Old dog incontinence, anything I can do for him? (clean, poop, vet)

[Wartrace]

I have a 19 y/o Beagle that has developed incontinence. I do not have a problem with the mess, I owe it to the old guy to take care of him.

My only concern is when he lays down he often wakes up all wet. He developed a hotspot due to the problem and I am concerned he is very uncomfortable with moist fur all the time.

Is there anything a vet could do to relieve this issue? Unless the dog is in pain I refuse to put him down for this minor inconvenience.

Is there some sort of medication that would reduce this in a 19 y/o dog?

[2mares]

I have a female that has ectopic ureter. The surgery didnt work and she has dribbled all her life. There are a couple meds that work to strethen the spinter muscles. They didnt work well for my dog tho. I am trying a new med that is out now. We'll see. Ask your vet if these meds might work for your dog.
A friend has a dog with the same problem as mine and they put diapers on their dog. That has worked for them. Good luck.

[haleybug528]

There is medication that can help. I would definitely talk to you're vet about it. Thank you for taking care of your old guy! We see far too many clients who give up on their old babies.

[lifelongMOgal]

Has the OP tried a belly-band to attract the urin and keep it off the skin? You may need to keep baby wipes handy and wipe the fur off after a sleeping accident. You can find online several makers of the belly bands and add a panty-liner for absorbtion or there are also the disposable kind.

[Sam I Am]

^^THAT is a great idea! I thought about the belly band but not the liner...kudos, MOgal!

If there's a med, I'm all about that too...anything to help these seniors live their lives as comfortably as possible.

There was a recent thread on itchy dogs but there are suggestions in there for things to soothe the skin. I swear by Listerine gold mixed 50-50 with water and sprayed on hot spots - it will dry them right up...but here's the thread in case he needs just a general overall soothing of the skin:

//www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/...ching-dog.html

Wartrace, I have a special place in my heart for the seniors - bless you for loving this ol' boy for so long and so well.

[brightdoglover]

When I work my night shifts, I put a velcro band on my old boy George, with a newborn diaper in it (or whatever is on sale).
I do hope the vet can help, though. I had a senior whose last sign of failure was a further spinal degeneration, and when he was peeing and pooping in his bed, I knew he was near the end. (I did have all sorts of mats and so forth, and cleaned up every day. One day he slipped and fell in it and the look on his face was pathetic, like the demented patients I've seen- blank and terrified. I knew he was not having a quality of life then, at 15).
If the old boy is only leaking when sleeping (and not falling, etc.) I think the bellyband/diaper/quick wash could do very well.
I love the seniors. Wow, a 19-year-old. What a sturdy boy.

[Wartrace]

The belly band idea is great! I did make an appointment with the Vet tomorrow to see if medication would help.

He will let me know when its time to go. He is still very agile, eats well, follows me around everywhere. I just want to make sure the moisture from the peeing doesn't make him uncomfortable and cause hotspots.

[Wartrace]

We went to the vet yesterday, he said old Buddy has a bladder infection and also perscribed Proin 50mg to help with some sort of muscle control of the urethra.

[Sam I Am]

Here's to Buddy being back to himself very quickly! So glad to hear there is so much that can be done, although of course we are terribly sorry Buddy has a UTI. Hoping those antibiotics kick in quickly - hopefully, that will be the majority of his problems and can be easily solved!