• Order large-dog size pee pads to accommodate the volume of urine output .  Also price check for disposable adult bed-pads on line or a local hospital supply store.
• While learning the new skill of manually expressing the bladder, expect a week’s worth of practice to reach a good skill level that keeps a dog dry.
  • The goal with expressing is to express often enough.
  • To express til the bladder is pretty flat (empty) to extend the dry time til next expressing session.
• By week’s end you will gradually extend expressing sessions from every 2-3 hrs advancing up to every 4-6 hours.
• Even expect your dog to stay dry with 8 hours of sleep when good expressing skills are perfected.
  Medium to large dog garments for the incontinent.
• While learning a new skill of expressing the bladder, as last resort/temporary idea, some sort of absorbing garment can be helpful to reduce laundry for the large urine output and prevent urine on skin/fur.
• As a temporary measure while learning, if necessary, order large sized dog diapers.
• Garments to keep absorbent product from sliding out of position:
  • Tinkle Trousers  http://tinkletrousers.com

Diapers/belly bands may increase the risk of bladder infection and urine scald on skin.

• Make sure skin is thoroughly dry before diaper/bellyband use. To prevent urine scald, apply a moisture barrier with a non zinc product:  Aquaphor Baby or Aquaphor regular Healing Ointment  or Bayer’s A+D® Original Ointment
• Urine on the skin can scald skin. This can invite bacterial infection. Yet, baths are dangerous during conservative treatment where the disc needs limited movement to heal.
• A big, wet, heavy dog is a slippery dog! Also during the post-op rest period be aware the surgery areas need time to heal. A safer idea is to use unscented baby wipes for quick clean-ups of skin and fur. Add a hand sprayer to white vinegar bottle for quick clean up on hard surfaces and even rugs.