Please help with bathroom issues

[kara]

I have the most wonderful Boxer, Beamer. He has been slowly losing use of his back legs due to back problems. I recently got him one of the Walkin' Wheels wheelchairs and it was so beautiful to see him just take off and walk again! He looked great...and happy! We don't go many places, so I really wanted the wheelchair so that he could go outside to go to the bathroom on his own and regain some independence (he's lost some of his spirit). I built a ramp for him and everything! The problem is....he won't urinate in while in the wheelchair! He will hold it all day, as I strap him in and take him out every 30 minutes. I have put some things out in the backyard for him to stand over and urinate on, I have sprayed them down with that stuff to make them want to urinate, and he still insists on holding it. Does anyone please have any advice for helping me show Beamer that it's ok to relieve himself while in the wheelchair? We are also having trouble with bowl movements. He can't really hold himself up to go, and often falls in it. How do we do this? Thank you!!!

[Christine]

Hi Kara,

Welcome to you and Beamer and whoever that other little cutie in the picture is! It sounds like you should consider expressing Beamer both for urination and defication. Here are the links with instructions and many others here do it every day so will give you more pointers, if you need them. You don't want him to hold it taking the chance of a possible urinary tract infection. Your vet could possibly help you get the method down correctly too.

Bowel management in incontinent pets:
https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

Express a dog or cat:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat


It seems to me that if he took to the wheelchair so quickly and easily, that perhaps you can use his comfort in it and the support to help you express him. If you think he might not want to go in the chair at all, you could towel walk him or use at Bottom's Up Leash or even a Lift and Assist Harness so that when he goes out, you can hold him up when his back end loses strength. I used the Lift and Assist Harnass on my Bailey. She got used to knowing that she could just flop down and I would hold her by the handle so she could go. It took a few times to get the timing right, but after a while, I just knew when she would squat. I did not have to express her, just had to help her not sit into it.

As far as the bowel movements go, he could be constipated from the stress so a tablespoon of plain pumpkin (no spices) in his food can help. If you want to help him have a bowel movement, it is even easier than expressing, which you will see. I used a little squirt bottle for Bailey and it worked like a charm, maybe the ice cube trick will work for you.

You say he has lost some of his spirit, but he sounds like there is still a lot there for him to have taken off in his chair. You are just going to show him a different way of doing things and a new normal. Keep your spirits up, praise him as he learns and he will do great.

[Bobbie]

You should not try to express urine if he has good control of it. Poop, you can express regardless as you are merely stimulating a muscle response from him.

How about going to a place lots of other dogs pee, like the dog park, and let him check his p-mail in his cart. He will probably want to send a return message!

[Christine]

"p-mail"....love that!

[CarolC]

Can you explain what you've seen that makes you think he is holding it on purpose. For example, is there a time he clearly lets go and urinates on purpose? I'm just questioning whether he really has that much control?

[kara]

Wow, thank you Carol, Christine and Bobbie! It's so wonderful that you take the time to help others out! Trying the dog park is a good idea. And thank you for the encouragement, Christine...MY spirits have also suffered! Ok, so squirting his bum with water worked great! This will help us go outside when I want him to, and not inside. I have yet to try the bladder expressing (who knew...!) Carol- I know he does have control because when he is in the wheelchair and is walking, it dribbles. As soon as I take him out of the wheelchair and let him hobble on the grass, he will urinate. Also, when I get home and let him out, he races (well....races for him) outside to go.

I had ordered the Walkin Lift Harness for Beamer when I got the wheelchair, thinking I could use this for our stairs and also to help w/supporting him to go to the bathroom. I can't get it to stay on him right! I don't know what is wrong, measurements say it is the right size, but it keeps sliding back and covering up his whole rear end. Thank you for letting me know about the bottoms up leash...it says they can go #1 and #2 in it, so this may be what we need.

So, since you were so kind as to reply...I'm going to try another question. I was hoping that he could lay down (his front end anyways) while in the wheelchair, but he can't. So, we don't use the chair in the house. He has full loss of one back leg, it just drags along as he hobbles off the other rear leg, which isn't so great. I have seen videos of fully rear end paralyzed dogs, so I know that they can survive. But....how do they get around the house? Am I just supposed to let him barely limp/drag along? Are there any tricks? Is it ok for him to live like this and get around this way? He stays on my main level of the house all day (I lift him up to bed) and travels only a max of 20 feet across the room several times/day (he has to follow me around). It just seems so horrible, him trying to get around. Other than his, his health is good. We get acupuncture, chiropractic and laser treatment on his back and the vet says he's not in pain.

