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When
a male dog is unable to
control his bladder, it may seem
as
though there are only two choices: Live with
the stains and smells of urine in the house or euthanize. There
is another option!
Bullet's
Diaper Holder
This
is a very simple
design
that I made for Bullet when he was on a high dose of lasix for his
heart condition and was leaking urine constantly. The ready-made
diaper holders I was able to find all required that I pull Bullet's
tail through a hole in the garment. I knew even without trying that
this
was not going to work for us!
If
you have a
sewing machine, you will find this garment very simple to make. If not,
you can choose fabric, do the measuring and cutting and then print out
the plan below to bring to a friend who has a machine, or a tailor at
your local dry cleaner. Make two or three so that you can
wash and dry one while the other is being worn.
*
Warning *
Constant
use of the diaper holder prevents the dog from being able to
clean himself and "air out" the furred area that is covered by the
diaper. Urinary tract infections can arise. Be sure to provide periods
of time outdoors or on a porch when the diaper is not worn.
Bullet
wearing his diaper holder.
He never minded it or fussed with it at all.
WAISTBAND
- Measure
around your dog's waist, at the bottom of his
ribcage, for the waistband. Depending on the elasticity of the
waistband and the size of your dog, subtract an inch or two so that the
waistband
will be snug and stay in place, but not tight enough to be
uncomfortable. This is A.
- Cut two
patches of velcro and sew one to each end of the
waistband. Face them in the right directions so that
they will meet each other on top of your dog's back.
HOLDER
- Cut
a triangle from a piece of washable fabric, using measurements B and C.
Divide A
by 3 and add 2
inches: This is B.
Measure (on
your dog's belly) the distance from his "waist"
(at the
bottom of his ribcage), to the
area between his penis and his anus. Add 2 inches. This
is C.- Fold over
one inch of fabric on each of
the 3 sides of the triangle, sew into place.
- Sew
short leg of the triangle onto the middle of the waistband.
STRIPS
- Hold the
triangle in place and measure from the end point,
up
around his butt (around the tail) and over the back to his waist, where
the waistband
ends will meet. This is DCut a
doubled strip (binding tape or
other) and sew one end onto point of triangle.Sew strips
together where they meet (on
his back) after going around either side of his tail and then sew a
velcro (or snap or button) onto the end of the strip.
- Depending
on selection in previous step,
sew velcro or a snap or a button onto center of waistband.
- Now all you
need to
do is buy diapers (I used the swaddler
or year-one size) and insert one into the holder. Remove the diaper at
the door, before your dog goes outside because once
outside, he will lift his leg. Replace wet diapers with new dry ones
and put the holder back on when he comes inside.
You
and your
dog will both get used to the process. After a short time, I found that
I could whip the holder on and off of Bullet so fast that he didn't
even
have to stop to wait at the door!
Haute
coutoure diaper-holder design for dogs
by Laurie Kaplan
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by Suzanne
Daycock
When
you gave me Laurie Kaplan's book, "Help Your Dog Fight
Cancer," I was still trying to deal with Kerrie's diagnosis. Now,
almost four weeks have passed since I said good-bye
to my
beloved friend. Although I still deeply grieve her loss, it is finally
time to
let you know what a difference your thoughtfulness made to me, to
Kerrie, and to what became a courageous, miraculous and
inspirational
fight atainst fibrosarcoma to prolong her quality of life as long as
possible despite the
dire odds.
I
read Laurie's book cover to cover and it became the foundational tool
that I used to move
forward with
Kerrie. I scheduled an
appointment with a specialist at Vet at the Barn in Chestnut Ridge, NY.
Dr. Levin put Kerrie on a
natural diet much like the one that Laurie outlines in her book as
Bullet's Cancer
Diet, and supplements to fight cancer growth and
boost Kerrie's
immune
system.
At Laurie's suggestion, I also
researched
clinical
trials and found one for Kerrie. After
she received the trial medication, the tumor
shrank for nearly four weeks, then slowly began to grow again. But the
progress remained slow, which
was the
result they were hoping for.
Our vet had said
that Kerrie's condition was dire and that her life was likely to be
measured
in weeks rather than months. Kerrie survived 5 months and 1
week from
her diagnosis. Most of this was high-quality time because
I took Laurie's book to heart and took advantage of every suggestion
she made that was pertinent to Kerrie's diagnosis.
As I sit
here crying, I can't thank you, Laurie and Nancy, enough for the role
you played in my journey with Kerrie and the joyous
memories we were able to make. I can only tell you
that
there was never a better dog and your kindness could not have been
bestowed on
a more deserving soul.
I hope that you will send this
message
to Laurie, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. She has done a great
service to
more people than she will ever know. Of this I am completely certain.
With the very warmest regards and my deepest gratitude,
Suzanne |
