Support for owners

[Paralysis-owner]

Why isn't there any support for owners??? I looked through this site and haven't seen any.

I have a paralyzed incontinent dachshund. I love him to death, but my life is not my own anymore.
Every minute I am at home my life revolves around him. It's not the paralysis, it's the incontinence. It's never ending.

My children are grown up and I have no freedom..
I can never be gone long from the house, and I can't even have anyone visit. There's no point, everything revolves around him and that gets old real quick for the visitor.
Trying to do ANYTHING takes ten times as long because he needs so much care.
It's hard and depressing; yet there is no support, no one to talk to.

You can't tell me that nobody else is having a hard time giving up their life.

[Bobbie]

There is a Caretaker's forum.

But... I'm surprised that you are having such a hard time. What are you doing to manage his incontinence? Does he wear belly bands? Does he just drag around the house? How about a drag bag? Where does he stay when you are out? Does he just leak all the time or seem to pee normally at times? Do you express pee and poop?

I have a paraplegic corgi who is also incontinent and have a system that really makes caring for him very easy- I don't see it as much of a problem at all. Tell me what you are doing and what he does and maybe we can figure out how to manage it.

[Paralysis-owner]

Hi, and thanks for replying

It is constant. He leaks all the time and once a day he becomes a never ending waterfall for about 5 minutes straight.

He wears a diaper over-night, and that helps, however, I can't keep one on all the time. He first of all will get out of it by dragging and it also causes chafing when on all day and yes I do use cocoa butter which helps immensely . I have to check him all the time. Move him around the house, check his puppy pads. Never know when he going to go number 2 as there is no set pattern.

When I leave the house and come back there is cleaning and laundry to be done even though he is confined to his own area. I work Monday through Friday 8 to 5, and most nights I can't begin my evening until 7pm because of all the clean-up. I can't makes plans after work, have anyone come over, etc....

Nobody wants to deal with all that.

I've had dogs all my life and never had one that was paralyze. Having a dog didn't used mean giving up my life, but now it does.

So yes, I would love to know what your routine is. Anything would be helpful.

People ask me why I don't date, hahaha, what is dating again???? lol

Thanks.

[Bobbie]

Mine uses a belly band (male diaper) but he doesn't leak constantly- but I have to ask if you have tried expressing? If your dog is filling up with urine and is not expressed he'll leak, but if he can be expressed it is possible (though not certain) that he wouldn't leak as much.

For coming off when he drags, as well as for poop- a drag bag inside is a great invention. It zips around him and anything that comes out is contained. You do have to wash it if it gets messy but the one from K9 Cart company east comes with an absorbent liner. You can also try expressing poop.

Here's my routine. He wears a belly band overnight, so first thing in the morning I lift him down from the bed into the cart. We go outside and I express pee and poop and change the pad in the belly band if it isn't clean. (I use two Poise pads overlapped- cut in half lengthwise). Late morning and late afternoon, express pee again. Bedtime, do both again. Outside he is in the cart, inside, usually not but he can be. If I'm gone he is out of the cart. He does leave his belly band alone and it rarely comes off but on my former paraplegic dog I did use the bag to keep it on and keep other stuff contained.