As dogs age, they face the same physical problems that most elderly people find themselves dealing with, including incontinence.
Our 18-½ year old dog, Rascal, is no exception.
During the day, it seems he’s looking to be let out every 15 minutes — only to dribble a few drops of urine at a time.
And when it’s cold outside, he immediately wants back into the house where it’s warm and comfortable. Then, a very short time afterwards, it’s the same thing all over again.
If you’re like me, your day is busy enough, so taking the dog for a walk every time you turn around means the only thing that gets accomplished is having one well-entertained dog.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to help maintain your sanity as the owner of an incontinent dog…
Try Doggy Diapers
Just like with newborn babies, these days you can buy disposable dog diapers in sizes to fit any breed of dog.
Similar to baby diapers, they come with adhesive strips that will help keep the diapers nice and snug so your dog doesn’t slip out of them.
If you prefer, washable dog diapers are another option. The cost of disposable diapers, plus concerns of adding to our landfill problem would make washable doggy diapers a “green” option. You can help the environment, while at the same time prevent damage to your carpeting!
Create Barriers
For our small dog, we chose to cordon off an area that we can easily clean — similar to using a doggy playpen.
This gives our dog a limited space to spend much of his day, but doesn’t confine him to a cage. That way, he’s close enough to the action (where we are), so he’s content.
Within this space he has food, water and of course his bed. That pretty much encompasses 90% of his world anyway. Then, it’s simply a matter of laying down fresh newspaper after an accident and mopping the floor on a daily basis with a good quality disinfectant cleaner.
Fortunately, as our dogs age they also slow down. Rascal has made very few half-hearted attempts to get over the barrier which confines him to a vinyl covered floor surface. Since it’s a relatively low barrier, it’s simply a minor adjustment for us to step over whenever we need to pass through “his turf.”
Now our incontinent dog is happy in his own space, and I can get things done without constantly taking him outside.
This is just one of the minor adjustments that are required when you’re dealing with an older dog.
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