I just started a (non-TH) sit in my town; it lasts thru Wednesday. It’s a feisty/bitey cat and a 6-mo mini dachshund (Daisy). The latter went into heat on Friday; it caught the PPs unaware. They’ve been using doggie diapers to avoid blood on the carpet/furniture. Thankfully, there’s a fenced backyard where I can walk Daisy as needed, but I keep having to change the diapers. I’ve only been able to get it on her when she’s eating, but that timing won’t always work.
What are your tips for a puppy in heat? Especially for putting on doggie diapers; but I’m all ears for behavior, etc. tips.
FYI, I did search the forums for tips on dogs in heat/season, but I didn’t see any tips for putting on the diapers by a stranger (me vs the dad who normally does it).
I have plenty of baby diaper experience but Zero puppy dog diaper experience
I sure hope someone can provide some helpful tips as I am sure it must be rather difficult to figure out a good strategy if you don’t have someone that’s walked you though the few ways it can be done.
Maybe best to get diaper ready and start by trying to put the pups hips in between your legs gently hugging and then placing the rest under and then securing. just a guess though! I’m sure @Julie_A has tips as she’s around dogs that have been in heat from the rescue she works with.
I don’t have any experience with that, but have you tried googling or searching on YouTube? It’s surprising how much info is available online sometimes. Also, maybe try the THS vet line?
Hi @Maggie8K. Thanks for trying to help. Google wasn’t too helpful, mostly because I think it depends on the dog and how well they know the owner/sitter.
This was a few months ago now (May), but here’s what I recall doing:
I could get the diaper on only when she was eating, so I adjusted her eating schedule slightly.
A friend said they just put their dog in the bathroom and cleaned up the mess afterward. (Easier to clean tile than carpet/furniture.) Could’ve been an option.
The dog would still tear off the diaper usually after an hour. At some point, I just put towels down on all the furniture.
Overall, there wasn’t much mess. I don’t think I saw anything on any of the furniture/carpet. The stress was more from communication with the PPs: Diapers was their request, at the last minute, and they were busy at a wedding so weren’t able to communicate much during the sit.
This was a non-TH sit, and I spent some time reflecting on it afterward. I decided that the lack of a written Welcome Guide was key: There just wasn’t a clear-enough foundation in the event of last-minute changes (which there were) coupled with the PPs being unavailable (ditto).
I learned, and now a written Welcome Guide is on my must-have list, before I commit. I don’t have to see it, but I won’t commit until they say they’ve finished it. It was actually an issue on another sit, too.
Glad you figured out what to do, @geoff.hom. I’ll keep that in mind in case I end up in a similar situation, especially since you mentioned that info isn’t especially helpful online. That sounds kind of stressful.
It would be great to get a welcome guide sooner. I haven’t done enough sits to see a big pattern, but the ones I’ve done usually provide the guide late, even if they’ve had THS sitters before.
I found another thread potentially useful for a sit I’m doing soon, where a cat has been sick before. It’s handy to be able to crowd source such info on the fly if needed, if stuff isn’t available online. I’ve started reading articles about it as well, just in case.
Sitting can force us to be resourceful in different ways, especially as you say sometimes depending on the pet(s) and their specific circumstances. On one sit for instance it made me laugh when I had to get a dog who didn’t want to be leashed the first day after her humans left. I sort of felt goofy, like Lucy on “I Love Lucy.”
@Maggie8K: I want to amend what I said. The trick of “put the doggie diaper on while she is feeding” was helpful, and I forget where I got that. It could’ve been some random Internet comment, if not the PP. I do agree that in general it’s helpful to look.
And, yes, sitting is quite the growth experience! Just like regular travel. Combining the two is probably synergistic.
