What to do with an Old Dog ?

[paraman1]

I have a 15 year old Black Lab that is starting to have some issues . She has been deaf for several years and as with most old dogs her joints give her some grief . Up until recently I have overlooked all her health issues but as of late she is struggling to make it through the night without having an accident . At least once a week we are having to clean up a mess even if we let her out just to do her business just before bedtime . This morning I woke up to her lying in urine stained chunk of carpet and a large pile next to the back door (I think she is at least trying make it outside) .

Does anyone have any advice that might help my situation ? She seems to still seems to have a quality life so I don't think its time to put her down but I am not sure what to do to get her through the night .

 

[rrflyer]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

Doggie Diapers

 

[Jig Stick]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

does she always go outside before bed? As long as she has a good quality of life then just live with it. Its part of life. As long as she is having more good times than bad times then keep enjoying her. Trust me, you will know when its time to put her down. And she will let you know. I dread the day I have to put another dog down. It was one of the worst days of my life.

 

[oldgrayone]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

Our lab started that around the 16 year point and we just worked with it. We move his bed to the laundry room which has a tile floor and easy to clean. The next phase will be a loss of control while sleeping and if you come to that point just put some adsorbent house breaking pads under her when she lays down for the night. You will need to keep a eye on her skin condition and keep her cleaned up from any urine soaked areas or a rash will set in that can turn to infection.

Good luck

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

Put some tile down and get some of those doggie diapers that you lay out on the floor.

My dad's going through this with a small chocolate lab he has.
The chiropractor has been helping a LOT though..

 

[LILBUCK]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

What about a doggie door?

 

[dlc356]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

Started having a similar problem with our Dobie and our Great Dane a few months ago. The vet said it's fairly common in fixed, older females. They prescribed a pill that has worked great. The bottle only has an abbreviation so I'm not sure of the name but it starts with "Des". I'll try to find the last receipt.

You start them out with one pill a day for five days. Then one pill every two or three days for five days, and finally one pill every three to five days. Both of ours take the same pill so once I got them on the same rotation the bottle lasts a while (28 pills). IIRC it's around $80 to fill it but we only go through two pills a week so it's $5-6 per week.

The best part is it's working and you can see a difference in their behavior. Check with your vet. There is another med but they said it was three pills a day from here on out. Like the one we got, these pills have to be given at the same time of day in order to build up in their system. 3X a day is impossible with work and a ton of pills so we opted for the other med.

edit to add: Forgot to mention. We have a doggie door too but the accidents only came when they're asleep or really relaxed (napping etc). The Vet said older females basically lose control of the muscles that they use to "hold" it.

 

[BLOODHOUND]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

I second the house breaking pads. You can get those at any pet store. Or you could go with a waterproof crib pad that is used for babies.

Have you considered any natural supplements to help with the actual incontinence problem? We haven't needed to try this in particular for our dog, however, we have used several of PetAlive's products with much success.
Here's their website if you wanted to look into their bladder control remedy -

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/better-bladder-control-leaking-urine.html

Hope this helps.

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jig Stick</div><div class="ubbcode-body">does she always go outside before bed? As long as she has a good quality of life then just live with it. Its part of life. As long as she is having more good times than bad times then keep enjoying her. Trust me, you will know when its time to put her down. And she will let you know. I dread the day I have to put another dog down. It was one of the worst days of my life.</div></div>

+1
Also you could start having her sleep near the doggie door by using a baby gate or something. It's always hard to have to put a good dog down. I found that doing myself was easier than just dropping em off at the vet though. Good luck with her and hopefully she's still got alot time left.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

If the dog is enjoying life, help her. If she isn't, she still needs help, just another kind.

My previous cat lived 17 years, developed arthritis and diabetes. I took an empty salt grinder/shaker, added chunked up some of my own centrum silver, metformin, and glucosamine tablets; and dosed her food each morning.

Perked her up and improved her quality of life. On night she died in her sleep.

Greg

 

[flounderv2]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

We have a black lab that is going on 16-17 as well. His hips are getting pretty bad and he's also completely deaf. Hes still happy as ever and occasionally makes a mess but thats bound to happen. I would try the doggie diapers as well and go from there.

FYI, as Im sure you know their taste for food tends to change the older they get but I will tell you what, ours absolutely loves gumdrops and jelly beans as treats.

Best doggie treat ever. We also crush up glucosamine, MSM, and aspirin to mix with his food and it seams to help with his hips.

 

[Biscuit]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

She looks like a real sweety.

 

[M Parkini]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

With our old pup we take him out every couple of hours now. We both work opposite shifts so it's possible. We keep a supply of old bath towels around to clean up the messes and understand that this is just part of our life now. Wood lamate and tile floors help too.

 

[smokshwn]

Re: What to do with an Old Dog ?

Try to supplement her diet with fish oil and glucosamine.

You should see a significant difference in her level of soreness pretty quickly...

This might make it a little easier for her to get her business done when she is sleeping.

Rimadyl is also an option. It is a canine drug similar to Motrin.