My friend has a dog with quite severe DM, and she is incontinent. The big problem is how to keep her clean but not constantly wet (as in continually washing her. Obviously she also smells awful, as there are times when she has a wee without knowing (or anyone else knowing) and is just laying in it. She's clipped some of the hair off to try and help, but I hoped that someone on here may have come across some fabulous product or perhaps a home remedy (baking soda solution or such) or any other idea that might help.

Thanks
Kat

Having the dog lay on vet bed helps because the fluid drains away from the coat and through the bed so the dog is not lying on a wet bed. You can also try incontinent pads under the bed to collect the wet and help keep it away from the dog. Clip or cut away as much hair as possible wash and dry as much as possible. Rubbing in one of the baby products will help keep the skin from burning and if the coat and skin is covered in greasy ointment then the urine will not stick so much.

Sorry can't be of much more help as the regular changing of bedding and washing of the legs and belly is the only way to go.

EDIT to say I can't think what DM stands for but there are tables available that increase the female hormone and that helps tighten the muscles and stops the incontinence. However if it is a side effect of the DM then it would not help.

degenerative myopathy, used to be called CDRM, progressive loss of nerve function starting (usually) in back feet and working up legs and forward. no really effective treatment, ends up dog being pts. Horrible horrible problem.
Lost my first GSD at 8 1/2 yrs from this.

I had a google after reading your post and found this

http://nh.craigslist.org/for/894953516.html

if the dog isn't a giant breed, and as it's a girl, maybe disposable baby nappies could be used ?  - with a hole cut for the tail of course ;)

this page has a few items which look interesting
http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/item--Disposable-Dog-Nappies-Diaper--dog-diaper-nappy---dogs

If she is already a little sore from being wet, sodium bicarb (about a tablespoon in half a washing up bowl) in the water she's washed with is very soothing and will promote healing.  I used it when one of my children had severe nappy rash and it worked like a charm!   

To protect the skin from more wetness, WAITROSE - BABY BOTTOM BUTTER is very cheap, highly effective and made from really natural ingredients - it's amazing stuff! and it smells like vanilla :)

Hope this helps

Thank you so much for all your help. I did wonder about the 'nappies'. She's quite a small German Shepherd, and because of the muscle wastage she is now quite small at her back end. I think they would be better than the leak pants for dogs, because her's isn't a leak, she has a full wee bless her.

I think we will clip her coat right back and also try the butter. She just wants her to be as comfortable as possible for as long as she has left, which in all honesty I think will be measured in a few months at the most, so it doesn't really matter how she looks, just how she feels.

Thank you again
Kat

Should have known what it meant as I have nursed a male GSD with this. All I could do was make sure the bedding was as dry as possible by using an incontinence pad in a pillowcase for him to lay on and as he was not very mobile at all towards the end I would place another between his legs. That combined with lots of washing and the application of ointments, at the time I used Zinc and Castor oil, I am talking back in the 1980s, and he remained smelling acceptable and his skin un-damaged.

It is a horrid condition; untreatable and very difficult to deal with, my boy, in the end, left us with kidney problems. 

Sorry to hear about your bitch having dm, lost one of mine to this disease, yes horrible, horrible disease.  A friend of mine who's collie had an incontinence problem found that using the puppy wee pads on top her bitch's bedding helped draw the liquid away from her therefore keeping her dryish.

So sorry to hear that she's got this.  

Babies nappies come in large sizes so there should be some to fit her comfortably.   They are super absorbent these days too, which will help enormously.

Thanks again everyone. She isn't my girl, but belongs to a very good friend. I did have a GSDXLab with it years ago though, and it is soul destroying just not being able to do anything.

I will get her some of the big nappies so she can try them on her. Perhaps the puppy pad underneath her when she is settled will also help. The paramount thing is her comfort (and taming down the smell would be nice too)

Kat

I know what you mean about the smell, many years ago we had a Tibetan Terrier who had repeated blockages in his urethra from bladder sand.  The vet gave him a 'new opening' (bitch opening) but he constantly leaked and despite keeping the coat clipped and washing him 2x daily the smell became very bad, the whole house seemed to smell of it :(   No good disposable nappies in those days :(

they may find that this stuff Odor Kill

will help tp get rid of the smell.  You can put it in a water spray, diluted and spray it around ;)

If the babbies nappies dont work try tena adult nappies they do pullup and side sticky bits and will take a whole adult bladder full.

fantastic thanks!