I have a 4 year old beagle/basset mix who had a major accident a few years back that left her with 3 legs and bad hips.... Here is a quick story about that: it was 4th july me and DH were out of town, fireworks scared her ( friend who was dogsitting forgot to put her in the house ) she got out of the yard , some dumb people thought it would be fun to use her like a soccer ball and took to kicking her ( yes they were drinking) by the time she was found the damage was she has perment damage to her front leg can no longer walk with it, broken pelvis on both sides, minor head trama, and some cuts along her body. it took 6 months to a year for her to recover. OK back to my problem with her - she has begun going potty in her sleep, she has always been good at telling us when she needs to pee but lately she has been going in her sleep - so now we have to make her a bed in the bathroom on cold nights just in case.. been to her vet everything checks out fine, no porblem with kidneys,bladder, blood work is fine, and she is only 4 not that old anyone have any ideas?? there has been no major chages around her either, no change in dog food, it is getting colder but that has never made her do this. she does not do it all the time but has done it enough for us to know something is not right. any advice will be great Julie
Don't basets have bladder trouble?? I could be completely wrong but, I think I read it somewhere... maybe I'm mixing it up with some other breed... Well I guess I'm not much of a help... but with all these people someone is sure to know!
I am not sure if bassetts have any bladder problems - but I will ask her vet when they open thank you for giving me something to ask him - we are trying to think of any thing that would make her do this so we can hopefully help her fix the problem oh and just in case anyone asks -- yes she has been spayed for almost a year now. Julie
Julie, I am in no way a "specialist" but I would think, with the trauma she has endured...there would be damage to the bladder weakening her bladder muscles. Im not sure what the vet could do for her, but I pray there is some help out there for you. The poor thing....such a terrible thing to have to go through. Good luck ...and keep us updated!
About 7 years ago I had a mixed coonhound that had a similar problem with her bladder. My vet put her on a drug PPA which is a hormone formally used in humans but banned now and only used for dogs. My vet had the capsules custom made by a pharmacy and the powder inside was mixed with her food. Care must be taken not to have contact with the drug by a pregnant women as it was banned in human use due possibility of birth defects. The improvement in her was amazing. She lived several more years with no problems finally passing away peacefully at age 16. Here is a link to a some information on this drug. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1634&articleid=487 Also you can try using large diapers or "pull-ups" with a hole cut out for the tail. They work well at night. We used the largest size pull-ups on our German Shepherd who suffered from Degenerative Myelopathy causing her to become first a paraplegic then a quadaplegic. Good Luck with finding a solution to her problem and you are a good person to care for a "special needs" dog! Julie
believe when I say this it was very hard thing to go through after we got Dixie home from the vet and was told about all the injuries she has from this beating - she was not able to walk at all because of the broken pelvis and bad front leg - so I had to carry her outside and put a towel under her lift up so she could " stand " and go potty I than would lay her under a shade tree for a few so she could get some fresh air making sure no ants or bugs were bothering her. Every morning I would have to wash her bedding because she would potty in the night. She was on some many meds it was crazy trying to stuff them in hotdogs to get her to take them. More than once I cired myself to sleep thinking it would be easier to have her put to sleep - rather than us both going through this. It has been 2 1/2 years since this happen and there are times she will get to hobbling so fast that her front leg gives out and she falls I rush over to her like to check on her - but she gets up and keeps on going !! I still tear up when I see her fall and I am always asking my DH if we are doing the right thing, is she happy, healthy etc... all he tells me is " Julie look at her wag her tail when she sees you - what does that tell you ? " and then I cry because the thought of putting my girl down kills me. so I guess I can proudly say I am the momma to a very speacil dog. here is a pic of her : if you notice her front leg that is curled - that is how she carrys it all the time she is going to have it removed as soon as the muscle shrinks away and there is nothing left but sagging skin over the bone here she is last year on halloween after a C-section to have 10 puppies from an opps breeding with my boxer ( she was a wonderful mom all puppies found a loving home ) Julie
I'm no expert either, but those people that kicked her like that should have been shot, or kicked till their bones were broke too. I hope she gets better.
I am not an expert but this is my 2 cents At the clinic we use a medication called Proin for urinary incontinence and everyone that has used it says it works like a charm. I would agree that her bladder and abdominal muscles endured some serious trauma and maybe didn't fully recover. Keep in mind all of these broken bones and such have aged her some. She may end up with premature arthritis and premature incontinence as though she was a much older dog. Here is a little more info about the med if you want to print it out or mention trying it or something similar to your doctor: http://www.prnpharmacal.com/products/proin-i.htm
My mother has an incontinent dog, too - due to age instead of trauma. There are a number of factors that could be at work here. One - her breed lends to nerve impedence to begin with. Two - that gross trauma could have cause arthritic bone growths on the spinal column, leading to nerve impedence. If it were me, I'd do the same thing my mother has done with 15 year old Clancey - get her a diaper for nighttime. They work pretty darn well.