My 13yr old Lab Mix Male Back Legs Muscles

[MyBezzo]

Hi all,
I'm so delighted to find a site that totally knows what it is like to have a pet that is handicapped in some ways, and not just write them off.

Lennox I've had since he was 4 weeks old taken from his mother early, I'm 38 and haven't had children, I love len so much my heart feels like it's breaking,
If I listened to the vets he would not be here to them it's quite simple "put him to sleep" , this was at the start of his arthritis and one of his legs the muscles were wasting away, I told the vet "would you put a human being to sleep if you could because of his legs weren't working properly?" ,
When he was still able to balance on his good leg it wasn't that bad, we bought him 2 different dog wheelchairs, but he would stand there and give me his "I feel stupid take it off" he just flat out refused (this was back when all I wanted was to take him out and about) ,

6 months down the line he can't balance himself properly so he will slide down and won't be able to get up,
Len is VERY intelligent , I think it's because I'd spent so much time with him and would talk to him, he knows when me and my partner are discussing him, his ears prop up when he hears "he" or "him"
Because we named his toys he would fetch us the exact one he wanted ,
I'd be at the vets and be talking to him telling him to stop barking if he did we would take him out and get him a bobs treat , and this lady said to me, "I'm astounded at how he understood every word u just said"

We doesn't like it if I'm stressed out so it's so hard to hide it from him, len had NEVER gone to the toilet in the house and when he would be sick it would always be by the back door ,
Lucky one day when I felt somthing wasn't right and found him in the kitchen choking on a treat !! Because he didn't want me to worry he could have died !

Well anyway back to my problems now, he started with little bits of urine on his bed (he sleeps on double duvets and there are 4 on the floor to cover the floor for him,
He's unable to stand for longer than a minute as he can't balance properly , he will look at me and I know he wants his food (very fussy eater he eats a few frolic in the day but likes food late at night) so ill put his bowl in front of him, and his water (I bought a feeder level so I could put his food up when he would stand and down when he can't get up as I found he would cough after drinking water so this helped ,
I've had various vets tell me different things wrong with him one vet 2 years ago told me he had CHF and put him on the tablets, but his panting was worse and something told me to take him off all his meds and it worked when I took him back another vet said he barely had a heart murmur 1 !!,
This one vet had kept on at me about putting him to sleep so much that after 2 days of him just laying there really down I thought she's right so I took him in and she looked shocked at me (as I would always say no) she for the first time ever gave him a good examination gave some anti inflammatory meds for a small lump under one eye, and said bring him back if he's worse!!.

He is happy in himself now but he started to poop, it was on my birthday and I've lived my life around Lennox so I just wanted to go to a field with my partner and brother who love len as much as I do, and it was the first time he pooped I was so In shock but made out to him it's okay,

Later that night at 5am I was showering him again,
My partner carries him outside every hour sometimes that works, it's been a week since it started and he's most probably done it 4-5 times in the house,
My partner uses his harness for dogs with bad back legs to keep him upright but he just urinates when he has that on,
I tried children's nappies but they weren't comfortable for him and by the time I cut a hole for his tail he would be mega stressed out,

My partner bought some on amazon but we just found out there for females and they only provide ones for males to help with urinating,

He currently takes "tramodol 50mg" twice a day one in morning and one at night, he also is on "lexicom" (anti inflammatory) he's been on these meds for over 6 months,

Can anyone help me?
Do dog diapers work ? And if so is there anywhere in the UK I can buy them from ? ,

I love Lennox with all my heart and I've always said I'd never let him suffer he's given me too much for me to let that happen ,
Point is all I hear is "you know when it's time"....point is I don't trust my decisions, I'm so scared that if I say okay put him to sleep will I regret it , I would not be able to live with myself ,

Some days I think it's time but then in the morning he chucks his toys with his nose at me to play ????

My head is all over the place it's 2.26pm and I've gone that depressed that I'm laying on my bed not wanting to get up while my partner has len downstairs,

And I'm stuck with if I go in the room with him I know I'll go mad and lose it no matter how much I tell myself I wouldn't do that to len, but even my partner and brother agree but I can't let him alone while he takes his last breathe ,
I'd been praying that if he's not meant to be here he would go peacefully in his sleep and I bet there are a LOT of you on here wish the same,

I'm sorry this post is really long, I just wanted to give the bigger picture ,
I'd appreciate any help or advice good or bad
Thank you so much
Clair

[CarolC]

Hi Clair,

There is no question it is an adjustment having a large down dog, but since there are two of you, you and your partner, I think you can do it. The support harness sounds good. You said he urinates when he is lifted with the harness. In that case, I would have him wear a male doggy diaper. When he is lifted, the pad in the diaper will catch the urine. That is one problem out of the way, scratch that one off your list. I had a male golden retriever in the same situation, he got to where he could not get up and if he was up he could not stand. He also got to where he leaked urine. So he wore a combination malewrap (male doggy diaper) and harness so I could handle him every day, move him from place to place in the house without any puddles, and also keep his bedding dry.


