Product Recommendations -Simple Solutions
Taking a break from story telling to give a shout out to a product that's been been INSANELY helpful to my family. (This post isn't sponsored by anyone. I genuinely LOVE it.)
Incontinence
Wow, if you're not lucky enough to have had your dog recover bladder function after their surgery let me introduce you to the MALE WRAP.
These suckers can be SUPER expensive depending on where you buy them and they don't always work the way they're supposed to. I have a favorite brand: Simple Solutions.
Clarence is a 15lb Pekingese and a medium fits him just fine! At some point we thought we might switch to a small to ensure it never slid off, but the small puts too much pressure on his spine so we've stuck with the medium and it's worked out.
Hot Tips
#1 These can be bought on Amazon for roughly 10 dollars a wrap. I also recommend www.chewy.com. Their prices are pretty reasonable and they have a nice selection of other products geared towards disabled pets.
#2 Do not under any circumstance buy the pads that go with these things. They are a million space bucks.
Instead, treat your dog to Kotext Over Night (super duty) with WINGS. The wings are important because without them the pad gets bunched insde the wrap leaving a wide space in the fabric for your dog to pee all over. Larger dogs might need TWO pads per a wrap. Kotex pads are roughly 4 dollars for a pack of 18, I usually change the pad out every 2 to 3 days depending on how gross it gets.
#3 If you have a girl dog, obviously you're going to need the full diaper, not the male wrap. Simple Solutions makes them, you're all set.
Warning: Handicapped dogs kind of just poop when they poop. Be aware that when your dog poops in the diaper you might have an immediate bath situation on your hands because of poop smashed all over butt fur.
The only way to prevent the poop smash is to manipulate your dogs eating and potty schedule so that when they go outside in their sling (or wheels) their body knows it's time to poop. (This is an awkward way to phrase it, I'll touch on our poop schedule in future posts.)
#4 Buy at least 5. You're going to want back ups, and these things get stinky.
#5 You can wash in a machine on gentle/cold but do not DRY. Drying rots the elastic and renders the wrap a useless, but fashionable skirt over time. Also when washing in a machine, make sure that the wrap is fastened felt to eye hook to prevent the eye hooks from snagging the mesh fabric on the inside of the band.