheng also practices natural Chinese medicine and I'm sure she'll have some ideas to help with the hip pain too.

[April2]

Oh Sarah, I'm so sorry about your dog! I have a similar thing happening with my dog. He's been having accidents and leaking for months. Funny thing is my vet never told me about any meds that can be taken? So I'm afraid I can't help you out there. Just wanted to give you support. I think Willow's getting closer and closer to the end. My vet told me last year he had maybe a year and a half left. He has Cushings Disease and he's really gone down hill the last few months or so. He has trouble walking anymore without his legs giving out.
I know how you feel! :( Just know I'm here for you! I hope your beagle will come around and start doing better.
Hugs and blessings to you and your doggy!
Your friend,
April