Please tell me about dog diapers

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

My not yet 6 month old puppy is in heat and we are taking her on vacation this weekend. What is the best system for containing the mess? She is not dripping anything now but it will be my luck that the flood gates open once we get away from modern conveniences. I just tried my son’s tighty whities with her tail through the penis flap but that didn’t work at all. She was too wiggly and none of the holes matched up for a good fit. I’m reading that baby diapers are cheaper but they have those gel “beads” inside that I’m thinking will spill all over the place once I cut the tail hole. I don’t mind paying (up to $20) for a reusable diaper but the reviews are so mixed. Help!

Necessary disclaimer: I’ve put off the spay because her only 2 litter mates have had some health issues and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t hereditary. By the time that got sorted out my regular vet was booked until after Thanksgiving.

[cowboymom]

I’ve put baby diapers on baby lambs before and there were no beads to spill-I’d say avoid that variety of diaper, just about anything will work, it’s being able to velcro down the “waist” that help. I cut a hole for the tail and they worked really really well. It’s been about ten years since I had to deal with diapers but I think any cheap brand of diaper with a wide comfort sort of waistband will fit well without the beads.

In my experience, usually the mess is just a little bit of drip here and there, compared to a “light day” for a woman on the dog’s “worst day”.

[BuddyRoo]

You might just consider crating her and taking her right outside for potty time. I don’t think you’re going to have a major mess. It’s usually just spotty. I personally wouldn’t invest in the doggy diapers unless you really need to have her out and about on white carpet or something.

[MunchingonHay]

what about using men’s depends. They are like sanitary pads on steroids. When my older male dog lost control of his bladder I used them with a belly band. Of course a belly band will not work for a female dog.

How big is said puppy, you said 6 months, but a 6 month lab is going to be bigger than a 6 month min pin.

I would use a pad with a rubber covering the ones used for cloth diapers.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;6673888]
I’ve put baby diapers on baby lambs before and there were no beads to spill[/QUOTE]

I guess I should ask why you were diapering a lamb? Perhaps I should have considered that before letting a baby goat sleep in my bed as a teenager. :lol: The new, super absorbent human diapers are filled with some kind of expanding gel beads. At least they were when my last kids were in diapers 5+ years ago. Hopefully the cheaper brands are still the same.

[QUOTE=MunchingonHay;6673935]what about using men’s depends. They are like sanitary pads on steroids. When my older male dog lost control of his bladder I used them with a belly band. Of course a belly band will not work for a female dog.

How big is said puppy, you said 6 months, but a 6 month lab is going to be bigger than a 6 month min pin.

I would use a pad with a rubber covering the ones used for cloth diapers.[/QUOTE]

Never would have thought about Depends but I have most of a bag left over from my FIL. Great idea!

Puppy is around 35 pounds now but tall and lean. I mostly cloth diapered my kids and might still have a few covers that I could stick a pad in. Another good idea.

[jetsmom]

PetsMart/Petco sell doggie pads/panties. Might be easiest.

[cowboymom]

I used to live on a sheep ranch and invariably some bum lamb ended up in the house for a while! I had a kid in diapers; it worked! We didn’t have newfangled gel beads diapers back then!

A super-sized maxi pad in a diaper cover would work too, at least in my limited experience. She’ll probably try to keep herself pretty clean and if you can control where she sleeps and sits per BuddyRoo’s advice you’ll get by ok. Keep a close eye on her the whole time of course but when that discharge turns pink/yellowish is when she’s a fertile Myrtle!

[gaitedincali]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;6674217]
PetsMart/Petco sell doggie pads/panties. Might be easiest.[/QUOTE]

This. There are multiple disposible and non-disposible options sized to fit pretty much everything - probably easier to buy that than try and reinvent the wheel on your own.

I would definitely get something though. Some dogs spot and some dogs leave huge disgusting globs of reeking, vicous blood everywhere. If you’re armed and ready with diapers she’ll probably just spot, but if you’re unprepared it’ll be a bloodbath. Murphy’s law.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

That’s what I figured. Either waste money on disposables or mess around trying to make something that won’t get used because I brought it. :yes:

My family can’t stop laughing about about a dog wearing a diaper. At least she’s mostly white.

When can I expect this to be over? I noticed the licking over a week ago but there was no excessive swelling or blood. She is still not grossly swollen, there is no “exterior” blood and the licking has all but stopped. Last week she was stalking my other female (rubbing up against her type stuff) but that seems to be dying down also. Is it possible we’re at the tail end?