Doggie Diapers?

[CathyA]

I'm thinking of ordering the washable kind for my dog. She's been peeing on the floor, and it's happening more and more often. (She's deaf and blind and 16).
Anyone ever try those? It seems like it's going to be a struggle to get them on her, since she easily freaks out, but I've got to try.
And please, no suggestions of euthanizing her.
Thanks!

[CathyA]

If Harlan was 16, deaf, blind, and incontinent and I was not euthanizing him I would consider myself a cruel, selfish person who loves the way my dog makes me feel more than I love my actual dog. But I would never do that. I would euthanize Harlan in such a situation.

My opinion is that you are abusing your dog. And that is horrible.

(See how I never suggested you euthanize your dog?)

You don't have a clue what's going on with our dog. If my dog were as obnoxious as you, I wouldn't hesitate to euthanize.

[CathyA]

You know Ultralight......it's people like you on this forum that make me hardly come around here anymore.

[iris lilies]

If the dog is eating and pooping normally, and if she Is able to enjoy some doggy aspects of life such as smelling the outdoor air and snuggling into blankets and etc, she is doing just fine.

[Teacher Terry]

How big is your dog? We have used belly bands for boy dogs and panties for girls. We put half of a maxi pad in them. Josie was born deaf and as she aged she lost much of her vision. Then because of dementia she decided to potty anywhere and wore panties. We put her to sleep when she lost her joy in life. None of my dogs ever quit eating so I cannot use that as my criteria. You can tell when a dog is ready to go. Cathy, you will know when it’s time. Dogs don’t care about having disabilities.

[iris lilies]

How big is your dog? We have used belly bands for boy dogs and panties for girls. We put half of a maxi pad in them. Josie was born deaf and as she aged she lost much of her vision. Then because of dementia she decided to potty anywhere and wore panties. We put her to sleep when she lost her joy in life. None of my dogs ever quit eating so I cannot use that as my criteria. You can tell when a dog is ready to go. Cathy, you will know when it’s time. Dogs don’t care about having disabilities.

Agreed that eating isnt the sole single measure of quality of life, but it is one of them in the toolbox.

[Teacher Terry]

I agree IL because I have heard people say their animals quit eating. Both Josie and Mandy got restless and would wander aimlessly. Josie quit getting excited for treats. Noki got grumpy despite being on pain medications and started to snap if laying down and people approached him.

[lmerullo]

I used the reusable doggy panties for my female when she was in heat... But I did not use it when she became incontinent. What I learned was she would then be sitting down and making wet spots wherever she went. They do have disposable ones that are very similar to infant diapers and if she is incontinent that is what I would recommend instead.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone...mostly ;)

I didn't want to use disposable ones, so I ordered some washable ones. I've read that they work better if you put a maxipad in there too, so it holds more urine.

She eats very well. When DH takes her for a walk, she's quite happy and energetic. The hard part of ordering these washable female dog diapers was sizing them right. They tell you how to measure the dog, but some people
have said that they're way too big, or too small. So I just made my best guess. She has never liked us trying to do anything to her, so getting the diaper on might be a challenge. I hope they work, since she can't seem to hold it much.
What's strange is, though, when we go out for 8 hours, she can hold it. Maybe she just sleeps all that time.
The good part is that because of her adrenal tumor, her urine is very dilute. Also, we never did replace our old 1970's wall-to-wall carpeting yet....so it bothers us less! :~)
She's a sweetheart though.

[Teacher Terry]

My experience has been that disposable diapers fall off when the dogs walk around. The panties are Velcro and work much better. You definitely need a pad. We have no carpet anywhere because of our dogs. It’s either hardwood or laminate.

[pony mom]

My elderly tiny deaf dog has to go so often that she will sometimes just go on the floor inside. Eyesight is going a bit too. Luckily she leaves tiny puddles. She has dementia as well and we spend half the time looking for her, finding her wedged in a corner or stuck under a chair. She's not bothered by it and neither am I. They may feel a bit undignified but I don't think it bothers them very much. Animals handle their infirmities better than humans.

Acupuncture helped my previous dog with sleep incontinence but I don't know if it would work as well for when they're awake. Probably just loss of muscle from aging. Like people.