u/SacredC0w

Sorry for the length of this, but it has been a long ordeal with my girl, and I really want to figure out what is wrong with her so I can address it properly.

My female fawn-merle Great Dane is about 6 years old and spayed. She was a rescue so I don’t know her exact age or at what age she was spayed. Backstory is that she was pulled from a dalmatian puppy mill that also dabbled in "designer" Danes, but it isn't believed that she was ever bred.

Shortly after I got her at about 2.5 years old, I noticed that she very occasionally released a single nugget of feces in her sleep. It would startle her and she’d run to the door to be let outside to do her business. It was seldom enough that it wasn’t too big of a deal and I chalked it up to her (sometimes) reluctance to go outside because the sofa is more comfortable and if there is any wetness to the ground, it's a hard no.

About a year ago she started struggling with UTI’s. They would come one right after the other. Struvite crystals (but not stones) were found in her urine at one examination, so they said she should be on a prescription diet. With that, and another course of strong antibiotics, she got better for a while (maybe a month or so). But then the fecal incontinence got much worse and with it more urinary incontinence. At the time, she did not have another uti, per the vet so they suggested putting her on proin for the urinary incontinence. This also improved things, but again- only briefly. The vet then suggested estrogen (DES) to replace proin. Again, it has helped, but certainly not resolved it.

A couple of days ago (about a week in with the DES), I went to remove her diaper for an outside walk and there was a big glob of dark red to brown mucous that seemed to be more from the vaginal area than the urethra. Took her (and the glob) to the vet and they had no real theory on it. They did a bladder ultrasound and didn’t see much- maybe the wall was slightly thick, but they also said it might just be empty. They did not think the estrogen was involved. They're giving her another round of antibiotics (because they think it looks of infection) and supposed to go back next week for another check. They also said if they can't figure it out, she may need to go see a reproductive specialist.

She’s acting normally, eating as well as she ever has (she’s picky, and isn't super-into the prescription diet), likes to go on walks and jumps and plays with the other Dane I have. She doesn’t seem to be in discomfort, but she is pretty stoic and good at hiding things, as I learned with her UTI’s.

I’m suspicious that the incontinence of both sorts may be due to something spinal, and the vet mentioned that early on, but since the proin and DES helped initially, I don't know. I do plan to specifically ask about this next week and request some x-rays to see if there is anything to be seen.

Per the rules, I am not asking for veterinary advice, per se- Just if anybody has had any similar experiences. Anything I could ask my vet about to hopefully figure out what I can do for this girl. She is one of the most loving and sweet Danes I have ever had and it's breaking my heart that I can't figure out where the problem lies.

https://preview.redd.it/tvqohkz1s95h1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b04c0291faf29a11077c37dae66cbb01a0a554e

My female fawn-merle Great Dane is about 6 years old and spayed. She was a rescue so I don’t know her exact age or at what age she was spayed. She was rescued in Wyoming but now lives with me in Houston, TX

Shortly after I got her, I noticed that she very occasionally released a single nugget of feces in her sleep. It would startle her and she’d run to the door to be let outside to do her business. It was seldom enough that it wasn’t too big of a deal and I chalked it up to her (sometimes) reluctance to go outside because the sofa is more comfortable.

About a year ago she started struggling with UTI’s. They would come one right after the other. Struvite stones were found in her urine at one examination, so they said she should be on prescription diet. With that, and another course of strong antibiotics, she got better for a while (maybe a month or so). But then the fecal incontinence got much worse and with it more urinary incontinence. She did not have another uti, per the vet so they suggested putting her on proin. This also improved things, but again- only briefly. The vet then suggested estrogen (DES) to replace proin. Again it has helped, but certainly not resolved it.

Yesterday, I went to remove her diaper for an outside walk and there was a big glob of dark red to brown mucous that seemed to be more from the vaginal area than the urethra. Took her (and the glob) to the vet and they had no real theory on it. Did a bladder ultrasound and didn’t see much- maybe the wall was slightly thick, but they didn’t seem too sure. They did not think the estrogen was involved. Giving her another round of antibiotics and supposed to go back next week.

She’s acting normally, eating as well as she ever has (she’s picky), likes to go on walks and play with the other Dane. She doesn’t seem to be in any discomfort, but she is pretty stoic and good at hiding things, as I learned with her UTI’s.

I’m suspicious that the incontinence of both sorts may be due to something spinal, but that hasn’t been investigated yet- I plan to ask for some X-rays at least next visit. I would just love to know what I’m dealing with and hopefully find a path forward.

Any thoughts from those in the practice are welcome. I may have missed a detail here or there, but happy to answer any questions. Thank you.