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     Buy It For Less At...  |
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Buy It For Less At... |
With the recent news that the FDA has plans to remove all products containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA) from the market may have some serious effects on some of our animal patients.
Many dogs are currently being treated for urinary incontinence (a lack of muscle tone to the sphincter muscles of the urinary tract that allow the animal to withhold its urine) with PPA. The FDA claims that, in people, PPA has been shown to have an association between people that have used PPA and hemorrhage stroke in women. The drug is commonly found in some over-the-counter weight loss pills and products, and even some decongestants. Currently, PPA is not labeled or approved for use in animals but may be prescribed by veterinarians for urinary incontinence in dogs. There are currently no studies that show any risk or relation between strokes in animals and its association with PPA.
If PPA is no longer available, how will we treat these incontinent dogs? If we don't have a means to treat them, some owners may elect euthanasia because of not wanting to deal with cleaning up a constant urinary mess. This is a big concern for many veterinarians who religiously prescribe the medication and have noticed good results. The next step is to try DES (diethylstilbestrol) which is an estrogen compound. DES was also banned by the FDA for use in animals used for food, but vets can still prescribe it for dogs but have to turn to specialty pharmacies for compounding (manufacturing). According to DVM Magazine's January 2001 article about PPA, one doctor reports that in Europe, DES is the drug of choice for treating urinary incontinence. Don't give up hope on your pet. If your animal is currently on PPA, ask your vet about alternative therapies at your next refill.
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