Older Grey Urinating In House - Looking For Ways To Help

[Guest cooter77]

Hello,

 

My grey (Eeyore) is 12 years old. He's been doing great for an elder. Recently he has been urinating in the house at night time. Not every day though and not a lot of urine. For instance, he did it twice last night, but has not done anything like that for about a month. When he did urinate in the house last month I took him to the vet for a check up, figuring he is an older dog and may start showing some signs of his age and not being able to hold in his urinating. The vet ran all kinds of tests (blood, kidney, heart, etc..). The finding was that he was a little high on his Crea levels (kidney measurement). His number was 2.1 and the vet said she like see dogs in the 1.5-1.8 levels. She also stated when a dog gets 5.0-7.0, that's when she gets urgently concerned. So since he was a little higher than average, she recommended putting on a kidney diet, which was Hills K/D dog food. I have not fed this to him just yet, but will start him on it this week. He currently eats Members Mark Lamb and Rice kibble which he has been on since I got him 10 years ago. Another item is that has always been a night owl, meaning he drinks a lot and eats during night time. He usually goes out once or twice per night to use the bathroom. When he wants to go out, he usually comes in our bedroom and whines but he doesn't go in the house. The past few times he just went, without whining or coming in our room. Just not like him so that why i'm asking for some advice.

 

The advice I seek are ways to control his urination in the house. I know he's old but I like to see what options are out there. Will the new kidney diet help? Should I not give him food/water at night and try to change his eating times to more during day? Should I give him less water at night? If this persists, are there dog diapers out there I can look into? Any particular diapers to use for greys? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

Thank You,

 

[palmettobug]

Yes, there are wraps for male dogs, "mandage" is the slang term. You can get ones that you put a human incontinence pad in, or you can get the disposable ones in any pet store.

[Batmom]

I wouldn't limit his water, since he needs it to feel comfortable.

 

It isn't likely that he needs a kidney diet -- greyhounds often have slightly elevated Creatinine. The kidney diet might help curb his drinking a little because it is lower in sodium than most other diets.

 

There are belly bands that can be used, but if left on the dog while wet, they can cause skin infections, urinary tract infections, etc.

 

If there is a particular place or two that he tends to go indoors, you could put potty pads down in those spots. That would make cleanup easier for you.

 

Best luck!

[GeorgeofNE]

My dog wore a belly band for a long, long time and never developed ANY problems from it. I think that advice about infections, etc. must not take into account that incontinence pads are MADE to hold urine and since there are millions of elderly people wearing them every day, they've changed a LOT. Just like diapers--the moisture sinks in and the surface remains dry feeling.

 

Your vet does not, apparently, know that it is totally normal for greyhounds to have elevated creatinine.

 

The simpliest thing to do is to lay hospital (human) bed pads wherever your dog likes to sleep, and hope that any leakage or urinating goes on the pad. They're machine washable and inexpensive, and you can get them on Amazon.com

[cleptogrey]

a nutriitonist can help w/ the kidney situation. but have it evaluated more than once, there are lots and lots of reasons for changes. we saw a major change w/ anaplasmosis. so, just jumping into the pocketbook of HILLS RX diet may not be necessary.

 

i agree w/ batmom statement. what is easier than a belly band is attaching 2 diapers together and making a cumber band out of it. i did that with my scottie. often i was able to use the top diaper the next night since it was still dry. it's a matter of finding the right size. the new diapers of today absorb a ton of liquid! no washing of belly bands, duct tape and a stapler(make sure the folds in the staple go out) and your set!

[mom2four]

Our 10.5 year old GH Ambi has had urination problems for a long time due to an autoimmune issue. He wears a fleece belly band which I make for him lined with an overnight size Poise pad at night (This boy pees a lake when he does go.) It helps him.

The amount of salt in their food makes a difference as well. Ambi gets regular kibble, but I am mindful of how much salt there is in the kibble. I recently did switch him over from a good grade kibble (with lots of salt it turns out) to one with less salt and it made a difference.