Next, your partner is trying to take him out every hour, hoping to be sure he is outside next time he needs to go. That is more work than you can continue every day. I would try expressing his bladder. You can do it indoors or outdoors, I will not try to recommend which one is better for your situation, but I recommend you watch some of the videos at the end of this article.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16027

They show how to express a dog's bladder. In particular I like this video for your situation because it shows 4 different dogs, and there is one older dog who can urinate on his own but what they are doing is simply helping him get really empty on his trip outdoors. If you do that, you can relax knowing when he was last fully emptied. If he is dribbling between potty breaks, the malewrap will take care of it.

http://www.scoutshouse.com/videos/video_bladder.html

I think you did the absolutely right thing, when he doodled in the house you acted like it was OK. I agree, it is OK. Like you say, he can't help it, he has some age related degeneration in his spine that is affecting his walking and bowel and bladder, but we don't put our elderly humans down when they have these problems.

There are ways you can deal with bowel incontinence in a dog. The absolute main thing, in my opinion, is to make sure he has good stools. If he is going to poo, you want the stools to be firm, well formed, not sticky, and low odor. What goes in affects what comes out. One type of dog food will produce one kind of stool, and another brand will produce stools of a different quality. If his stools are already pretty good then there is no need to change his diet. If you are really dealing with too much odor and mess, I would recommend trying Science Diet w/d dry kibble if it is available where you live. Great stools for an incontinent indoor dog. I am going to give you a link to an article on bowel incontinence. There is a technique where you can stimulate your dog to eliminate on a schedule. It is great for paralyzed dogs. If the dog still has some feeling then you need to judge how he feels about it. If he is not happy with the procedure I would respect his wishes and just let him eliminate when he goes and clean up. But if he will let you stimulate him to eliminate, that's great because you are right there to clean up.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586

Personally, I would not use a diaper to catch poop, but some people feel differently. I think you are likely to wind up with waste stuck in your dog's fur. A lot of dogs will pull themselves away from the waste if they defecate, but if the dog is wearing a diaper he can't. It's up to you, whatever you and your dog are comfortable with. It sounds like he didn't care for the diaper.

It is upsetting to see your dog lose some of his abilities, but you will gradually adjust to the new normal. You may have a hard year this year, working hard to keep him clean and happy, but you sound like you are more than willing to do anything you can for him. Yes, it may mean giving up a holiday or day trip at times, but...you are fortunate to have a partner, perhaps each one of you can take over and let the other get away for a day from time to time.


Please do not hesitate to ask any questions or bring up any fine points, chances are there will be someone here who has dealt with any issues you may encounter.

[MyBezzo]

Thank you ever so much , you really do not know how amazing it is too hear some positive things instead of put him to sleep ,
It has been hard on my partner as he has only been with me for 2 years and he's had to live where we don't go anywhere or do anything ,
Where as with me I've only spent 4 nights away from him since I have had him , I've had to say no to holidays and the fun days out because I didn't like to leave len alone in the house so he would always travel in the car with me he loved it ,
He doesn't so much now cos he has to lie down and can't see out , but I've decided to buy a mountain bike and attach a child/pet trailer so that he can look about ,

At the moment the diaper we bought on amazon is actually for a male too and is washable and it fits and he doesn't look bothered by it as it was so easy to put on,

I will definitely look into the food as len weighs 34 and I've been told he should be 30, but I won't stop giving him his daily treats, I know the time for him to leave isn't far away so I won't stop giving him things he loves , if u ask him "len what do u want" he would take u to his kitchen cupboard and put his nose on the door for his treat,
I know that frolic (the dry food) it is called "Frolic" isn't very good for him as a vet said it's full of salt but for the last 13yrs I must have tried EVERY food and he wouldn't touch any , he used to love "ceaser" cartons but he won't eat them now ,

I don't mind cooking him chicken breast I cook it by boiling it and rice with carrots (he lives carrots) ,
When I was told he had CHF I could not believe how I could NOT find any foods without salt,
I even went to a butcher and he said all the chickens etc are already bathed in salt before packed up ,
So I would wash it thoroughly before cooking and then just before it was done I would wash it out again,

Do you think that would be a better option ?
And again I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your reply , I believe In karma and I hope life rewards you for your kindness
Clair

[CarolC]

You were asking about his food, right? Does the vet have any kibble (like Royal Canin or Science Diet) that he recommends? I wonder if you could maybe mix it so he has the kind he likes (Frolic) mixed in with the kind that is supposed to be good for him. I'm no help, because when they get to a certain age and are picky eaters, I just am glad if they'll eat anything. To be honest, when you have to give them the prescription diet and they hate it and won't eat it, that only makes you both feel bad. I would think (?) by the time you boiled chicken most of the salt would be gone, don't you think? He'd probably love it, but it's a lot of work for you. Chicken and vegetables? Even if you just mix the chicken in with the Frolic half and half, you are still doing better I suppose. You just want to watch his stool quality, that's all. The bike trailer sounds like a LOT of fun for him. I got a stroller for my dog and only wished I had done it sooner!

[MyBezzo]

I am the same , I will let len eat anything when he is down and won't look at his food , so far I've taken the frolic away and he's been on boiled chicken for the last 2 days, but his poop was watery this morning, maybe it's the frolic all emptying I don't know ,

But I'll keep doing the chicken and ill add carrots tomorrow,
Thank you for replying x

[CarolC]

I'd be a little cautious about a sudden change of diet if his stools are getting watery. You definitely do not want a large down dog with diarrhea. It will be no fun for him and bathing him will be challenging for you.

Is he on prednisone or any kind of steroids?