Need quick reponses....our dog may only have a couple days left....

[Molson1020]

Well here's the deal.

We have had our dog now for about 15 years and she is definetly aging. She cannot hear, her back legs are not very strong (she can still get up and down but you can tell she is putting effort into it), and now she is starting to pee in her sleep on a regular nightly basis.

We have taken her to the vet and did a urine sample. It came back negative for kidney infections and whatnot and we were told she is just at the age where things are starting to break down.

I am 24 and really don't know much about what to do in these situations, and my dad who the dog lives with isn't the type of person who would know of (or think to use the internet) for alternatives, however he's thinking of putting her to sleep this coming week. I understand that he cannot keep cleaning his carpets every night and day because Mickie (our dog) is really starting to stink up the place and carpets can only take so much...

The only thing is that she is still a very happy dog, doesn't seem to be suffering, deals with her back leg arthritis pretty well, and just cannot help this urination problem. And as I said, she is 15 so she is up there...but I am just wondering if there is any kind of alternative to help her before we have to fall back on the last resort. We've thought about Doggy Diapers but she would just chew and tear them off (she hates things on her). :(

Any help of suggestions would be really appreciated.

[NewfieGrl]

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about your dog. It's sad to watch them age because we want them to be with us forever. A quick question...Do you think she is urinating because of her difficulty getting up with the arthritis?
There are a few things to address here. I believe there is medication for dogs with incontinence. I've seen other people on the board post with some ideas, although I have never used any myself. Where is she sleeping at night? Is it possible that she can be confined to a place where she can sleep on some towels with papers underneath. I know this is not the kind of thing that people always want to do, but if she's happy and healthy in almost all other respects it might be worth a try.
With the arthritis...how are you treating it at this time? My almost 9 year old Newfie has arthritis so I understand what you are going through with this. He is on pain meds as needed, along with a holistic agility supplement. I also started bringing him to acupuncture over a year and a half ago and it really makes a huge difference with him. There is always a noticeable difference after he has had a session. Massage and hydrotherapy are also other good options.
Good luck.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[squashynose]

We've sucessfully used Propalin Syrup for incontinence in dogs at work, but I think it only works with certain types of incontinence. Ask your Vet about it, see if it would help with her.
I agree with confining her to her bed overnight. You can get specially bedding which absorbes all the urine so she wouldn't been sleeping in it too. Then you just put it in the wash. There's a lot on the market, just search for 'pet bedding absorbs urine' on google.

[Molson1020]

The only problem with confining her is that she does a lot of sleeping during the day as well (when no one is home) and its not just a nightly thing. The water she drinks basically goes right through her.

We cannot really confine her all day and all night...only letting her out for approximatly 5 to 6 hours a day...

[artmark]

for urination,there are diapers that velcro on that use a replaceable painty liner. I used them, our dog got real used to them in a couple of days.

[squashynose]

Medication to control the incontinence should help, ask your Vet about it.

[Molson1020]

Well it looks like my father has decided against the doggy diapers once again (my sis and I tried convincing him the other night) and has scheduled our dog to be put to sleep on Saturday morning.

The vet said that she had no infections or whatnot and that she was just suffering from old age so medication looks to be out. For whatever reasons he just won't do the diapers. It's really kind of sad because like I said, she seems like a rather happy dog still (she plays with our cat the we got a couple years ago still) and I personally just feel it isn't the time yet. Anyways, thanks for all the advice guys, I really do appreciate it.

Mickie has lived close to 16 years so she had a really good run. Always a friendly and happy dog, even to strangers. I decided to attach a picture of her since you were all so kind to help out!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/Preditor74/MickieSmall.jpg

[tiffers]

She's pretty! : ) I'm sorry for your dad's decision.

But, perhaps your dad is doing the right thing. You guys don't live with him or the dog, I'm guessing. So, he really see's how she's doing and how she feels. You see her and she's happy and friendly, but that's just the excitement overpowering the pain and suffering. It's just like when you take a limping/sick dog into the vet and they're suddenly not fine and full of energy. The adrenaline totally knocks everything out, and the dog seems fine. Perhaps this is the case? Perhaps your dad really see's what's going on and he can't take it anymore. Perhaps he can't stand to see her suffering.

[mynameislola]

How about a no-kill shelter? There are people who would adopt your dog.

[Molson1020]

Actually I am over here all the time so I see her a lot.

The urinating in the sleep started about 3 weeks ago and that is what really made him make this decision. She was taken to the vet the first week, was told nothing was wrong except old age, and it has continued over the past two weeks.

I know it was the urinating that made the decision because he was always willing to do things to help her and her back legs. He was going to build a ramp this summer for her if it got to the point that she couldn't go up and down steps.

It was actually kind of funny because she used to always sleep on the couch once my dad would leave for work...but about 2 months ago she completly stopped doing it...we figured she just didn't have the strength to get up there. Well that wasn't the case because she has gotten up on the couch twice this week :D

[corvid]

Well it looks like my father has decided against the doggy diapers once again (my sis and I tried convincing him the other night) and has scheduled our dog to be put to sleep on Saturday morning.

The vet said that she had no infections or whatnot and that she was just suffering from old age so medication looks to be out. For whatever reasons he just won't do the diapers. It's really kind of sad because like I said, she seems like a rather happy dog still (she plays with our cat the we got a couple years ago still) and I personally just feel it isn't the time yet. Anyways, thanks for all the advice guys, I really do appreciate it.

Mickie has lived close to 16 years so she had a really good run. Always a friendly and happy dog, even to strangers. I decided to attach a picture of her since you were all so kind to help out!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/Preditor74/MickieSmall.jpg
I'm sorry to hear this. What a beauty she is.

[NewfieGrl]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. She is very pretty.

Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.