# Just a couple questions



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Bud is just about 13 and I am having a bit of a time keeping him clean. He seems to be leaking on himself. I have a pee pad in his crate to soak up any dribbles, but I noticed a bit of a rash on his belly yesterday. 
Any tips on keeping him, and his crate, clean?
I am guessing this will continue to get worse, right?
I have never had a senior male, not many males in my home at all, so I am not completely clear what to expect. Bud is not a house dog. He stays outside and in the porch, except for supervised visits. He marks on everything, always did. Lost his house privileges years ago. I don't want diapers on him.
Also I noticed that when he sits down to scratch now his penis falls out. The vet says its because he isn't neutered? Can anyone explain that? Is it hurting him?
Let me be really clear, he isn't mine he just lives with me. My husband will be taking him to Ontario later this spring. I am not likely to pursue any invasive medical procedures on a 13 year old dog, I just want to keep him comfortable and happy. He is maintaining good body condition and seems in good spirits. His only issue is his teeth, which are terrible. Not much I can do with them at this point.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

I am not sure I can help but my Traveler has an enlarged prostate-non cancerous and doesn't seem to bother him at all. I found this out because I took him to the vet due to some minor dribbling after he finished peeing. To accurately describe the problem I'd say that he would pee and his shutoff valve worked fine but after about 10 steps he apparently relaxed the valve and would dribble some. No leaks during sleep or any other time, just after he peed.

The vet put him on Palmettoplex. It is herbal product I believe manufactured by Standard Process so it's only available thru vets. It's not that expensive and after 3 weeks of taking a pill twice a day, he no longer has the drip problem.

Enlarged prostate may not be your guy's problem but if it could be, you can also get OTC saw palmetto pills. I can't speak for how well the OTC palmetto works but you might consider a trial run.

Lynn & Traveler


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

Oh, I should add- Traveler's penis is out more than it's in:crazy:


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I will talk to the vet about it and see what she says. I love my old guy, he's my prince and I can't imagine it's comfortable having pee on your belly.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

I would imagine you could treat his belly with diaper rash cream or similar? The problem I see with that option is that he may just lick it off. I don't know.

Aren't the pee pads designed to wick away moisture? Maybe another brand would do a better job of that. Maybe there is a better alternative than pee pads since he is living outside. Maybe straw or something? 

Wish I could be more helpful.

Lynn & Traveler


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Traveler's Mom said:


> I would imagine you could treat his belly with diaper rash cream or similar? The problem I see with that option is that he may just lick it off. I don't know.
> 
> Aren't the pee pads designed to wick away moisture? Maybe another brand would do a better job of that. Maybe there is a better alternative than pee pads since he is living outside. Maybe straw or something?
> 
> ...


 You've been a great help! Thank you.
I'm just not so familiar with senior boy problems
To clarify, he doesn't live outside. He sleeps at night in his crate and spends his days in the yard or the porch, I tried for years to keep him in the house but he was really tough to house train. I still don't know that he ever really got it, I just removed all opportunity, and he still marks in the house if I am not right there staring at him. Plus when I kept him I my room he 'vultured'. I would wake up to find him sitting beside me on the bed staring down at me. It's creepy, sorry. The girls just go to sleep. He sits over me all night just staring, and he marked the corners of my bed. Not a house pet.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

My guess is the vet is correct on the neutering. Have you had his prostrate checked? Is it enlarged?


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I don't believe his prostate has been checked. I could probably get him in for an exam without much trouble. But he will be 13 this summer, I cannot see the logic in neutering at this point.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

I freely admit I don't know anything about this neutering business but I can't see how that would help with leaking urine unless it is strictly a prostate problem. In that case, neutering seems to be the conventional answer but how cutting the gonads off an older dog guarantees no leaking, well, it's beyond me. Kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. 

Again, I have no idea how all this works but assuming neutering decreases the sexual hormones and that reduces the prostate, how about something much less invasive? I know they have meds for people so I'd go that route. I don't think you will find many human men that would volunteer to have their balls cut off just to reduce their prostate issues.

Lynn & Traveler


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Human men and dogs ate NOTHING the same. Their are emotional and psychological consideration when dealing with humans. 

If the dog has prostatic hyperplasia, then neutering will fix it. The fog is not going to give a fly his testicles are gone. Enlarged prostates can also cause problem with defecation. 

However, at 13, not sure I would go that route. He is pushing the common life span for GSDS as it is. 

There are belt bands for dogs, to catch the dribble. You should also be cleaning him multiple times a day, with an unscented baby wipe, and yes Desitin can help with the urine scald. But you need to keep on top of it. Urine scald can be very painful and lead to horrid skin infection.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

gsdsar said:


> Human men and dogs ate NOTHING the same. Their are emotional and psychological consideration when dealing with humans.
> 
> If the dog has prostatic hyperplasia, then neutering will fix it. The fog is not going to give a fly his testicles are gone. Enlarged prostates can also cause problem with defecation.
> 
> ...


This is my thought. Also I hesitate to put a senior under unless there is a life threatening reason. I know his teeth started getting bad a year ago and the vet was far happier to give antibiotics for infection then to discuss dental surgery. I picked up some baby wipes, which I also use to clean his face and ears since he is not into grooming himself anymore. I will grab some Desitin, and I also raided the local thrift store for old soft towels to line his crate with. He may not be much of a house pet but he is a great guy and I want him to be happy and comfortable.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

We can all agree then that a less invasive option should be considered first? And we can all agree that at 13, neutering is probably off the table in any case?

gadsar,
Of course dogs and people are not the same and my point was that neutering seems to be a pretty radical solution. 

While you may be right about a dog not missing his parts, you can hardly discount the trauma that the surgery and recovery alone would bring. 

I don't believe the OP mentioned any other problems the dog is having other than leaking but it was good that you mentioned she should be aware.

Lynn & Traveler


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Bud is in fairly good health overall. Bowel movements are regular and seem pain free. He lost weight over the winter, that did concern me. I played with his diet a bit and all seems fine now. He hops more then jogs now, but still has a beautiful trot. He still plays and bounces around, I suspect he is going deaf. Or maybe he just feels a need to ignore me
He started losing teeth about a year ago, but the vet advised against dental surgery. He may be losing his eyesight, but is not showing any signs of cataracts. 
This past winter was rough on him, the cold just drained his strength. I am leaning toward having him put down in the fall. However, my husband has been yapping about taking him when he leaves for Ontario in a couple of months. Since the deal was that Bud was his dog, I can't stop him. It seems unfair to take him from his home at this point, but on the other hand Bud probably won't make another year and he wants so badly to go with his dad I guess maybe he should.
In the meantime I just want him happy and comfortable.


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