Toby 13+ getting incontinent

[debbiebrown]

Poor Toby has had bouts of pooping in the house the last few months. he has spondulosis and i know when things start getting compressed in the lower spine they start loosing feeling down there.
poor guy, i feel so bad, because it just sneaks out he doesn't know, then when he figures it out he feels bad. its only happening once every few weeks at this point, i am trying to do alot of extra potty checks with him, its like having a puppy again.
he is also leaking urine, i really didn't notice anything until lately, then the other night he woke me up because he was constantly licking. i got up and checked him out didn't see any irritations around the area, but as i kept watch i did see he was leaking. we are going in for a check this week, but i am being reminded that his time is getting shorter. i really hate the last however much time they have, seeing them fail makes my heartache. the thing is he is still the first one at the door to go out and play, still gets excited and barks when he knows its playtime, poor guy has no idea his mind works faster than his B-hind. so, trying to deal with this mentally, and trying to also enjoy him to pieces while he is still here. ugh! this is so hard!

debbie

[angelaw]

yes it is, and i'm sorry you're going thru it. Do you have diapers for him?

[SunCzarina]

I'm sorry, it's so hard to watch. When it was my Rex's time, he couldn't do stairs for over a year (he'd fall), he'd groan every time he got up or laid down but that last weekend, he was still ready to get in the car for a walk in the park.

[littledmc17]

Oh my heart goes out to you
My dog Rocky was 17 he couldn't get up on his own
even when I walked in the door he lifted his head and put it down
I laid on the floor with him for 2 hours

It is so hard seeing them go through it
pooe baby

[Woodreb]

I'm also sorry. I know how you feel.
My girl Rica started having those problems about 6 months ago. She's at the point now where she has no control, although she doesn't have the urinary problem.

When she's in the house I make her lay on a training pad. Then it's an easy cleanup after she poops.
Its good if Toby can still walk and you can keep taking him outside. (Rica's not that mobile anymore.)

Give him lots of hugs.

[debbiebrown]

yep, each and every one of you know just what i am going through. that sick sad feeling in the pit of your stomach, knowing whats coming.

i haven't resorted to diapers yet, its still just in the beginning of it, where he has accidents once in a while. god, a few weeks ago i got up in the middle of the night and came out in the livingroom, here he was just standing there looking at something, i walked over, and he had pooped on the rug, at first i thought i was one of the other dogs bones, then i realized what it was. Toby looked at me and was going to eat the evidence, i stopped him and told him it was ok, he is a dog that Never ate his poop. i felt SO bad.......

he still walks short ones, and as i said still loves to go out in the yard, he is the most amazing dog, his will is unbelievable. i really admire him. he is one of those dogs that is a once in a lifetime, extremely dedicated to me, follows me everywhere, he would follow me to the ends of the earth. words can't even say how much i Love this dog. my husband and i are starting to talk about )(The Day) i can't talk to much about it, but am trying to prepare., although are you ever really........stinks! at this point you just don't know when..a few weeks, a few months....the hardest part is waiting and see them fail, and trying to decide when they aren't having quality of life. also, because this dog is my heart and sole dog, i will have to be there, and this is my first time, my husband has done it in the past, but, because i have such a major bond with him, i will be there, and hope the heck i can be strong until he has gone to sleep.......

debbie

[Karin]

I'm so very sorry, Debbie. This is such a difficult thing to go through. I wasn't sure if I could handle being there when we put our Sheba to sleep, but there was no question in my mind but that I had to be there. It was very peaceful and I was glad that I was there for her. I'm sure that you can do it, if that is something that you have decided that you want to do.

Take care and I hope that Toby is able to improve so that you can keep him with you a little longer.

[kshort]

Debbie, I'm so sorry you and Toby are going through this. I know, all too well, that feeling in the pit of your stomach. I've gone through it with all of mine and am going through it right now with my 17-1/2 year old sheltie mix. She's at a point, in just the last few weeks, where she can't hold it all night, but she doesn't get me up. And frankly, taking her downstairs in the middle of the night is so hard because her eyes are failing also and her back legs are really weak. Luckily she goes in the bathroom where I have tile floors. I've now picked up the rugs (was getting tired of washing those every day!) and I put down six of those puppy pads and tape them together so she has a large area to go on. Then every morning I scrub the floor, even though those pads are great - they really absorb.

She arbitrarily poops sometimes too. I can walk all around the yard with her and she won't go, but then we come back in the house and she does. Luckily, it's an easy and fairly small cleanup. I go through a lot of vinegar & water.

It's just such a tough situation, and the larger dogs are much harder because of the size of the messes. You'll both be in my thoughts and prayers...

[debbiebrown]

thanks Karin, and Kris for the kind words.....

i agree, sometimes i will take Toby out and walk the yard and he won't go, then he ends up going in the house. i guess they just don't know they have to go, or maybe it gets uncomfortable to go, its a hard to know what they think. thankfully when Toby does go poop in the house his poops have always been very firm, so it is easy to pick up. although, i have to try and get to it before one of the other dogs who tends to eat poop. so, if i smell something in the middle of the night, i fly out of bed in hopes of cleaning it up, before one of the others does!

Toby's cooordination is also off, his front is going one way, and his back another especially when he turns corners, etc. but, again, i have great admiration for his modivation dispite these issues.

i will be there when the day comes right by his side, no doubt in my mind about that, i will get through it like we all do when we lose one. its never an easy thing, but even worse when its that special once in a lifetime friend! i dread the empty space..... but, for now i will enjoy every day with him.

debbie

[BowWowMeow]

So sorry to hear that Toby is going downhill and of course I totally understand what you're going through. Just before my Massie passed she was deaf and almost totally blind and could barely walk but she still followed me everywhere...by smell! Her devotion was incredible.

Chama also has a very strong will and makes the best of each day but it breaks my heart to see her having more and more trouble getting around and watching her stupid tumor getting bigger and bigger.

I also find it's really tough not knowing what's going to happen next. I definitely appreciate each day but sometimes I do wish I could look into that crystal ball and know how much time we had left together.

Big hugs to you and your Toby!