Living with a senior dog
Sachiko Minamitani
Pets are living longer due to improvements in medical development, nutrition and the expansion of the Internet. To illustrate this point, we sat with Sachiko Minamitani (Shizuoka, Japan), a woman living together with two elderly Miniature Schnauzers; Shunao and Shunami.
How old are your dogs?
Sachiko: “Both Shunao and Shunami are 17 years old as of October in 2020 (The “O” in Shunao stands for man and the “Mi” in Shunami means woman in Japanese).They are healthy but their legs and back have weakened as they have aged. Shunami is not able to walk up and down the stairs.”
How are they when it comes to potty training?
Sachiko: “Because we trained them to “go” outside, they had no experience going inside the house before. Four years ago Shunao developed a condition where he pees when he barks. He barks often when people come inside the house and when his food is being prepared. To prevent puddles, he wears a doggy diaper. Shunao also has trouble when he tries to go potty by himself. We have to support him by the legs and stimulate his abdomen.
Shunami sometimes has accidents as well, although it only began two years ago for her. She wears diapers too. These days, we set up a potty space inside the house utilizing potty pads for their convenience.”
What are the most important things when choosing potty pads for an elderly dog?
Sachiko: “They should be a reasonable price, a suitable size and they must have some means of odor-control. Kocho premium potty pads meet these requirements and more. In addition, general potty pads are light green or blue, but Kocho’s are light grey so they match our interior better. We like Kocho’s pads a lot.”
Do you have any suggestions or advice for other people who have an elderly pet?
Sachiko: From a pet owner’s standpoint, dog diapers are very useful. But prolonged use might lead to rough skin or a rash. I recommend monitoring the amount of time the diapers are on and making sure the dogs have some time without them to keep their stress down.