Urinary incontinence after Milbemycin Oxime (Interceptor) in dogs

The FDA has received 86 reports of urinary incontinence in dogs after Milbemycin Oxime. That is 0.3% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 0.6% across reports for all dog medicines, so it is reported less often than average with this medicine.

86Reports

16%Marked serious

9.3%Recovered

5.8%Died or euthanised

10 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

4 25%

1–2 days

3 19%

3–7 days

1 6.3%

1–4 weeks

1 6.3%

Over a month

7 44%

How the animals did

Recovered

5 5.8%

Recovered with lasting effects

3 3.5%

Still unwell when reported

13 15%

Died

4 4.7%

Euthanised

1 1.2%

Not known

60 70%

Problems reported at the same time

20 23%

15 17%

13 15%

11 13%

11 13%

10 12%

9 10%

9 10%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Milbemycin Oxime prevents heartworm and controls some intestinal worms (monthly).

Products with this ingredient include Interceptor. The FDA hides brand names in its public data, so these reports cover every product with the same active ingredients.

Some herding breeds (for example Collies) carry the MDR1 gene variant and can be more sensitive to this drug class at high doses.

Questions owners ask

Can Milbemycin Oxime cause urinary incontinence in dogs?: 86 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 10 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Urinary incontinence with similar medicines

Urinary incontinence after Ivermectin + Pyrantel (Heartgard Plus) 190 reports · 0.1% of its reports
Urinary incontinence after Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad (Trifexis) 309 reports · 0.2% of its reports
Urinary incontinence after Moxidectin (ProHeart 6) 171 reports · 0.3% of its reports
Urinary incontinence after Milbemycin Oxime + Praziquantel (Interceptor Plus) 112 reports · 0.4% of its reports
Urinary incontinence after Selamectin (Revolution) 86 reports · 0.3% of its reports
Urinary incontinence after Ivermectin (Heartgard) 46 reports · 0.4% of its reports

All reported side effects of Milbemycin Oxime in dogs · Medicines most reported with urinary incontinence