Our dog Dash's Excessive Peeing: Causes and Managing with Diapers!

If you have a dog who has aged and has become incontinent, there are several reasons why they may be drinking a lot of water and peeing excessively. There are also things you can do to keep them comfortable and keep your house pee-free. We're working through these things with  Dash, our 17 1/2 year old Chihuahua-Dachshund mix and did with our senior Weimaraner, Dolly in 2020. Dash has a lot of life in him. I don't believe a dog should be euthanized because of this - if that's the case , EVERY HUMAN over 40 who gets up to pee at night should be. So, Take these steps to help your dog! That's today's blog!

(Photo: Dash wears his washable dog diaper) 

STEP 1: DETERMINE THE REASON: Sometimes whenever a dog starts peeing in the house there are things that need to be checked. Check for a urinary tract infection (UTI). That's often a cause for frequent urination. If not that, get your dog assessed for kidney faillure, Cushing's disease and diabetes. **BEHAVIOR NOTE: If you have another dog in the house, as we do, Cody - sometimes they also pee in the house as a marking thing, and because they smell the other dog's accidents. So, Cody is also in a diaper and is being re-trained with treats to pee outside.

(Photo: a washable diaper with a paper towel liner, and a woman's pad on top for maximum absorption)

1. URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Will pee a lot, but it's usually frequent, small urinations, accompanied by straining, whining, accidents in the house, licking the genital area, or even bloody/smelly urine, indicating an urgent need to go but difficulty emptying the bladder. This frequent urination happens because the infection irritates the bladder, making your dog feel the constant urge to pee, even when it's not full.  
2. KIDNEY FAILURE - Dogs with kidney disease often pee a lot (and drink a lot) because their damaged kidneys can't concentrate urine, leading to dilute urine and increased thirst, creating a cycle of frequent urination and fluid loss, though in severe cases, they might urinate less as kidneys fail. ***DASH's Urine tested with HIGH PROTEIN, thus, he needs to drink more..***
   


3. DIABETES- Dogs with diabetes pee a lot (polyuria) because high blood sugar spills into the urine, pulling extra water with it, making them drink more (polydipsia) and need to go outside more often, sometimes having accidents. This increased urination and thirst are hallmark signs of diabetes, along with increased appetite, weight loss, and lethargy.)
4. CUSHING'S DISEASE - In this hormonal disease, excess cortisol interferes with the kidneys' ability to concentrate urine, leading to increased urine production. As they lose more water through urination, dogs become extremely thirsty to compensate, leading to more drinking. 
5. 

(Photo: Our Weimaraner, Dolly in April 2020 with her washable diaper. We put a dog diaper and maxi-pad inside and just changed them out). 

MANAGING WITH EXCESSIVE PEEING  - DIAPERS AND PADS

WASHABLE DIAPERS -  Chewy.com sells several brands of Washable diapers for small and medium sized dogs. There are Male and Female Versions of the diapers. 

1. Pet Parents Washable Belly Band Male Dog Diapers, Dog Wraps & Extendrs, Gentlemen, Medium: 16 to 20-in waist, 3 count

2. For Larger dogs- Get one with suspenders- Like "Paw Inspired" brand. -  Paw Inspired: Known for ultra-protection, DrySpeed Tech, and options for "diaper Houdinis" with suspenders.    (CLICK FOR STORY OF HOW WE MANAGED WITH OUR 75 POUND WEIMARANER, DOLLY in 2020) 

OTHER BRANDS: 

• Barkertime: Offers escape-proof overalls for unique body types.
• Four Paws (Wee-Wee): Features Foam-Fit Tail Holes and wetness indicators.
• Simple Solution: Offers various sizes for different needs. 

HOW TO BEST USE THEM - **Put in absorbent Pads! 

With our Dachshund mixes, we put in 2 small folded paper towels against the diaper, and on TOP we use a woman's maxi-pad.  We bought a package of 24 for about $5.00. 

(There are Absorbant pads that are sold - but they're about 3 times more expensive- Like Paw Inspired Brand "Booster Pads" are $14.99) 

(Right: Maxi pads tend to be much less expensive than the dog-specific pads (left)  by about 66%)