Do you have an older Pug? If so then you may be dealing with senior Pug incontinence during the night and day. Today, we’re going to take a look at what it is and when to start thinking about Pug Diapers.
Senior Pug Incontinence What It Is
The short answer to this condition occurs when your senior Pug starts having trouble controlling their bladder. A housebroken dog may begin urinating in the house or they could be wetting their dog bed.
A Pug is young at heart and you won’t start to notice any old age problems until you have an 11-year-old Pug. We didn’t start noticing any old age symptoms with Mindy until she was around 14 years old, she blessed us with her life for 16 years.
Dogs will start to show signs of incontinence at different a different age. If you feed them the right food and exercise them on a regular basis, they should be able to live a normal healthy life. However, as they get older, the Pug has specific problems that the owner should be aware of.
As your Pug enters middle age and beyond, you’ll start to notice signs of the urinary incontinence.
This condition can affect all types of dogs, but it is especially common in older, female dogs that have been spayed. Urinary Incontinence is more common in the following breeds:
- Springer Spaniels
- Doberman Pinschers
- Old English Sheepdogs
- Cocker Spaniels
Dog Leaking Urine All Of A Sudden
This condition affects dogs as they get older and unfortunately, there isn’t a lot that you can do. If they have not had this problem before and have always used the potty outdoors, they are not doing this intentionally.
So it’s important to NOT scold them, older dog incontinence is very common. Here are some things that you as a pet owner can do to make your dog feel better.
Making Your Dog Your Dog Feel Comfortable
Senior dog incontinence at night is real and your Pug will wake up not realizing they wet their bed. It’s not unusual to use a Pug litter box if you have an older dog.
Make sure you always keep their Pug’s bed stocked with clean blankets, you may even want to consider purchasing a waterproof dog bed.
This makes it a lot easier to clean up after they have messed their bed in the middle of the night.
Senior Dog Incontinence Causes
There are several different causes of this condition and some of them are:
- Spinal cord disease
- Weakened bladder or spay incontinence which is very common among female Pugs that have been spayed.
- Bladder infections, tumors, stones or polyps
If your Pug is starting to pee or poop uncontrollably, it may be time to pay a visit to your veterinarian. They will be able to run a test to let you know what type of medical condition they are suffering from.
This condition is more common among female Pugs than male Pugs.
If your male Pug is dealing with this issue, it is most likely due to a urethral, prostate or bladder disease. You’ll need to contact your veterinarian to find out what is causing it.
Senior Dog Incontinence While Sleeping
Unfortunately, middle-aged spayed female Pugs will have trouble holding their bladder while they are sleeping. Some will also dribble urine while they walk around the house.
The sad truth is that your Pug won’t even know that they are peeing, and may become disturbed when they realized they soiled themselves.
As I mentioned above, the best thing to do is make them as comfortable as possible. You’re going to find yourself washing their pet bed more often as they reach their golden years.
Old Dog Poops While Walking
Just like losing control and peeing while sleeping and walking, an older Pug can also suffer from fecal incontinence.
This usually occurs when your dog is dealing with lower back problems such as degenerative myelopathy, arthritis, spinal tumor, atrophy, peripheral myopathy.
The communication pathway from the brain is cut off letting them know that they need to go potty outside.
In older Pugs, the anal sphincter loses its ability to hold the feces.
If your Pug is dealing with fecal incontinence, you might find accidents around the house, in their bed, or in hidden corners.
It’s important to find what is causing this issue and your vet will need to do a complete blood profile. They’ll also want to do a chemistry profile to check for the presence of parasites or an infection.
Incontinent Dog Solutions
Whether your female Pug or male Pug suffer from this, it’s important to know about some natural remedies that you can use to help them. Believe it or not, it’s an embarrassing matter for your dog and you won’t have any fun cleaning up the messes.
Not only that, but your house will eventually start smelling like pee. This video will show you some of the holistic remedies you can use.
