Abby enjoying the snow.
by Samantha Prust with Tracie Hoffman, Vet Tech.
My husband Dave and I rescued a 13-year-old shepherd mix named Abby. She is, of course, the sweetest, cutest, best dog in the universe. She is a member of our family, and we’re lucky to have found her.
Unfortunately, older dogs don’t have the best luck when it comes to adoption. Because of existing or potential health issues, they get left behind. Abby didn’t have any health issues when we got her, but she developed one: urine leakage. We’re talking puddles. We had to find a fix—and the sooner, the better.
Dave and I took her to our vet, who told us that it probably wasn’t a bladder issue or urinary tract infection. He said that older female dogs often leak because their vaginal muscle weakens; they just can’t hold it in anymore. But he prescribed antibiotics to cover the possible UTI.
The antibiotics did nothing, so we tried another antibiotic. That didn’t work, either. We moved on to the next solution: doggie diapers. This seemed like a good solution—or rather, the only solution. But within a few hours, the diaper ended up soaked and smelly. Washing out dog-urine-soaked diapers multiple times a day = not a good solution. So we looked at the pet store’s diaper liners. Expensive. Then we tried making our own liners out of plastic bags. That finally stopped the leakage, but the plastic trapped her body heat and intensified the urine smell, and we still had the same problem of having to change the liner every few hours.
When I mentioned Abby’s problem to a coworker, she recommended a Standard Process supplement called Vasculin. Although this particular supplement is for humans, the fact that it’s a whole food supplement makes it safe for animals, too. Not having any other options, we decided to give it a shot.
We started putting five pills in Abby’s food three times a day. In about a week, we noticed that her puddles were diminishing. In two weeks, they were completely gone. Occasionally, we’d see a small damp smudge where she was sitting, but there were no more puddles multiple times a day. I know it was the Vasculin and not a coincidence because when we ran out of the supplement, the puddles returned within a day. We got more of the supplement, and after just a day or two, the puddles again disappeared. Now we make sure we’re always stocked with plenty of Vasculin!
The science behind Vasculin illustrates its effectiveness. Veterinary technician Tracie Hoffman explains:
“Urinary incontinence results from weakened contraction of the smooth or striated muscle within the wall of the urinary bladder neck and urethra. If the urethral wall muscle does not maintain a contractile tone, urine leakage will occur from a distended urinary bladder. The poor contractile tone is due to a decreased sensitivity of alpha-adrenergic c receptors within the muscle wall. Vasculin improves muscle tone of the bladder by providing the nutrition needed to feed the bladder muscles and nerves. This product contains Cataplex E, which strengthens the bladder muscle, and Cataplex B, which contains the B4 fraction. The B4 fraction improves nerve conductivity.”
If you have an older female dog that leaks and everything you’ve tried has failed, I wholeheartedly recommend Vasculin. Hoffman also recommends Symplex F or Symplex M, or Canine Renal Support, but the latter shouldn’t be used without Vasculin or Symplex F/M.
For Abby, Vasculin alone works, and we were amazed at how fast and effective it was. I hope dog owners whose female dogs are having the same issue will read this and try it and get the same results. We are so thankful to have found a solution.
