Urination

Question
My dog Barney is a English Springer Spaniel and is almost 15 yrs old and weighs 53 pounds.  For the last 6 mos we have putting diapers on at night and he used to wet a little throughout the night, but then we take him outside first thing is the morning so he can go.  But now, its like every 2 to 3 hours that he has to go.  We bring him out around 11pm before we go to sleep, but then if he gets up around 2:30 am 3:00 am and we have to hurry him out the front door. Most of  the time we can make it, but other times he starts before we open the front door.
Also, once in while he just goes on our floor during the day.  We try to stop giving him drinking water around 9pm.  But a few licks (5 sec)before he goes to bed. He is also in very poor shape.  He does eat twice a day.  His legs are bad.  And if he is on the hardwood floor, he has a hard time getting up.
So we have to help him.  Is there any medication we can give him?  Our Vet suggested that we put him down.

Answer

Hi Al,

Yes, there are prescription medications that can help Barney. The medication available to assist in urinary incontinent dogs includes hormonal replacement, or the use of direct bladder sphincter stimulants.

You should have your dog examined by your veterinarian. In the meantime, continue with the doggie diapers, and the frequent trips outside. If your dog's rear legs are weak, you can use a large towel as a sling placed under your dog's stomach to help support his legs. There are also slings made especially for the purpose of helping to support the rear legs of elderly or handicapped dogs, such as these:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19912

http://handicappedpets.com/www/index.php/rear-harness-to-help-dogs-and-cats-walk...

http://handicappedpets.com/www/index.php/pet-health/27-pet-products/309-dog-bell...

http://www.k9-carts.com/K9-Carts-Products/Handheld-Rear-Sling.php

One more thing to consider to make this easier on you, would be manual bladder expression.  Expressing will ensure Barney's bladder is completely empty to prevent infection. It will also reduce the amount of urine that comes in contact with his skin, which can cause sores, not to mention the number of clean-ups you must do. Your vet can show you how to do this, and you can read about how to do this simple process here:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php/Express_a_dog_or_cat

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck.

Patti