Elderly Dog Problems

Talk to your vet about incontinence. My mom has an older cocker spaniel that is her "baby" well, her "baby" just turned 13 this year, Vet was able to prescribe a medication that helped with bladder control. My mom so loves her doggy that even knowing she probably doesn't have a lot of life left in her, she also paid for a surgery on one of her dogs tendons...in my humble opinion, pets are like our children. Unless they are in serious pain, or it is going to bankrupt you, I honestly believe it is our moral obligation to keep them as long as we can, seems like we would be letting them down for all the years they have been faithful companions if the second they caused us any hassle we decided to put them down.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and wonder if it is still possible there is something medical going on...have you had bloodwork done? Is he drinking more water, causing him to produce more urine? Any x-rays to check for stones, a tumor, etc.? Is he aware of what he is doing, or could it be incontinence, where the urine just leaks out? If he was seen at the vet and the conclusion was that "he's just old", were any suggestions made for treatment, if possible?

If this is because of old age, he could have some cognitive issues. Sadly, dogs and cats can suffer from a form of dementia much like people and become senile - they can forget their house training and may have other symptoms as well. He sounds like he may have some form of anxiety, since you say this happens when he hears a noise - is he being startled and peeing out of fear?

As far as when to put a pet to sleep, it really comes down to quality of life issues and if you feel his quality of life is acceptable. If you are not satisfied with what your vet has offered so far, I would talk with him/her again or seek a second opinion.

We just have a naughty dog who peed in the house every time we left... even for 15 minutes. But we love him to pieces! I searched for belly bands or doggie diapers on ebay. There are several ladies/stores on there that can custom make washable "diapers" for your dog, and they are MUCH more affordable than anything you can find in a pet store. My favorite is a lady who has an ebay store called "wags.2.riches". Buying the "diapers" for our dog bought him a few more years of life! LOL- kidding!

Good Luck!
God love the dogs in our lives!

T.

Talk to your vet to see if this could possibly be an incontinence problem and ask about a medication called Proin. We have had many older dogs at the vet I work for that have had success with this medication. Good Luck!

Just as women can develop urinary incontinence (when they laugh or cough, etc), so can dogs, and it may just be that yes, she's more anxious but that the stress is causing incontinence.

Talk to your vet about this possibility--there are medications that can be used to help deal with it. And "doggie diapers," either disposable or washable/reusable cloth diapers are available.

I also recommend the book "Good Old Dog"--it's an easy read and talks about a lot of the health concerns for older dogs, including incontinence and the various treatment options.

I second Kim P's advice. Our 14 year old beagle "dribbles" even if she has been outside just minutes before - chalked up to old age by our vet. We have her on Proin now and it has totally worked for her (and us). It is nothing short of amazing.

I'm a dog person too. And while I haven't had the problem you describe, I have a dog that if I'm gone, or maybe during the night might venture down to my basement and pee. Not an out of control problem. And at least it's linoleum tiles and not carpeting she chooses.
There are those indoor potty for pets. I have one. couldn't say for sure if it's used or not, but it's there and an option.
There are also diapers for dogs.

My little Maltese was the same way. I finally put human baby diapers on him...lucky he was a boy. I just put the diaper on him around his belly including his little "package"....it changed my life! He only had to go out to poop and I didn't have to clean up pee all the time. I changed it 3 or 4 times a day. It worked WAY better than doggie diapers. Those things are like mini-pads, in fact I think they ARE mini-pads. LOL! He was happier too...a little confused at first, but he didn't get in trouble all the time. You didn't say how big your dog is....small, medium large? My 12 pound Maltese wore size 2. Give it a try!

Maybe some anxiety pills would help?
We had to put our dog down this year. It was tough, because we always said when he started having accidents in the house is when we'd put him down. He never did have accidents, but had other issues that were just too much for me to handle. I found myself angry at him often, and that wasn't anyway for him to live his last years. He was such a loving and loyal dog. At that point we had to re-evaluate if we were keeping him alive for us or for him and what was best for him, not us.
Best of luck. Maybe someone can come up with an answer for you.

You did not say what size your dog is. Mine is a border collie 10 1/2 years old.
He has a problem if he's not let out often enough.
Your guy may have an infection in his bladder. Don't dump him just yet. He's very likely got something a more astute vet might pick up on.
Have you tried accupuncture on him. There are vets who do it.
Also I have him on Castor and Pollux dog food and he's been much healthier now that he's eaten it for nearly a year. No more turned out feet or stiff legs.

Go to ebay store called Wags.2.Riches, sells the best doggie diapers all over the world and is the most wonderful seller you will ever meet who loves your dog as much as you, really! The diapers are far less expensive than the stores and very well made, service supurb! owner Cindy Barnes, you will not be sorry and this is a great solution!!

I have a friend with a lab mix, he's pretty old and also has a leaky bladder. She has him wear a diaper, it's velcro and very easy to put on and take off for when you let him out. I've watched her put it on and take it off and it's very quick. She would never put him down for that reason. I know it's tough when dogs get old, I hope you get it figured out. :)

We used the same thing for our dog that was a band around him and we used a poise pad in it for absorbing his accidents. They also make this for a female dog but I have not used that one. It is hard to let them go and we did that with the band for almost 2yrs. Our vet also gave him some medication that helped with the problem. Good luck with the situation.

Jennifer-

This is just a crazy thought...but when my beloved 'maggie' (golden retriever) was just over 10...it was clear she was getting 'older'. She sometimes had accidents...sometimes she seemed confused...I guess like a senile dementia as was mentioned...

Anyway, I LOVED that dog...my kids LOVED that dog...she was the best!! I thought getting a kitten would help her focus some...and it did! We got 'fiona'...the last kitten from a friend's 'oops' litter...and I think maggie thought fi was her puppy! They were so cute together. Maggie became more focused on caring for fi! They slept together...went out back together. Got some great pics of the both of them.

Maggie lived almost 2 more years before her hips gave and I had to put her down. Then poor fi was a little lost, but by then, 'mr. stubbs' (a feral manx) literally wandered into our life!

Anyway, thanks for the memories...

Best Luck!
michele/cat