Very Old Dog

[nelsona]

My beloved oldie, German shepherd is almost 13.5 year old.

He is a family member and has always lived inside.

The boy is incontinent both ways and I forever clean after him.

Putting him outside or euthanizing him (as per some people's advice) is not an option

I would be so grateful if someone could advise me if a diaper would be a good idea

[raineth]

Hi Nelsona, sorry to hear that your boy is having some incontinence problems.

My boy dog had urinary incontinence as a side affect of the palliative care medication he was on. He was a giant breed and so I used adult diapers on him. I only really needed them at night thankfully, But I found them quite tricky to get on (even after cutting a cross for the tail) and so I ended up putting them on kind of like a bandage around his middle. But putting them on like that can only help with urinary incontinence ofcourse.

You can also get Vet Bed which kind of wicks moisture away. So you could maybe put a plastic sheet over his normal bed and a couple of layers of vet bed on top of that and at least he wouldn't end up laying in his wee as much. Vet bed washes easily in the washing machine and is pretty cost effective. I guess you would still be having to change it quite a few times a day though.

[nelsona]

Thank you Raineh. His bed is well safeguarded.

The problem is that he is incontinent not only when sleeping.

I make sure he goes out after his meal and drinking but still there are accidents at home

[sheena]

What about a belly band & incontinence pad ??

[westiemum]

nelsona you could have written my Mac's story - he was incontinent of both wee and poo for the last few years of his life before he went to God on 20 November. The way I managed it was he wore a bellyband inside with a poise pad in it (You might need the bigger ones). If his poo incontinence was particularly bad I would put a pair of Sarah's pants with a pad on him as well as the belly band - but it was very bulky and disrupted his already wonky gait - so he only wore pants as well when absolutely necessary.

OK now heres the really grotty part. I had to weigh up his discomfort wearing the pants to catch the poo (as well as a belly band) against my inconvenience in toiletting him regularly (particularly after meals) and picking up the occasional log. (Because of his neurological disorder he would not always realise it was coming out before it was too late - I often found them near the doggy door in the laundry).

So I decided to pick up the occasional logs and only put him in pants when absolutely necessary. I kept a couple of small containers of the disinfectant wipes around the house, along with a roll of loo paper and become pretty adept at picking it up with the loo paper and wiping with the wipes. The truth is I'd rather pick up poo than clean up a wee. I had a small compost bin with lid in the laundry with a plastic bag in it to put the used pads in which then went out with the rubbish each week.

We managed like this for some years.

The bellybands I liked the best came from Glenndarcy in the UK - they were the right shape and the velcro didn't fall apart after a couple of washes. Most importantly Mac seemed to find them the most comfortable. Link here

Don't be tempted to buy the cheaper supermarket brand pads - I found they leaked like crazy. The Poise Pads were far better and still a reasonable price if you stock up when they are on special.

Poor Mac got to wear female dog pants for his poo incontinence when needed - but I think you can buy pants for catching poo for boys too.

So basically I used a combination of regular toiletting (really important), bellybands, dog pants, good quality pads, disinfectant wipes and rolls of loo paper.

With a belly band on Mac slept on my bed until the day he went to God.

Hope that helps.

Edited December 13, 2015 by westiemum

[westiemum]

Oops I forgot - yes I used disposable toddler pants (or nappies?) on Mac at one stage during a particularly bad spot - I think the 6-12 month age ones but I forget - but I didn't find they worked as well as the pants and pads for poo incontinence. But you could certainly try them. You can also get some disposable toddler bed mats - called 'Dri Nites' or something - and they were handy to put into dog beds or on lounges etc as extra protection - assuming your old boy doesn't rip them up!

