Not too long ago, our senior dog, our spotted girl, Linguini, got terribly sick, by an adverse reaction to
PROIN (also known as phenylpropanolamine, PPA, or Propalin), a drug she took daily to control her incontinence. Weeks after being prescribed a daily pill, Linguini started vomiting violently after every meal. She started losing weight and got weaker every day. Her decline was fast. The dog vet insisted that
PROIN did not have any such adverse reactions and that it was probably the
RIMADYL (
carprofen) that was making her so ill. Through trial and error, we discovered that indeed it was the
PROIN that was making her so
SICK. We removed it from her diet. The vet argued and once again insisted that it was simply a coincidence and to put Linguini back on the drug. One meal later, Linguini was back to retching. It was the last time she took the drug. We got her off it altogether. A few days later she started to leak a bit, then some more, and about a week later she was leaving puddles everywhere. We lived like that for a few months, constantly mopping, cussing, feeling helpless. Linguini was suffering too, as she had to live with constantly wet bedding and fur.
The Walk of Shame
So, we did a bit of research. We found out that
PROIN, an effective treatment for Canine Urinary Incontinence,
should NOT be given concurrently with NSAIDs!!! How about that piece of precious information?
Linguini is currently on DES (diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic, non steroidal form of estrogen, also used for treatment of urinary incontinence in female dogs. The catch: DES is not approved for use in animals by the Food and Drug Administration, but is prescribed legally as an "extra-label" drug (the drug is registered for use in humans only). Because DES has it's own set of side-effects, careful monitoring is a must.
Our thought is that after a certain age (Linguini is 11 years old) a dog should be made as comfortable as possible. Our senior dog, our girl, is no longer ill nor does she need to wear diapers.
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