Old dog urinating in the house - torn on what to do

hunnycat

My dogs almost 15, he has been urinating in the house for about 2 years now and it's getting to the point I cannot cope. Some people have told me to have him PTS but I am torn on this as although he is slightly deaf/blind he still very active dog & very much a family member!
We have bought him incontinence wraps as he dribbles a bit when sitting, they don't help so much with the full bladder urinating! He has been to the vets for testing and they have tried different meds nothing helps. It's possible he is slightly senile as he just cocks
His leg anywhere.

At what stage do I say enough is enough? It's horrible to say this but I sometimes wish he would get ill so in have a reason, I feel guilty even feeling this way

ali-t

Can you confine him to an area of the house where it is more controllable. Do you have a communal area (living room or kitchen) wher you could have all wipe clean surfaces to control the odours and it might be more manageable.

GwylimT

You can't simply put a healthy happy dog like your own down. While unpleasant an incontinent older animal is part of the package we sign up for when becoming dog slaves.

Are you putting incontinece pads on the floor, they're very good. Obviously increasing the number of short walks will also improve the situation as the more he is out, the more wee will be done outside.

You can use human nappies on dogs, you just need to cut a tail hole and on a mail use doggy tape bandage on the belly area to prevent the wee leaking out.

missbiggles1

Things will be easier now the good weather is here as he can be outside more.

You can't put a family member down just because they're old and messy!

sheramber

Can you set up a regular potty routine.

When my boy started urinating on the house we found that he couldn't last more than two hours so we made sure to take him out every two hours. It saved a lot of cleaning up.

Has your vet offered treatment for senility? There are drugs that can help.

Person_one

Well obviously you can't kill him for being incontinent, that would of course be absolutely appalling.

Pads on the floor, restrict him to spaces that can be more easily cleaned, supervise him more closely and quickly get him outside if he sniffs like he's about to !!!! his leg, and accept that when the time comes and he isn't around anymore you might have to replace a carpet and a few bits of furniture.

kimmi

My JRT was incontinent for over 3 years, we used a belly band with a nappy inside that we used to change 5 or 6 times a day.

Just search for "dog belly band" and you'll find a selection available - you just need to measure round his back/under his belly, add on a little bit extra for the pad you're going to put inside. The ones we had used Velcro to keep them on - we had 5 of these bands as they needed regular washing as they weren't 100% leakproof, but it meant we had 3 more years with him..

Hope that helps.....

Kimmi

hunnycat

Sorry have had trouble logging back in to reply!

We have a belly band already, thinking of baby gating the kitchen It's a kitchen/diner with a huge window and confining him there wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Thank you for all the replies , I needed the reassurance as have had a few people tell me just to have him put to sleep but other than his other very slight health problems with old age he is still a happy dog. I couldn't live with myself knowing we had done.

Didn't think to ask the vets about senility meds will ask them this week when I go back. Will also look at buying the pads and see if that helps.

Person_one

hunnycat wrote: »

Sorry have had trouble logging back in to reply!

We have a belly band already, thinking of baby gating the kitchen It's a kitchen/diner with a huge window and confining him there wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Thank you for all the replies , I needed the reassurance as have had a few people tell me just to have him put to sleep but other than his other very slight health problems with old age he is still a happy dog. I couldn't live with myself knowing we had done.

Didn't think to ask the vets about senility meds will ask them this week when I go back. Will also look at buying the pads and see if that helps.

If you confine him when you're out, and take him into the garden every couple of hours and every time he eats or drinks when you're at home, this doesn't need to be a big problem at all.

Shame on your friends who think it would be ok to kill a family pet (may as well use the actual word not the fluffy euphemism) just because they've become a bit inconvenient in their old age. I'd be really upset if any of my friends thought like that.

hunnycat

Person_one wrote: »

If you confine him when you're out, and take him into the garden every couple of hours and every time he eats or drinks when you're at home, this doesn't need to be a big problem at all.

Shame on your friends who think it would be ok to kill a family pet (may as well use the actual word not the fluffy euphemism) just because they've become a bit inconvenient in their old age. I'd be really upset if any of my friends thought like that.

This is why I came on here needed the reassurance that i should just suffer the mess as I can easily replace anything plus also reassure that I am not being blinded by my feelings and prolonging any suffering he may have, my mum had a similar situation with her dog and she feels she let him go on too long in the state he was in with incontinence and felt it was undignified for him.
. I too am annoyed at my friends for saying this as they clearly see him as "just a dog" but he is my baby and just couldn't bring myself to do anything unless he was ill. That being said its is becoming wearing and difficult but I shall try some of these suggestions and see how i get on .
When I initially posted it we had just had a couple of really bad days
And the house was getting smelly but have shampood the carpet and cleaned all the mess and had loads of cuddles to make it better!

sheramber

Do you use a specialist cleaner such as Simple Solution?

I used Mistral disinfectant, which comes in different scents , on the kitchen floor

it is safe for dogs once dried- as it removes the smell, not just disguise it.

Dogs vary as to how incontinence affects them. Some get distressed but other don't seem to get upset.

Be guided by your dog.

Don't continue for your sake but If he is happy then don't let others influence you.