[Little Gifts]

I had an old stafford girl who was incontinent from both ends. I bought baby nappies from the supermarket (I went by her weight and the weight on the pack). I'd fold the nappies in half long ways and cut a cross in them for her tail to go through (much quicker than trying to cut a hole). Then I'd put the nappy on her while she was standing up, tail first, back to front - the sticky tabs being on her back. We would notice her go to toilet so would take it off straight away. The nappy kind of sags once peed or pood in so none of the contents ever touched her body. She never smelt or got any rashes. I'm thinking you might need to trim some hair from your boy so the poo didn't kind of get trapped while it was coming out.

[Boronia]

Hi Nelsona, my old Westie had urinary incontinence, the vet put him on Propalin which worked for a few months but then he started again (though not nearly as bad as when he first had it), I had read that Westiemum had her lovely Mac on Propalin as well as Stylboestrol so asked the vet if we could try that combination to see if it would work.

Well it did

My Mac now has no pee-staining on his skirt or tummy and is so much happier. I am happier also as I was getting tired of washing the towels I use to cover his plastic-covered bed.

There are also some positive reports on using corn silk, I haven't used it but maybe do a Google search and give it a go.

I realise that this is not solving the poo-problem but it's half-way there.

[Salukifan]

Has he seen a vet? Herbie the Whippet became incontinent late in life. It was the first symptom his kidneys were failing. He lived another 18 months with Propalin completely controlling the incontinence.

[Boronia]

Has he seen a vet? Herbie the Whippet became incontinent late in life. It was the first symptom his kidneys were failing. He lived another 18 months with Propalin completely controlling the incontinence.

yep, Propalin is marvelous stuff, it has saved many dog owners from complete despair

[nelsona]

Thank you Raineth, Sheena, Westiemum, Little Gifts, Boronia and Haredown Whippets

Thank you so much for such detailed responses.

He did see his vet but I was told the symptoms are typical for an older dog.

I just read about Propalin and corn silk – it looks like (if I understood correctly) these remedies only work for urinary incontinence; but worth a try together with a belly bend, at least half of the problem could be addressed. :)

I am grateful for the detailed description how to make diapers from human diapers. Very ingenious. I will try this and if I fail I will also consider trying doggy diapers.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Not sure if Chinese herbs could help but worth enquiring, hard to manage sometimes in their old age so worth investigating any option.

[suziwong66]

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Thank you Raineth, Sheena, Westiemum, Little Gifts, Boronia and Haredown Whippets

Thank you so much for such detailed responses.

He did see his vet but I was told the symptoms are typical for an older dog.

I just read about Propalin and corn silk – it looks like (if I understood correctly) these remedies only work for urinary incontinence; but worth a try together with a belly bend, at least half of the problem could be addressed. :)

I am grateful for the detailed description how to make diapers from human diapers. Very ingenious. I will try this and if I fail I will also consider trying doggy diapers.

We use Propalin daily with Norty Brown Dawg Wilbur who is 4. He will be on it for life after he become leaky after desexing at 2. He has .08ml twice daily. It's an expensive drug but works brilliant for Wilbur. We pay $99 per bottle but it lasts a few months.

We got him down to .06ml last year and we found that was the lowest dose that we could give him for efficacy. He had a bit of relapse earlier this year and we upped his dose to .09ml and we're just now bringing it down again. He gets a clearance of 3 bottles of Propalin and then we have to see that vet for a check up for his next clearance of 3 bottles. When i need a new bottle i just ring the vet and they check his records to make sure he's not due for a checkup and then i can just pick it up at my leisure.

[nelsona]

Thank You Suzie :) I will definitely try this drug.

[suziwong66]

there are side effects to Propalin, so definitely have a chat with your vet. My vet and I considered the side effects and still thought Wilbur was a good candidate and so far everything's been great. Given that our labs are both inside and outside dogs, his leaking was a huge problem for us and leaving him outside is not an option.

[westiemum]

Yes I think Propalin is a good drug but it does have side effects in some dogs - it made my Mac quite aggressive - and he settled the moment I changed him to Stilboestrel. The Propalin just didn't agree with him.