In the video, he will talk about plan based alternatives such as:
- Flaxseed
- Soy Isoflavones
- Soloray Phytoestrogens
- Trigger Point Release for Back Pain
- Acupressure
Like always, check with your local veterinarian before trying any of these alternative methods.
Are Dog Diapers Bad for Potty Training?
A lot of pet owners will want to know if they should use dog diapers for potty training. Personally, I am not a fan of using diapers for training your Pug when they are a puppy.
Believe it or not, it’s not hard to potty train a Pug and there’s absolutely no reason to use diapers, pee pads or anything else.
Unless you plan on leaving them alone for over 8 hours, I would recommend potty training them with a crate. This is how we trained Mindy and she didn’t have a lot of accidents in the house as a pup.
Diapers for Pug Dogs
Believe it or not, you can buy Pug diapers and there are tons of different variations to choose from. The thing you need to realize is that your dog probably won’t like them.
We tried all kinds of diapers for Mindy our black Pug and she hated them. After doing some research on Amazon, I found all kinds of diapers that may work perfectly for your Pug.
Let’s take a look at the different types that are available and see if they can help you keep your home from smelling like pee.
Female Pug Diapers
They are easier to buy and just like the male Pug diapers, they come in several different styles. In fact, it’s not uncommon for some pet owners to use human diapers for their dogs.
Human Diapers for Dogs
After using dog diapers on Mindy, I realized that the human version and canine version were the same. Both were disposable and easy to use.
One of the most challenging things pet owners face is keeping the diapers on. Some dogs have a tendency to hate them and will do everything they can to get them off.
That’s why it’s important to use the diapers that are designed for the specific sex of the dog.
Diapers for Pugs Female
Female dog diapers perfect for small dog breeds like the Pug. Works great for older Pugs that suffer from incontinence, young puppies, and..
These washable female dog diapers saved our home several times as Mindy started having accidents. The best part is that they are washable and that alone can save you money in the long run. These Washable Reusable Dog Diapers are easy to wrap for female dogs.
Diapers for Male Pugs
If your male pooch is dealing with this issue, which is possible, then check out these Pug belly bands designed for male dogs.
Pug Diapers Size
There are different types of diapers for males and females. For male Pugs, you’ll want to look for Belly Band diapers. These consist of a band that wraps around the middle of your dog to catch the urine.
These are perfect if your male dog has a habit of trying to mark their territory inside your home.
Dog Diaper Size Chart
I’ve put together a very handy diaper size chart to help you find the right size for your dog.
| Size | Dog Breed | Weight | Waist |
| X-Small | Toy breeds and young puppies. example (Pug Puppies) | 4-8 lbs | 10″-13″ |
| Small | Adult Pugs, Pekingese, Jack Russell | 8-15 lbs | 13″-19″ |
| Medium | Pug, Cocker Spanial, Miniature Poodle | 15-35 lbs | 18″-25″ |
| Large | Dalmation, French Bulldog | 35-55 lbs | 20″-27″ |
| X-Large | Labrador, German Shephard, Boxer | 55-90 lbs | 27″-34″ |
If you don’t see your dog size, be sure that you check Amazon as this is where I found all the diaper sizes for the chart.
Old age problems are just a fact of life that all pet owners have to deal with. Hopefully, this helps you understand this problem and provides you with some solutions to make both of your lives easier.
Related Questions
Does Walmart Have Dog Diapers? We were never really able to find Mindy’s diapers at Walmart. Petco or any local pet store. Yes, they have diapers for Pugs, but we found them to be more affordable on Amazon.
Always browse around for the best prices, but make sure that you get something that your Pug is comfortable wearing.
References and Further Reading
Diana Bocca – Incontinence In Senior Dogs: What to Do And How to Help
Donna Spector DVM – What You Need to Know About Spay Incontinence In Female Dogs
Dr. Byron De La Navarre – Understanding Senior Dog Incontinence