“Eeewww…and boo!” my sister wrote this morning in response to a note I’d sent out to my siblings. Butterscotch used to be my dad’s dog, and she came to live with us when Dad could no longer care for her. Periodically I send out a short update to my sisters about her health or something newsworthy.
The “newsworthy” item this morning was that Butterscotch peed all over our bed in her sleep last night. I woke up at 2:30 am to find myself, my nightgown and the bedding all rather damp, and we had to get up, strip the bed, put on clean linens. And a shower was imperative before climbing back in bed. I sent a note to my sisters this morning: “Guess who peed all over the bed in the wee hours of the morning? Guess who’s going to the vet today?” And one of my sisters, a pediatric nurse, wrote back: “Eeewww…and boo!” Pretty much my thoughts too.
I made an appointment for her at the vet’s and, not surprisingly, they wanted a urine sample. So I let Butterscotch out in the yard today, following close behind her with my little cup. Let’s just say she wasn’t too pleased about this. She kept looking back at me with an expression that said: “A little privacy, please!” Still, I got what I needed, and we lived to tell about it.
The vet looked at the sample and her word for it was “underwhelming.” Nothing to write home about. No infections. No blood. Nothing of any note, except that her specific gravity is lower than other dogs, but that’s because she has Cushings Syndrome. (It also means her urine isn’t as smelly as most dogs, or even worse, most cats…a little side benefit of the Cushings.) The diagnosis: she may be getting incontinent. She is 13, and she’s had Cushings a good while, which ages her a little more. One episode doesn’t make for a good diagnosis however.
The prescription: reduce her dosage of Lasix (a diuretic for her extremely minor heart murmur)…no more at night. No water bowl in the bedroom. Potty break as late as possible. And protect the bed if we can’t keep her off. (Don’t ask me to lock her out of the bedroom…it ain’t gonna happen until she can’t climb the stairs anymore.)
And to be on the safe side, I will probably order her a girl dog belly band…a kind of diaper for girl dogs. And here’s where you can help. What color belly band should I get her? You get to vote – and here are your choices! Click off your favorite in the poll after the color swatches. Butterscotch and I are anxious to see which one you choose!
Black and white
Cheetah
French lace
Multi color paws
Hearts
Pink ribbon
Red bandana
White lace
The Blessing of Animal Companions 
Bless her cottons..i myself am getting to the same point and would love one of those little pink ribbon ones 🙂 I do hope her pee problems get sorted 🙂 hugs Fozziemum xx
No pee last night…very good!
Excellent 🙂
We hope it gets better, but the multi color paws are cuuuwooowoooote!
Multi color paws and cheetah are neck in neck so far…thanks for voting!
Perhaps a piddle pad where she lies would help?
Maybe…but it would have to cover a large part of the bed!! She didn’t even wake up for the event, which is common. Belly bands work pretty well for dogs, at least the ones I’ve worked with.
sounds better than sleeping under a sheet of plastic. My good friend had a dog who pooped in his sleep (on the bed of course). They routinely would get awakened by the odor, had something nearby to scoop up the hard turds and went back to sleep.
Yuk!!! But I guess we do what we need to do for the ones we love.
Yes and this knowledge makes your situation easier. However, the shower in the middle of the night? You are a good person.
The shower was for me, not the dog! My nightgown was urine-soaked, and I wasn’t going back to bed that way.