Canine Urinary Incontinence August 24, 2009

Yesterday was not a fun day. It started out fun, but didn’t turn out that way.

In the morning, we took a walk to the little store down the street. It’s a little less than a mile away from the house, and we felt a bit stir crazy. Jasmine hadn’t been out for a good walk in a while, so we decided that a sunny Sunday morning was the perfect time to get a bit of exercise.

We walked to the store, got some beverages and sat for a rest. Jasmine was fine, albeit a bit warm (she wouldn’t drink any water–she’s not a water lover). We sat for a few minutes and then took a leisurely stroll home. We even stopped at the local antiques shop (nice air conditioning) on the return trip.

When we got home, Jasmine and I both took showers. Jasmine was smelling a bit doggy, as was I. I also wanted to cool her down a bit from the warm walk. So we both were showered, towel-dried and cool. We went back downstairs, and Jasmine plunked down into her bed. She went out…coma dog. A few hours later as I was petting her, I noticed that she was wet. And then I noticed that her bed was soaked.

I picked her up and took her into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I then checked her bed–it was really soaked. I tossed it into the washer and put down a clean, dry bed for her. Of course, about 30 minutes later, I found that she soiled that bed too. I cleaned her up again, now very concerned.

We had some errands to run, so I put her in the kitchen. When we got home, everything was dry. So I put a 3rd bed down in the family room and let her on it. A few minutes later, I found that she not only soiled the bed, but she also dripped a bit around it.

Oh, I was beside myself with worry. Did her IVDD come back and her incontinence was due to a back injury? What was going on? I cleaned her up once again and tossed her beds into the wash. I then went right out to the drug store and got her some underpads (used for people with incontinence). I put a pad under her in her 4th clean bed (glad I had a few on hand!) and gently let her rest. She seemed fine. She was bouncy, happy and generally looking normal and healthy. I was puzzled.

She did well overnight. I put another pad down, but she didn’t soil her bed.

This morning, hubby took her to the vet. He detailed what happened, and the vet gave Jasmine a thorough exam. He said that Jasmine showed no signs of a bladder infection, and that incontinence sometimes happens in spayed females. He also said that some dogs are incontinent when they hit a very deep sleep. Jasmine’s fatigue after the long, hot walk could have been a big factor.

There are other causes of incontinence (do a google search or go to this page on the Mar Vista web site)  If it occurs again, we should do further tests, but the vet said that there were no signs of infection. If it wasn’t caused by deep sleep, a weakening urethra sphincter can be controlled with drugs if it continues.

She’s been fine today, thank goodness! She even let hubby pet her. Good doggie!

Coming Home August 20, 2009

Every evening when I come home, Jasmine bolts out of the family room, her rear-end wagging madly and her body jumping with glee. She runs circles around me in joy and makes my arrival a huge occasion.

What I didn’t know is that there’s a routine before I get home. As my husband reports, Jasmine is attuned to the sounds of my arrival.

The garage door goes up. Jasmine jumps up from her bed and leaps out. She whines, cries and/or yips a bit. She runs to the end of the coffee table and sits down on the rug. She waits, her head alert and her ears at attention. The garage door goes down. She stares intently at the hallway to the kitchen. She hears footsteps on the basement stairs. I come through the basement door in the kitchen and place my briefcase and purse on the kitchen table. I call out, “Is there a pup-pup in the house?”

Then, and only then, Jasmine bolts out of the family room and runs to me, wagged rear and all. I never knew of the “wait and pounce” ritual that went before the joy. Apparently, this is a daily occurrence. It’s funny that she waits for the cue before running into the kitchen rather than running and waiting at the door. It’s her routine, and she’s stickin’ to it.

Funny dog.

On My Feet August 17, 2009

Aren’t dogs supposed to sit AT your feet–not ON your feet?

As my official shadow, Jasmine makes sure that I am properly showered, coiffed, dressed and ready for a new day. As I’m drying my hair or brushing my teeth, Jasmine insists on sitting or laying on my feet. I understand that she loves physical contact–she’s very snuggly with me. But this strange practice only occurs in the bathroom in the morning.

I love Jasmine’s little quirks. She never fails to make me smile by just being herself. I’m looking forward to a cold winter’s morning with a puppy on my toes. Then again, she might not like my cold winter feet.

Jasmine and the Grandkids August 10, 2009

Jasmine had quite a weekend. Two of our grandkids came for an overnight visit with us on Saturday. The boys, ages 5 and 3, are…well…5 and 3. They’re boys. They’re wonderful and fun and loud and fast. Jasmine doesn’t like loud and fast. She likes quiet and slow. So the boys ran circles around the house and she cowered in the corner behind the recliner.

Well, until I came and rescued her. Once she was in my lap, the boys could run around and play and she just watched them with a cautious eye. While she didn’t like being on her own with them around, she was okay if she was with me. It’s nice that I can provide her with the feeling of safety and security that she needs.

After they left on Sunday, she sighed and plopped into her bed and zonked out. That is, until the second set of grandkids arrived (ages 9 and 7). Both these kids have grown up with dogs. The eldest came over slowly and quietly and sat down on the couch next to Jasmine. She hunched up like she was ready to bolt if necessary. When he didn’t pounce on her, she went back down in her bed. He then slowly moved a hand over and stroked her neck. She looked uncomfortable, but she didn’t bolt. He continued to stroke her gently, all the time looking away. She finally relaxed, and he continued to pet her as he watched Harry Potter on the TV.

I was so proud of him. I told him so. He said, “Well, I’ve been hunting with Dad and you have to be really slow and quiet around the animals.” Wow. I was thrilled for Jasmine and SO very proud of him. He has done something that almost no one has been able to do…approach her and pet her without her trying to run away. He did it because he respected her and gave her no reason to fear him. I was so happy for them both.

Accidents Will Happen August 2, 2009

Accidents will happen. That’s what hubby says.

We were driving around yesterday morning doing some garage sale hopping. We took Jasmine with us. After the 2nd stop, we were looking for our next turn when I looked at Jasmine in the back seat. There was a bright yellow spot on the fleece bottom of her doggie car seat sling. Uh oh. It was very fresh–I looked underneath the sling and there was a puddle. The fabric hadn’t even  had time to absorb the liquid.

Oy. We pulled the car over so I could sop up the mess with the paper napkins we had on hand. I was mad. She did a stealth pee right there. No warning, no whining or notice. She had just gone not two hours before. She has never soiled the car before. We went back home, deposited the sling into the washer, cleaned and deodorized the car seat (thank goodness for leather), and went back out–Jasmine stayed home.

I guess she’s not a fan of garage sales.