Best Way To Clean Up

[NeylasMom]

Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning up a dog who is having accidents on her bed/self? So far I have just been wiping her off with a warm wet washcloth and then drying a bit with a dry towel, but I don't know how good of a job that's doing and I'm afraid she'll get irritated from all of the toweling. Her urine is very dilute right now so there isn't a strong smell and she's black so you can't see it, I just want her to be clean. She's washing herself a lot now that the accidents have increased.

 

I was thinking baby wipes, but thought maybe some experienced GTers would have good ideas.

 

Oh, I'm looking for alternatives to actual bathing in case that wasn't clear. Baths aren't a good solution for us right now.

 

Thanks!

[4My2Greys]

Do you think a hair dryer set on low would work if she could tolerate the noise and air blowing on her.

 

Just wanted to mention that I meant to use the hair dryer to dry her off after you wipe her down with the washcloth not to dry the urine on her.

[Guest kelli123]

That is the way i was also cleaning my girl . Spanky was also pooping so that was really a mess. I bought those pee pads and a plastic bed sheet and she would lay on those, That would help soak up the urine and save on washing the beds every day . when she was sleeping i would put a diaper between her legs to help catch the urine.

I'm sure you are doing a great job. I'm so sorry you both are going threw this. Its Hard and heart breaking work and rewarding all at the same time . I'm sure Neyla appreciates you helping her and knows how much you love her.. I would put a small amount of baby powder on her after she was dry because she couldn't clean her self any more so i thought this would help her from chaffing. Seemed to work. Others may not agree with that but it worked for us

[Batmom]

Alcohol-free baby wipes, gently pat dry, smear on a little Panalog (antibiotic/antifungal cream) or similar.

[Guest Stripeyfan]

No advice, but sending you and your girl some hugs.

[MaryJane]

What about adult washable diapers (plastic outside with cotton inside) and cut a hole for the tail? They might be able to absorb more of the urine so less would end up on the skin.

 

They also sell some "barrier" creams for people that help to keep the urine from irritating the skin. Seventh generation makes one for newborns ... don't know if it's ok to use on dogs though ...

[MandysMom]

Alcohol-free baby wipes, gently pat dry, smear on a little Panalog (antibiotic/antifungal cream) or similar.

 

This is what I do with Mandy.

[cmc333]

I always cleaned with a baby wipe and then put powder - I think Desitin - on her. I'd wait a few moments after the baby wipe and fan that area to help it dry before putting the powder on it.

[Guest TeddysMom]

You can use a solution of warm water with a little baking soda which helps neutralize the PH in the urine.

[NeylasMom]

What about adult washable diapers (plastic outside with cotton inside) and cut a hole for the tail? They might be able to absorb more of the urine so less would end up on the skin.

Thanks, my mom suggested diapers too, but I wasn't sure if a place like Petsmart sells doggie diapers or if you have to fashion your own. I don't think Neyla would take well to them, but honestly I'm not sure her discomfort would be worse than all of the obsessive licking so it might be worth trying. We have a vet appt at 3 tomorrow to get a sterile culture, blood work, (a 3rd) urinalysis and take a quick look at her bladder with ultrasound so hopefully I'll have more info about the cause soon.

 

Thanks for all of the suggestion so far, this has been helpful. We do have incontinence pads on all of the dog beds so clean up for me isn't too bad, it just means lots of laundry. I did order some more along with some cheap fleece blankets yesterday so hopefully I'll be able to lessen a bit how often I have to wash loads/run full loads each time soon. I just wish I could convince Neyla to stop working on herself.

[duncan41]

I use generic baby wipes, all "natural", fragrance free, alcohol free, hypoallergenic for sensitive skin.

[Guest mirthlesstroll]

Petsmart does sell cloth diapers - I bought one for my BMD when she had her vulvoplasty to give her a break from the Cone of Shame. You can put an incontinence pad inside to catch the urine and keep her dry. I hope she feels better soon!

[brandimom]

My Brandi has the incontinence also so I keep the baby wipes handy. I figure if they are good enough for a a baby's butt they are good enough for my Brandi. Brandi has had incontinence for a long time and I see no irritation since I have been using the wipes. I wish you the best as I completely understand what you are going through.

[Guest Smiley]

Baby wipes are something we've used and are very gentle. Mrs. Meyers (green products) also makes a great pet wipe that's all natural and smells good. You can usually find the Mrs. Meyers pet wipes at Whole Foods or World Market.

[NeylasMom]

Thanks again everyone. There was a Rite Aid right in the shopping center where our vet is so I picked up some of the natural baby wipes and a small jar of vaseline. My vet recommended either Desitin or vaseline for her vulva, which is really red and irritated. Went with the vaseline simply because all of the zinc products like Desitin had other stuff in them. We got a sterile urine sample so hopefully we'll have a treatment plan soon and won't have to do this much longer.

 

Thanks again.

[greysandmollie]

Sorry Neyla is still having the problems...hope the sterile sample determines a good course of treatment. Rascal was incontinent for years. Lots of laundry and baby wipes....he didn't have the irritation though which was a blessing.

[duncan41]

I wonder................since Suze has been increasingly incontinent for about 4 years with no irritation and that's the same length of time that she has been on Longevity, could it be that since one of the side benefits of Longevity is no grass "burn" that it's helping to reduce the irritation factor, too? Copied from the Springtime, Inc website: "Helps neutralize acidic urine to reduce yellow grass spots*"

 

With three girls who like to cover each other's pee mail, I can vouch for the "no burn" claim since all three are on Longevity.

Edited November 27, 2010 by duncan41

[Guest jmaccop]

I am new to grey talk but my girl Katie is very incontinent and my vet found it to be hormone related so now my girl is on some hormone replacement therapy which is just one really cheap pill a day and now we haven't have a pee pee problem in over a year. My vet says that estrogen in female dogs also controls the bladder sphinyter so incontinence in girls who have been fixed is very very common. I hope that helps.

 

P.S. I love this sight and can not believe I rescued my grey two years ago and didn't know this was here.

[NeylasMom]

I am new to grey talk but my girl Katie is very incontinent and my vet found it to be hormone related so now my girl is on some hormone replacement therapy which is just one really cheap pill a day and now we haven't have a pee pee problem in over a year. My vet says that estrogen in female dogs also controls the bladder sphinyter so incontinence in girls who have been fixed is very very common. I hope that helps.

 

P.S. I love this sight and can not believe I rescued my grey two years ago and didn't know this was here.

Thanks. I asked my vet what else this could be if not an infection and low estrogen was the first thing she mentioned. I'm still inclined to believe it's an infection based on her symptoms and the way it popped up out of nowhere, but we will definitely keep this in mind if the culture is negative.

 

Glad you found the site. Welcome.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Sophie has urinary incontinence as a result of her anti-seizure medication. She's now on 1 mg DES (synthetic hormone) daily and doing well.

 

Her urine is very dilute (she drinks a lot of water because of the meds) so we haven't had any urine scalding problems. It sounds like Neyla's irritation is compounded by the fact that she keeps licking. I would either put a diaper on her, or muzzle her with a stool guard, so she will stop licking herself.

 

 

Petsmart sells cloth diapers that are washable. I bought incontinence pads at the grocery store to put inside (the ones they sell at Petsmart are too small and very expensive).

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

~Lindsay~