MANAGING IN HOME ACCIDENTS

As mentioned in Where We Are and How We Got Here, one of the symptoms of Cushing’s is a dog suddenly urinating in the house when that not its usual style. This problem can be a symptom of other diseases besides Cushing’s. This website lists a number of medical situations where this might occur. Koty has already tested positive for Cushing’s so we know the source of our problem.

It was so strange when it started and so out of character. Koty never had to be house trained he knew the right thing to do even as a puppy. Before getting Cushing’s I never paid much attention to this area of his life because he always notified me if he needed assistance from me to tend to personal duties. He is so fastidious that when we are out hiking he always leaves the trail to poop. Koty would no more poop on a trail or a sidewalk than fly to the moon. So fastidious is he, when we are in civilization, it is almost impossible for me to pick up after him because he is so careful to deposit his waste in a shrub or tall grass.

The vet I was originally using (see Where We Are and How We Got Here) just said this new piddling in the house behavior was probably dementia, that I should get him some diapers and take away his water at night. Dementia? My eye. Diapers? Maybe if all else fails. Withhold water at night? Yeah, right. Koty would twirl, bark and pound on my sleepy head all night long to have his thirst quenched.

The thing I didn’t get was he would ask very enthusiastically for water if his pan were dry but suddenly stopped asking to go outside to piddle. Instead he would just let it fly wherever he stood. I watched him on a couple of occasions simply look right at me whilst a veritable flood poured from his body. His expression, faraway and woeful.

My friend Holly Bailey suggested that I not give Koty all the water he wanted fearing that he would wear out his kidneys. I have since been advised by my new, and trusted vet, that you shouldn’t withhold water. So, I don’t withhold water per se. What I started doing was to mete the water out one cup at a time. Koty always gets water when the pan is empty and he asks for it but just one cup. He seems satisfied with that for about an hour or two.

Not long after I started measuring out the water he began asking to go out again. I also take him out before we go to bed whether he asks or not. Now he wakes me up if he needs to go out. Kind of a pain in the patookie but it beats wading through a puddle of piddle in the kitchen on the way to the coffee pot in the morning. One of the things I will be monitoring since we started the Supraglan is how much water he drinks and how often he has to go out. I’m looking for both to slow down.

I think this cup at a time works because Koty will drink up most of what I put in front of him right away. If I put down a full pan he’ll drink most of it. More than he really needs. I think the diseases makes him so thirsty he is a little crazed to get it. If I put down only a cup he will drink it all up and walk away. I think drinking too much at once puts too much pressure on the dog’s bladder it simply can’t handle it and the floodgates open. The poor pooch just can’t hold it or help it.

As a result of my one cup at a time system Koty has had only two accidents in the past two months. Both times it was because the regimen was broken. It may not work for all dogs and many owners won’t be able to do what I do because they can’t be with their pet twenty-four seven like I can with Koty.

If you can, I recommend you try it. How much water you give at a time will depend on the size of your dog. Koty weighs 65 pounds and a cup works for him. Each owner needs to find the measure that works best for their dog. The trick is to dole the water out instead of leaving a full pan.

This little trick, if it works for you, won’t help you or your dog with curing the disease but I learned as a caregiver to my mother, who had Alzheimer’s, anything you can do to relieve stress will benefit all concerned. A dog urinating all over the house is stressful no matter how much you love them.

One of the improvements I am looking for with the Supraglan is a lessening in the amount of water he drinks and hence a lessening in the need to go out. Koty only started the Supraglan four days ago so it may be coincidental, nevertheless he has gone through the night three nights in a row now without asking to be let out.

©Kinsey Barnard

IN THE NICK OF TIME

UPS arrived at noon yesterday with Koty’s Supraglan. Last night we had a half foot of snow. It will be the last time we see Coleman, our UPS driver, until next spring.

The folks at Pet Wellbeing said the time it takes for Supraglan  to start working varies with the dogs. Sometimes there are signs of improvement quickly. With others it may take weeks. And, of course, in some it doesn’t work at all. We’re hoping we among the lucky ones. I believe we will be.

It was gorgeous this morning after last night’s snowfall. Koty was happy to get out in it. One of the changes I had noted in him over the past months was a lack of interest in staying out after doing his duties. It was so wonderful to see him in his element enjoying the snow. He is after all a snow doggie.

Koty enjoying the snow at Dancing Deer November 17, 2011

For the record Koty began his Supraglan treatment November 16, 2011.


©Kinsey Barnard

PS: As I am posting Koty is back outside napping in the sunshine. I’m no doubt reading too much into this but this is a behavioral change back toward normal.