Dolly

For those seeking advice on caring for incontinent pets and animals with kidney-related problems.
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critters
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Re: Dolly

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She's sure a funny looking CAT!! :mrgreen:
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CarolC
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Re: Dolly

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She's had so many kitty kibbles for treats, she might feel like a kitty. :D

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critters
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Re: Dolly

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:wub:
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Acidophilus for discharge in female paralyzed dog

Post by CarolC »

Dolly is dual incontinent and she wears a diaper with an ample tail hole. During the day she mainly passes stools when she is lying on her side in her bed, not when she is up and running around. Anytime I change her diaper, there is usually a collection of waste in her bottom that we stand over the toilet and express out, often what amounts to a full bowel movement. It relates mainly to position, if she has spent a lot of time not on her side, it collects, but comes out easily by expressing.

She seemed to be a little off recently and I took her for an appointment to check her urine. It seemed OK but you can't always tell without an actual test. I was noticing a mucus discharge when I would hold her over the toilet. She sometimes has clear mucus and I don't worry too much. There can be mucus in urine, but frankly I suspected it was female and due to being in a diaper (not enough air, some dampness, hot weather, etc.). I became alarmed when I started to notice green in it. The vet found only slight evidence of a UTI but he put her on antibiotics to be sure. He also told me to give her acidophilus while on the antibiotics. I asked him how long I should give it to her and he said until at least a week after she finished her antibiotic, but I could also give it to her for life, this might be female. Finally, someone has said this discharge might be female, and not bladder related!

So following his instructions, we completed the antibiotic, she still had the discharge, and I continued the acidophilus and sure enough, it went away. I was simply taking the the capsules apart and sprinkling one on her kibble at mealtime. Then we finished the bottle of acidophilus, I went to the store to get more, they didn't have the kind we bought before, so I decided not to get any. Now it is a couple of months later and I am seeing the discharge again. So I went to another store and bought whatever kind they had and am giving it to her.

She has a combination of things besides wearing a diaper during the daytime, which include the way waste collects in her bottom (rectal vault), how the well-formed stools sometimes sit sideways inside her and come out sideways during expressing due to being bunched up (this may be stretching her rectum right there), and her particular method of walking is by bouncing on her bottom (probably bouncing any collected contents around inside, too). But having acidophilus in her system, which I assume(?) passes through her GI tract in her stools, seems to help the discharge.

Whatever the explanation, it is making a difference, and all I can think is, if anyone has a paralyzed female dog with a discharge, it's still a good idea to check for UTI to be sure it isn't mucus from the bladder, but if it isn't then ask the vet if acidophilus would help.
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critters
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Re: Dolly

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Interesting...
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Re: Dolly

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I have started Dolly back on a glucosamine supplement I used to give all the dogs. It's called ProMotion. I don't know if it will help her neck and shoulder area any, but she used to take it and she likes it.
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Re: Dolly

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One more update on Dolly to say how we are doing things differently now. The new bed by the kitchen table has ended up working out well. As for her playpen, we changed that. She was not liking being picked up to be put in the playpen or taken out of it, she still yelps sometimes. I'm not sure if it hurts or she's just afraid it's going to, but her activity and happiness make me tend to think she's just afraid it's going to. Then I got the flu in November and apparently cracked a rib coughing and it has been hard to bend over and pick her up. I had an empty crate available on ground level, so I started making her bed in the crate. I took the mattress from playpen with the same bedding and laid it in the bottom of the crate. She goes in if I put a few kitty crunchies in there. I don't like her having to go over the 2" doorway into it but she is managing. I looked at PetsMart and PetCo and Walmart for an old-fashioned foam crate mat to raise the floor level and the only one I found doesn't look waterproof on either side so I didn't get it. I will look at Burlington today to see what they have that might fit. The playpen mattress is a little small because the crate is 48" but it's working.

So now it is interesting. It was not my intention, but she is more like the other dogs now. She has a crate on the floor like them. She goes in and out like them. She is not picked up. I see her wagging her tail when she is in there. Last night was her third or fourth night in the crate instead of the playpen and she has it all figured out. I put her bed in and get the treats out and she heads right to it. I remove her diaper while she eats her treats and she's ready for bed. I can do everything by kneeling, not bending. In the morning I bring her out by pulling out the playpen mattress with her on top of it, and give her a fresh diaper by changing her there on the mattress, and off she goes. Then I strip the bedding and we're ready for the day. It seems to be working at least for now, still just hoping for a mattress.
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critters
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Re: Dolly

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Great idea!!
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Re: Dolly

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You are the best mom! I just went back and revisited Bailey's nightime routine and I am still so raw from losing Penny...quite the mess right now, but wonderful memories of two precious dogs that I loved so much. Merry Christmas everyone...
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Christine... and Bailey, playing at the Bridge
?/1999 - 10/25/08
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Re: Dolly

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I loved Bailey's nighttime routine and the pillows and screens, and her outdoor arrangements with the fan and rugs and so many details for her comfort. They know when they are surrounded by love and attention. Your dogs were lucky to have such a home. I am so sorry about Penny. The time she had was the best it could be, so in that way, she was still a very lucky dog, because she was your dog...
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critters
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Re: Dolly

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Merry Christmas to y'all, too.
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Re: Dolly

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Here is a little set of sugar tongs I got off :ebay:

They are 4 1/2 inches long. I am not going to use them for sugar... :blush:

I normally grab a Kleenex to pick up after Dolly, and right now it is hard to get Kleenex because I am staying home for the pandemic. I was able to get Kleenex delivered from walmart.com one time, but since then it has been unavailable. So I'm trying to save Kleenex.

I was using a little dustpan and whisk broom, but it was awkward when she doodled in her bed. With this little pair of tongs I can pick up after her unobtrusively. Now I am looking for a little plastic cup or something like that to drop the doodles in when there are more than one. As small as the tongs are, I could probably leave them sitting in the cup when not in use.

I've been wanting something like this for a long time, but the ones I saw at the thrift shop usually had serrated tips, which might require cleaning, or they were too big, or too hard to pinch. These seem pretty easy to use. Can't wait to begin using them! :lol:

sugar_tongs.jpg
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critters
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Re: Dolly

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How about using Dixie-type paper cups? You could reuse, then dump when they're funky. Good idea for nabbing poops!! :smart:
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Re: Dolly

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Paper cups would be perfect if I had any. :D I made some origami pots to start tomato seeds, then decided not to use them because they are the wrong kind of paper (all I had was an ads circular, don't have regular newspaper). They'll work instead of paper cups till I get something better. Also have an endless supply of dog food and cat food cans in recycling. The tongs are working. So elegant! :lol:

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critters
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Re: Dolly

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Hmm. Never thought of making baskets out of paper... :smart:
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