[Christine]

It really sounds like the harnass is too big. Have you thought of checking with the company about exchanging for one size smaller or if they can modify this one for you? Welcome to the "Woo Hoo, They Pooped!!!! Club" Amazing what things make us happy, isn't it?

[Patricia985]

Kara, I to have a boxer with the same issues. He is now 10 and having issues with walking. I was looking into buying these wheels for him but had so many questions. Can the dog stay in the wheels all day? Do they fold over when he decides to lay down? When they have to go out to their business, is it easy for them to use? Just so confused on what to do. If anyone can help with these questions I would appreciate it.

[baileytrooper]

Hi Kara!
My dog Bailey has DM (degenerative myelopathy) and also has a Walkin Wheels cart. I'm mostly expressing him now, but when we first got the cart and he had more control (DM is progressive) I noticed that he did not urinate as well in the cart (he dribbled) as he did in his harness that we use to go up and down steps and make quick trips outside. Once I fiddled with the placement of the leg straps, particularly moving the middle wrap further back (toward tail) it put less pressure on his urethra and his urine stream became almost normal again. Just thought this might help you. Good Luck to you and Beamer!

Steph
Bailey - 7 yr old GSD, Degenerative Myelopathy - dx Jan 2010
Trooper - 6 yr old GSD, blind since birth (optic nerve hypoplasia) and epilepsy

[Christine]

Oh, Patricia....we usually answer more quickly than this, but somehow your post slipped by us and I am so sorry! I am not the wheelchair expert, but we have many members with pets who use them and they will be along with some advice for you. I do know that you do not leave them in the chair all day and never unattended. Depending on the chair you use, some dogs can get in a comfortable position close to lying down (front down and back end elevated) for short periods

Tell us more about your dog. Does he urinate and poop on his own? Do you have to hold him up when he does? Has he been diagnosed recently? We would love to see a picture and hear more about him?

We are glad you found us and, again, sorry we did respond sooner.

[Christine]

Hi Steph!

The names "Bailey" and "Trooper" are very near and dear to us here at HP, as is "Stephanie" a member from a few years ago with a beautiful gsd who had been injured and recovered while we all shared her journey.

Thanks for popping in to share your experience. I will also tell you that we would love to hear more about your babies and see pictures! We are so glad you are here!

[kara]

Hi Patricia-

The walkin wheels are great, Beamer is a natural in them. I tried another wheelchair and it did not work at all, kept tipping back. So I know this one is pricey, but it is worth it. No, they cannot sit down in them, which is the drawback. Beamer will also not lay down in it, too awkward. He has bowl movements easily in it and it usually doesn't make a mess (if it does, I just have to wipe off the rings that hold him up a little). He goes when I want him to now if I squirt his bum with water (thanks for the advice on that everyone). I still cannot get him to urinate in it.

STEPH - thanks for the tips on trying to move the strap around the rings. I will try to do that to see if it helps him urinate freeley, maybe it is too binding where it is.

Also, for anyone who may be interested....I found the most wonderful shoes for Beamer that help him walk immensely!!! They are made by Ruffwear and they are called "bark'n boots grip trex". They are just like human hiking boots. They have breathable mesh on the top so he can wear them all day and the bottom are tough rubber w/ traction. He is so much more confident in them and is walking on hard surfaces again, he gets around the house much better.

Thank you all for the feedback and good luck Patricia! Slowly but surely, you get the hang of it and develop alternative ways of doing things.

[Bobbie]

Big dogs cannot lie down in their carts, and with any dog you should take them out at least every few hours to let circulation be restored everywhere. And let them rest.

They can pee and poop, usually more easily than out of the cart. Just keep an eye on the saddle that it doesn't catch the poop. One thing you can do if this sometimes happens is put a bit of cloth there that you can remove and wash as needed without cleaning the whole saddle.

With Walkin Wheels they can leave the harness on all day so you just have to hook it to the cart, but don't do this if your dog might chew on it.

[baileytrooper]

Hi Kara....how is Beamer doing?

[Patricia985]

Hi Christine, thank you so much for your reply. Rocky is a 10 year old boxer. He can still go out to do his business but its getting harder and harder. I know I am going to have to get the walker for him but i'm not sure what size to get for him. You see the problem I am going to have is to get the right measurement since he really can't stand up for long periods of time. I'm thinking about maybe trying to measure him while he is sleeping....I hope that works.

Patricia