New to forum

[TammyB74]

Hello everyone,

My name is Tammy and I volunteer with Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. I have a 9 week old Boston Puppy that has Spinal Bifida, and is duel incontience. I was wondering if I can ask a few questions, and sorry in advance if these questions were already asked.

1. Has anyone taken their dog to an acupuncturist in hopes they could help with said problems or possible avoid loss of fuction of his back legs?

2. I have been helping Nismo poo, by expressing, is it possible to "over express" and cause more harm? I know he has feeling back there, but he has no anal tone (so I have been told) and I just started putting Hem-rode cream on the area in hopes it will help him feel better.

3. I must use a pack of baby wipes a day, trying to keep his bum and underbelly/legs clean (from pee dribble) Is is ok to use scented baby wipes? The only reason I ask is because when I go shopping I tend to buy whats on sale, or hubby comes home with scented ones but I'm afraid to use them right now.

4. When Nismo was surrendered to rescue, he was covered in pee stained fur, I got him home and gave him a good bath right away, however his back legs seen to be stained yellow. Is their anything I can do to get his fur on his legs clean/white again? He also came in rescue with loss of all his hair on his back legs and butt, I started him on Desitin and that seems to be working and I'm finally seeing the rash gone and his hair starting to grow again. I have read about zink being in Desitin, luckly he's not a licker. However now that he's more mobile around the house I have to watch the other dogs. (sorry I guess that part wasn't a question. lol)

Any helpful tips would be welcome. I have had a previous foster that I had to express his bladder, so I'm "somewhat" familiar to this sort of thing, however it was 2 years ago and feel Nismo has an all new set of issues. The Specialist advised me that he felt that Nismo wasn't releasing his bladder the way he should be, however I have tried to express it and nothing would come out, so at his next booster shot appointment I will have him re-checked.

Thanks again and looking forward to spending some time to read the forum, right now I have a crazy puppy, running around that has no clue he has any issues and he's keeping me very busy.

[Pam (Riley's mom)]

Hi Tammy,

I have a ten year old male Lhasa with spina bifida. He has no bladder or bowel control and wears a belly band. I will try to answer your questions. Carol C has my email address and can provide it to you if you like. I would prefer not to post it on a public board.
1. Acupunture. When Riley was quite young his then vet was studying acupuncture. At that time she felt he might benefit from it but later decided it would not be helpful based on her studies. She later told me that if his pain became unbearable he might benefit in terms of pain relief but not toward any changes in his physical condition.
2. Sores. Despite changing the belly band continually and allowing him to go naked as often as possible, he still gets sores on his tummy and inflamation on his bottom. I use neosporin and just watch until he loses interest in trying to lick it off. The other dogs don't seem interested in this product either.
3. Baby wipes. The only baby wipes I've found to be gentle are the ones made for newborns and are totally pure and without fragrance. I prefer to use a washcloth for cleaning and then dry thoroughly. I only use the baby wipes on trips or when we have company.
4. Pee stain. I use Virbac shampoo and it will remove the stains. Since Riley has long hair I also keep it trimmed very short.
5. Expressing. This has been a challenge for us. Riley has enough muscle control that he can resist being expressed. His vet is able to do it but with some effort and told me that he isn't surprised that I can't do it successfully. I have devised little ways to get him to empty his bladder by keeping a select group of stuffed dogs that he is dominant over. I bring them out and he humps them all until the pads in his belly band are completely saturated with urine. Mission accomplished. Every so often we add a new member to the pack to keep him interested.
Good luck with your rescue dog. I've found Riley to be the best, most bonded, pet I've ever had and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

[critters]

We use wipes of any sort; personally, I like the sniffy ones! This time of year, since it's warm anyway, we do more butt baths, which nobody minds much since it's warm enough.

[CarolC]

I used the kind with shea butter on my dog and they did have a scent. I'm allergic to aloe so I had to get something that I wasn't allergic to.

I did not have to use a lot, but if I was going to be using tons of wipes, I would probably go the washcloth route like Dianne. I'd get some 12-packs of dollar store washcloths and use a diaper pail like I used to do. If all you're putting in the diaper pail is cheap dollar store washcloths, you could get away with using a very small pail.

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Diaper_pail

I agree on just sticking that little back end under the faucet, it is easier than trying to get him clean with wipes. One of our really good caregivers here uses the RapidBath system on her dog who is dual incontinent after a tree branch feel on her tail area.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 750#p70750

Your avatar is SO cute!