removing urine odor from pet fur/skin

[goldendog1]

I've been googling this and was glad to come across this forum. I haven't found this question anywhere and hope someone can help.

I help care for an 11 year old golden retriever who was left permanently urinary incontinent after being struck by a car. His primary incontinence occurs while he is asleep, so his tummy and flanks are saturated with urine nightly and while napping during the day. (We have tried every imaginable diaper and garment, but he just chews them right off.) I have used various "odor" soaps, as well as dilute Dawn dish soap, but after being in this condition for more than a year and a half, nothing is working anymore. The smell is very strong and remains even during his baths. My question: what type of urine odor neutralizer can I use on the dog to address the smell? There are lots of carpet, fabric, floor, etc. cleaners out there that use enzymes to break down urine odor on those materials, but what can I safely use on the skin and fur of the dog?

[critters]

I have a nightime peepot too. Have you tried the SleePee bed?

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I have always understood that the enzymes are contained in protein so using that maybe a protein shampoo would help ... Because of your unique situation (I would guess) in your town, you could call a couple of groomers and ask what they recommend, they would probably be delighted to give you some ideas.

Here's one at drs foster smith:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=18838


Here's 8 in 1 sold at Petco:
http://www.petco.com/product/107527/8-i ... ampoo.aspx

[Christine]

Is it possible that he may need to be expressed more often during the day and that might cut down on the quantity leaking when he sleeps?

I know that vinegar will cut the odor of urine....wondering about a very diluted solution on his fur occasionally?

Others have mentioned the bellywraps being very helpful, but he might consider that a diaper!

[goldendog1]

Thank you all for the ideas. I will definitely try the protein based shampoos. I had some success yesterday with an enzyme spray we found at Petco that said it was safe for use on fur and skin - I can post the name of it if anyone is interested. It actually worked amazingly. I gave our boy - Stumpy - his regular bath (he's also fecal incontinent, but that's actually not so much of a problem) to remove poo and urine. Then I saturated the fur and skin on his flanks and tummy (tummy is shaved, but still retains urine smell) with the enzymatic and let stand 10 minutes before rinsing. It actually knocked down about half the odor (!), so I treated him again, and it removed all the odor! We are now looking to buy it in larger quantity and with a better delivery system than the tiny pump spray bottle it came in. I think that if the protein shampoo has a similar type activity, using the two together during bath time, we could actually get on top of this! I will talk to the vets about expressing urine - that might be a way to at least reduce the amount of urine that he passes at night. The other thing we are working on is figuring out a way to basically "crate" a SleePee type bed in order to keep him on it. We also have to crate train him.

FYI, Stumpy is a sanctuary dog at the wonderful dog rescue I volunteer for on weekends. He was hit by a car and left for dead, a samaritan found him in a ditch and took him to a vet hospital who didn't have resources to treat him and contacted us. When we got him, his tail which was inoperative after the car accident was matted by feces to his back end, and his whole backside was just one gaping sore. We operated to remove the useless tail, and over the next weeks and months, he healed. Amazingly he has no physical disabilities from the accident except for the urinary and fecal incontinence. He is very active (which is why he refuses to wear a belly band or garment, or sleep only on a SleePee bed), and affectionate, and totally beloved by all of us. I am so glad to find others with such a wealth of experience caring for animals with disabilities and bodily control problems. My "job" at the rescue is to love and care for the oldies, the sickies, and the sanctuary dogs, all of whom would be euthanized if not pulled out of shelters, so thank you for providing such a resource to help people like me learn to help them live even better lives.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Ketchup and tomato paste are used for skunk odor. Have you ever had that pleasure? I have. Surprised one that had crawled into my 1964 Triumph Herald. I still miss that car.
I picked up Simple Clean yesterday, don't know that it is okay for the critter (sorry critters) but it will flat clean anything else. I hope. Donna & I are splitting a gallon at $40. gal. (http://www.simpleclean.org) We'll let you know. For pet stink & stain, bathtub crud, floors, everything. No chemicals. The guy sprayed it into his mouth. And then started cleaning leather loafers of a woman walking by. The salesman who should have been selling houses wrote on his madras (yes) shorts with a pen (or as we say in South Carolina, Ink Pen ((I mean WHAT OTHER KINDS ARE THERE!!)) ) and it came right off with the stuff. He also spraypainted a rug and cleaned it without taking the color out of the rug. I could have stayed at his booth all day. It was an AKC event on HHI and my trainer Abby Bird (AlphaDog) was there giving CGC exams. We saw some SNOOTY people and gorgeous dogs!

[Drivindude1]

Goldendog1, can you please tell us the name of the spray? I have an 15 year old that pees on the pad, and if nobody is present to move him away from the soiled pad, he lays down on it.
Poor baby stinks bad, even after repeated bathes...
Thank you

[CarolC]

Since this is a male dog, I would suggest putting him in a male doggy diaper called a malewrap. It is a belt that goes around the waist and holds an absorbent pad over the male area. When he urinates, it will go into an absorbent pad (like a Poise pad) and be contained in the pad, keeping his coat clean and dry. He won't smell, and he won't be at risk of a urine burn from lying in it. They can be worn 24/7/365 if needed. You can also let him wear it in the house but remove it when he goes outside if you want (they fasten with velcro, easy on, easy off). I used to take my dog's wrap off when when he went out the back door, and by the time he was ready to come in, I had a fresh pad stuck into it if needed and right back on it went.

You'll probably want some kind of ointment to prevent diaper rash. You can use regular diaper cream as long as the dog doesn't lick it. The white diaper creams contain zinc oxide which can be toxic if they lick enough of it. My dog used original Desitin ointment and it did a great job protecting his skin from diaper rash, and we had no problem with him licking it. If you think your dog is likely to lick it, then you might do better with petroleum jelly or A&D ointment or something like that. I liked Desitin because you don't have to reapply it with every diaper change, it stays on so well.

[Drivindude1]

Thank you Carol!