Bladder care nursing K9 Carts West -- The Pet Mobility Specialists

Nursing Care

Bladder Care and Urinary Health

Your pet’s bladder must be completely expressed at least three times daily! All mobility-impaired pets are susceptible to “pooling” or “partial urine retention”. Often when you find your pet’s bedding wet it does not mean that it is urinating on its own but rather that the bladder has become so full that there is an overflow.

Cystitis or bladder infection is the greatest threat to your pet’s health following nerve injury to the rear quarters. Such infections are very serious and could lead to death in a matter of days if left untreated. This is true whether your pet is totally down, partially down, partially walking or completely walking. Preventative bladder care plays a crucial part in the health of your pet, whether is has had surgery or not.

Signs of a Urinary Tract Infection Include:

1. Dribbling or urine evidence, by soaking of the rear quarters and bedding
2. Foul Odor to urine and increased licking of the genital area as infection worsens
3. Bloody or dark colored urine-severe symptom requires immediate veterinary care!
4. Depression, loss of appetite, rise in temperature as infection progresses

Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection

Due to the insidious nature and frequency of this type of infection, prophylactic medical treatment before signs of infection occur offers the best route of treatment. The co-operation of your veterinarian in prescribing the best medication, monitoring PH and culturing the urine, and providing instruction on expression or clearing of the bladder of pooled urine is essential for successful nursing care. Urine retained in the bladder can become a culture media for bacterial growth.

Following are instructions on how to manually express your pet’s bladder but ASK YOUR VETERINARIAN TO SHOW YOU HOW. A demonstration is always the best way to understand this sort of procedure.

How To Express your Pet's Bladder

Smaller pets are easily managed by one person. Larger pets may require two people or in the case of extremely obese pets you may not be able to manage it but have to have your veterinarian take care of it for you.

Support your pet in an upright position
Take your left hand and place it on the small of your pet’s back (reverse if left handed)
Take your right hand and feel where the ribs end on the abdomen. Your thumb should be on one side of the abdomen and your four fingers on the other side
GENTLY SQUEEZE your thumb and four fingers together and while holding that position, move hand towards rear of abdomen. A full bladder should feel like an inflated balloon
Urine should be released in a fairly steady stream and when urine decreases to a dribble, the bladder has been sufficiently expressed
If Urine is squirting out or you feel some resistance and the urine does not stream out, then you pet is starting to have bladder control
An alternative method of expressing the bladder on small pets is to place one hand on either side of the pet’s side behind the rib cage and gently squeeze hands together

NOTE: The bladder must be manually expressed until your pet is able to fully urinate on its own. Having the bladder expressed at least three times daily is a permanent nursing care necessity for permanently impaired pets.

Bladder Care is often a long-term nursing care need for months or years. The success of your nursing care program will hinge on how effective you become in this care.

DEFECATION
Defecation is a more reflexive action requiring minimal or no assistance.

ELIMINATION AIDS

DIAPERS

FEMALES - We have Female Diapers in many sizes and colors. With the addition of a sanitary pad, they catch urine and feces. However, if you use them for the purpose of feces, then you will probably have to clean off your pet’s rear, as well as the diaper.

MALES - We have MALE WRAPS for urinary incontinence. They wrap over the penis and with the insertion of a sanitary pad they take care of any dribbling. They come in many sizes and colors.

CATCH-IT-ALL We designed the Catch-It-All to attach to the back of our carts for use in the home for pets up to 45 lbs. Its purpose is to catch feces and in the case of females with the insertion of a sanitary pad, urine. This helps with hygeine and to keep your home clean as your pet runs around indoors.

PROTECT-A-PET We designed the Protect-A-Pet for small pets for use in the home for when they are not in their carts. Its purpose is to help prevent urine infections and sores from developing as pets drag around. The added benefit is that it helps keep your home clean.