If your pup experiences sleep incontinence she/he will lose control of their bladder while sleeping. Rest assured. Your pup is not alone and there is a solution. If you're dog is experiencing a loss of bladder control, please first consult your veterinarian. Medication may be prescribed and more importantly you'll want to be sure it is not the sign of a more serious condition. I am displaying these facts after research and am not in the medical field so please don't rely solely on the information I am providing:
Some reasons your dog may have sleep incontinence:
- Sleep incontinence occurs most often in middle aged female dogs that have been spayed.
- Bladder infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Back injury
- Birth defect
- Other
Breeds that are more prone to experience the birth defect that causes incontinence:
- Miniature Poodle
- Labrador Retriever
- Collie
- Welsh Corgi
- Wire-haired Fox Terrier
- West Highland White Terrier
Sometimes medication or surgery can correct the uncontrollable bladder. When that doesn't work, your veterinarian may guide you to sanitary garments. These are basically diapers made specifically for dogs. They can be put on your pup before bed or if the uncontrollable bladder is an issue during the day as well, you can use them at that time. You no longer need to worry about stepping on the floor and finding a "mistake." Dog diapers are a great solution that can allow you to live at ease with the signs of aging or another medical condition in your pup. They come in different sizes as well so you can select which size is right for your dog.
If your pup urinates in their sleep that urine will adhere to the dog's fur and therefor to the dog's skin resulting in the perfect environment for rashes, odor, infections, and degrading of the skin over time.
Here are some steps you'll want to take to deal with incontinence:
- You'll
want to trim and/or cut your dog's fur at the inside of the rear
legs and the rear portion of her/his stomach and around the genitals
area. I have an excellent tool for this in the Dog Grooming section of
my store. It's a set of clippers with an extremely convenient LED
light on it to help you see those hard to reach areas.
- Apply baby powder to you pup in the appropriate area to further eliminate the urine from having long term contact with the skin while sleeping.
- In the event of diaper leakage or as a precautionary measure you can also line the dog's bed with an additional liner that locks away moisture from the dog in the event of a leak. To avoid leakage, limit your dog's water intake about 3 hours before bed. Put the dish up and you may be lucky enough to have a dry night.
- In the morning you'll want to remove the doggy diaper and take your dog outside immediately to use the bathroom. Once that's done check the pup for moisture from the middle of the night. If wet, wipe down with a wet wipe. Now if there is wetness on the dog's fur you'll want to give your dog a quick bath to avoid any skin concerns mentioned above.
Stain and Odor Remover
If your pup has incontinence you may also be dealing with the additional dilemma of the odor and stains that go with the loss of bladder control. There are a few different solutions available in our online store
Sprays for carpets, sprays for hardwood floors, sprays for kennels and yards and powder.
Please know that if your dog suffers from incontinence that it's not the end of the world. First have a veterinarian examine your pup then take steps to live with the problem... You can do it!!!
Copyright by Angela Steward 2008 ©
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