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My Old Dog Can’t Control Her Bladder. What To Do?

She is a shep. mix, 14 years old. She has to be confined to the tiled kitchen. Everywhere she lays, she pees. She drips while she walks. She pees a lake during the night. I can’t take much more of this. All I do is clean pee, wash pee blankets and wipe her pee butt. Is there anything I can do to make my life easier besides putting her asleep? She is still happy and active.

  1. ScottieD
    January 6th, 2010 at 21:26 | #1

    Your first step is a medical check up to rule out a medical cause such as kidney failure or a urinary tract infection. You may also want to note if your dog is drinking much larger amounts and the approximate number of cups per day. Excessive drinking leads to excessive urination. Diabetes, kidney failure and Cushings Disease would be concerns here.
    You can get incontinence medication from the vet. I’ve dealt with recurrent UTIs, bladder surgery/cancer and kidney failure with one of my beloved dogs, so I can understand your frustrations. Here are some tips that may help you have less cleaning and more good time with your dog. Simple Solution or Nature’s Miracle are wonderful products to remove urine odors. Buy this by the gallon and use in the wash, on the floor, etc. You can get dog diapers, but I’m not sure given your dog’s larger size how effective these will be. You can find waterproof baby changing pads and unfitted waterproof infant mattress covers that can help. I took the waterproof changing pads and placed one inside the zipper cover of my dog’s bed. Then placed another waterproof pad over the bed and covered it with an old towel or blanket. If my dog urinated in her sleep, I could wash the towel and waterproof pad and her bed was dry. On rare occasions the cover did get wet, the inside of the bed stayed dry due to the backup waterproof pad. Micro fiber washcloths are very soft and absorbent when you need to wash your dog’s rear to remove odors from her fur.
    Good luck to your old girl and to you. Caring for an elderly dog is stressful for the caregiver as well.

  2. r B
    January 6th, 2010 at 23:21 | #2

    Eventually the urine could burn her skin. Thankfully there is cheap medication to help. If your dog is happy, you must overlook your own frustration. Take her to the vets with a urine sample and both you and your dog could live in harmony.
    If she is still active, take her for regular walks, however if she is left during the day this could nullify the effects of any medication. Congratulations on having a fourteen year old, hopefully with medication and with continued care she will be happy for a few more years.

  3. dorothy s
    January 7th, 2010 at 00:51 | #3

    I have a 13 year old male weimeraner and he has become incontinent.
    we took him to the vet and he gets some steroid injection every 4 months or so and it will leak for a day then stop then when its time to get the injection again he will start leaking a whole lot more.
    We also got him a dog diaper (male wrap) for the leaky times, and we got a dog door installed so he has constant in an out access, but sometimes it happens and he doesnt even know it.
    take her to the vet they’ll fix her up.
    plz do not put her down especially if she has life, just cos she is old, would you put a family member to sleep because they began to lose some control over their bodily functions??? i hope not

  4. Lilly08
    January 7th, 2010 at 04:01 | #4

    This could be a bladder or urinary infection. Take her to the vet, they can give you medicine if it’s infected, to stop swelling, and then they can give you dog diapers sometimes. Don’t worry, the dog diapers are easy to dispose of, it will be much easier than cleaning eep and eep blankets! =]
    ^o_o^
    U…U
    U..U
    ? Robinstar ?

  5. Robi?star of Rai?Cla??
    January 7th, 2010 at 09:30 | #5

    This isn’t something to put your dog asleep over. My dog is only 5 and she is on a daily medication for this. She has had a problem since she was 2. She is on a drug called Proin. She still has accidents or will drip pee like you mentioned, but it has improved by 90%. You can buy this med online if you are Vet is willing to write a script for it.

  6. Kerry&Da
    January 7th, 2010 at 10:43 | #6

    Not good, not good. My cousin’s dog had this problem, and she was 14 too! They had to put her to sleep, if she no longer can help it. But trust me, i bet your dog had a great WONDERFUL life, and she will have a great life in heaven too. Life goes on, even in heaven. Sorry about the bad news, i will pray for your doggie. Hope this helps!
    You might have hope though, i am not saying you don’t have hope. But i will defiantly pray for her. Good Luck!

  7. January 7th, 2010 at 11:20 | #7

    As long as it is not a major condition starting and is just the usual older spayed b*tch type of leaking, then they have medication that works wonders, and you could of avoided much of this by taking her.
    In UK it is propalyn syrup that is used and it really works.
    Humans do pelvic floor exercises to help, but I don’t think we can teach our dogs those – lol.
    Best of luck.

  8. Lorraine
    January 7th, 2010 at 13:15 | #8

    Have you talked to your vet? Old age should make her need to go more, but not as excessivly as you are describing. If she is going that much something is wrong and your vet can tell you what it is. It could be as simple as a UTI and meds will clear it right up or it could be something more. I’d get her in to your vet.

  9. luvexoti
    January 7th, 2010 at 14:08 | #9

    take her to the vet, they actually have medications now to help this. a friends dog was able to stop having accidents completely after going on it. before she was in the same position as you, and the dogs quality of life was not so much.

  10. Sam
    January 7th, 2010 at 19:55 | #10

    The medicine you get from a VET will likely fix this. AND it’s relatively inexpensive. And you can buy doggy diapers for nighttime.
    TAKE HER TO THE VET. They are there for a reason — to help animals with medical problems.

  11. LizzyB
    January 7th, 2010 at 21:03 | #11

    You can take her to the vet! There’s meds to help incontinence and old dogs need geriatric check-ups twice a year anyway. Sounds like she’s long overdue.

  12. January 7th, 2010 at 23:54 | #12

    They do make Doggie diapers that are sold in pet stores. I don’t know how feasible they would be cost wise but its worth checking into if you really want to keep her. Good luck.

  13. banjopic
    January 8th, 2010 at 02:48 | #13

    Have you been to a vet to see if theirs anything they can give her?
    bl

  14. Bill L
    January 8th, 2010 at 03:08 | #14

    i think its time you put him down

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