Your Elderly Dog Has Incontinence – Now What?
5 Products and Habits To help ease your dogs transition into their older years
If we are lucky one day after many walks, naps, cuddles and kisses you will look at your dog and notice that they look different.
Their hair will be whiter, maybe their eyes milky – and you will realize that your dog is becoming elderly. And while people with true love for their dogs know that they will walk this part of life with them, one of the major reasons for owner surrenders in shelters is that elderly dogs begin to have problems with incontinence. Some owners think that there is no way to improve the situation and as a result will dump a lifelong companion to die in a shelter, confused and alone.
But it doesn’t have to be this way and there are many ways to help the situation before resorting to abandoning a beloved member of your family.
5 Products for your elderly incontinent dog
Before I give you the list of items, I wanted to confirm that these are items that we have personally used here at Furcademy.com. After our addition of an elderly dog 9 months ago (you can find the story here) we quickly had to adapt and learn everything this entails.
The below recommendations are based on what’s worked for us and some of these have made a HUGE difference.
1. A Bed Protector
The first sign of incontinence may be your dog’s bed. A typically sacred spot that not even puppies will soil may all of a sudden be stained with urine each day. This is not a behaviour that should be punished. Rest assured that your dog does not enjoy this behaviour and that it causes them distress and discomfort.
One of the easiest ways to avoid constant laborious bed washings or the absorption of bad smells is a bed protector. While there are very expensive versions of this for dogs that are disposable or reusable, we found that this product worked just as well and was very cost-effective.
The Epica Premium Sheet Protector comes in a package of 2 and is meant for adult human sufferers of incontinence. The sheet is quite large as a result and covers all of my dog beds from the smallest to the largest completely, which is an important feature to look for especially if your dog tends to twist and turn during their sleep.
The sheets wash well without any residual odour hanging behind and have stood up to daily washings for over a year without falling apart or losing their absorbency. We have also had no leaks.
One thing to keep in mind is that our test subject is a small, 25 pd dog. If yours is a large breed you may have to change their sheets more frequently throughout the day to avoid the blankets becoming soaked. We have purchased 2 packages and will purchase 2 more for a total of 6 blankets that keep all of the dog beds protected and give us extras to keep on hand for extra difficult days. This out of all of the suggestions has been the greatest lifesaver. They are also great for travelling as you can put them on your lap or car seat and put your pet on top of it so they are able to travel comfortably with you without having to worry about staining your clothes or car.
If you are interested in the item please click the link above or the picture below to make a purchase (please note we will receive a small commission as we are affiliate members of Amazon).
2. Diapers
A word of caution around diapers. I have a Mexican Hairless Dog and I therefore don’t leave him in diapers as it will cause a rash. As he is constantly “dribbling” urine the diaper would sit against his naked skin and cause major issues. I only use the diaper in absolutely necessary situations such as travel. If you have a dog with regular fur it is a little bit less of an issue however leaving your incontinent dog in a diaper constantly is not an option – they will develop skin issues.
However, for those times where you are traveling or perhaps at someone else’s house for a few hours, diapers can be a great option.
The diapers I chose are the Pet Parents Washable Diapers. The diapers themselves work well, they wash well, they absorb the pee and the straps are sticky enough to hold the diaper in place when the dog moves around.
However if I had the chance to do it again, or if I needed to put diapers on my dog more often I would buy the Pet Parents Belly Bands instead. If you have a male dog (and this may sound weird but it’s relevant), especially if he has a large penis as mine does it will stick out of the diapers and still get pee on his skin or other places. The belly band can be adjusted to sit ONLY over the urethra and does a much better job of catching the urine and keeping the skin dry. I didn’t buy them at the time as I had never dealt with this before and thought a diaper would be better and they would be for a female, but if you have a male those are definitely the way to go.
3. Supplements
Supplements may not work in all cases however just like humans as dogs age their bodies need extra help to perform better.
I gave Nenito the Zesty Paws Liver Support a try as I contacted various dog nutritionists on what helps elderly dogs with incontinence. One of the top tips the nutrionists gave was to buy a liver support supplement and Zesty Paws Liver Support was a top seller in Amazon – and it became clear why.
Actually, it became clear when I STOPPED using it for a period of time. I wasn’t diligent in ordering my follow up which caused a 2-week delay where Nenito was no longer taking the supplement. By the second week, the inflammation that Zesty Paws ingredients help to lower was back with a vengeance and he was leaving literal puddles everywhere he went (without actually peeing it was just liquid constantly seeping out).
When the product finally arrived this went away WITHIN 2 DAYS. This incident was actually the motivation for this post – if anyone is struggling with their dog’s incontinence this can be an absolute lifesaver. As you can see in the pic I never missed a purchase again.
Although not incontinence-related, another thing elderly dogs can benefit from is this Mobility Supplement. Given his years of obesity, Nenito struggles with movement and joint pain and literally started leaping around and jumping once he had taken this supplement for a few weeks.
I have to really send a shout-out to Zesty Paws because it is the first time I have seen a product line make a visible difference in a pet. Kudos and thank you!
4. Water
This may seem odd but keeping an eye on your dog’s drinking habits is important. Some dogs will stop drinking water in an attempt not to pee – given that Nenito had never been taken care of properly, especially as he advanced in age he;d often end up sitting in his own pee and tried to avoid drinking as a result (yes they understand the link between the two). This of couse can exasperate bladder and kidney issues.
If your dog is highly food motivated I found a little trick to get mine to drink more water is to put a piece of kibble into the water that he then tries to get to by drinking the water – it’s important that they are successful in doing this so that they continue to try.
Keeping clean fresh water on hand at all times and encouraging their consumption of it will help to extend your dogs urinary tract and is an often over looked tool.
5. Love
Dogs understand aging differently than we do but they still experience anxieties around the loss of their capabilities. Well-trained dogs that never defecate in the house will find the experience of involuntarily peeing stressful, especially in their “nest”/bed. And while elderly dogs don’t know this they face the possibility that the person they have loved more than anything their whole lives may abandon them to die alone, confused and scared in a shelter or even worse.
Old age is when your beloved dog is at it’s most vulnerable and needs you most – please don’t abandon them. We hope that these tips can help you navigate a sometimes sad and stressful time so that you can enjoy your best friends golden years together.