My puppy was fixxed at 12 weeks old. She leaks urine sometimes a small amount and it lasts a short time other times it

You're speaking with Dr. Michael Salkin. Welcome to JustAnswer. I'm currently typing up my reply. Please be patient. This may take a few minutes.

I'm sorry to hear of this with Lacy. How old is she now, please? You appear to be describing urethral incompetence which describes weakened urethral musculature allowing urine to roll out of her bladder. This is seen most often in large breed spayed dogs and responds to either an estrogen such as DES or estriol, or a sympathomimetic drug such as PPA. It's important to rule out a bacterial urinary tract infection prior to prescribing one of these drugs because infection is the most common cause of urinary incontinence and a urinary tract infection can be occult in dogs.

Do you recall at what age she became incontinent? I need to rule out a "plumbing problem" such as ectopic ureter which describes a ureter (the tube between the kidney and the bladder) that enters the bladder in the wrong place.

Thank you. That's early enough to be concerned about ectopic ureter. This can be "seen" by ultrasounding the urinary tract. Performing a complete urinalysis +/- urine culture and sensitivity are needed prior to prescribing one of those drugs. A positive response to a drug confirms urethral incompetence. Please continue our conversation if you wish.

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