Urine issues again

[degrassi]

My poor little Gimpy(whos 9 1/2yrs) is having urine scald issues again. But this time I caught it early. He had a pretty severe problem with sore hocks and urine scald back in November. He was having trouble with getting in and out of his litter box. So lately he's been peeing on the floor again next to his litter box. I've been cleaning it up as soon as I see it but overnight he usually gets dirty. Gimpy doesn't like being picked up so I hadn't checked him over in a while and was acting fairly normal, minus the peeing thing(which he's been having issues with for over a year now). The last time I checked him was a few weeks ago when I clipped his nails. His feet and butt looked ok then. So anyways, this weekend I felt his tail was all matted and wet with urine. So yesterday I tried soaking his tail with some warm water to see if I could clean it but it didn't do much. So I called the vet today to see if they could clip the mats away before it got as bad as last time. I just got back from the appointment and the vet tech called the vet to come check it as she couldn't clip the mats on his tail since he was so red and she didn't want to cut the skin.

So after talking to the vet it looks like Gimpy has the same thing he had back in November. She(a different vet then he normally sees) called it "really severe urine scald" but its no where near as bad as it was back in Nov. I asked if I could have the same cream I had last time(some antibiotic cream) and some metacam for while it heals. So it looks like poor gimpy is back to having his tail soaked every day to clean it and then cream. Thankfully his sore hocks aren't back, its just his tail from being wet.

I know he's getting older and he's been having some issues for the past year or so related to his litter habits. GI stuff and feet. Its just sad seeing him not feeling 100%. I"m taking him back for a recheck next week. Hopefully it gets better.

 

[golfdiva]

You could try using puppy pads instead of a litter box. That way, if he pees on his feet, they will get wiped off as he hops away over the pad.

 

[PaGal]

Could you maybe cut away one side of the litter box to make it easier for him to get in and out or at least shorten it so maybe one side is only an inch high, enough to hold in litter but short enough for him to get in and out.

I hope he heals quickly and feels better.

 

[degrassi]

I have already cut the side off his little box. Its helped a bit. I"ll just keep the towel down from now on. It helped last time but I didn't keep it there after he healed as it makes my allergies much worse. Even with changing the towel out daily my eyes and nose were super itchy. But maybe now it will be ok as his cage is now in the kitchen vs it used to be in my bedroom.

I"ll check into the puppy pads but my worry with those is that he'll chew the edges. At least with the towel I have ones that are big enough to cover his whole floor, no edges inside the cage.

 

[golfdiva]

Hershey has issues with sludge if he eats too many veggies. I just put the puppy pad in the corner where he likes to pee. Then he hops away and leaves foot prints on the pad where his feet got wiped off!

It might be easier on your allergies too, as the pads are designed to absorbed the liquid and keep it away from the surface.

Hershey does chew on them a bit. Actually he tries to rip them to get my attention! lol! But he seems to not ingest enough to bother his system.

BTW, I found the slightly more expensive ones are worth the money as they control the odor much better than the generic types.