Condo Blues: My House Smells Like Dog Pee

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

My House Smells Like Dog Pee

Blitzkrieg developed a bladder infection as a side effect of chemotherapy. Poor little dog is piddling almost every hour in the house on his way to the front door.

This is my old toy box Lisa made me.
 This is unusual for Blitzkrieg. He has an accident in the house one or two times a year tops. We checked with the oncologist. This new behavior is a medical thing not a behavioral thing. Trust me, Blitzkrieg's potty bark is so sharp and forceful it could shatter glass. Consider it the canine equivalent of a toddler screaming in the middle of a public place,"I HAVE TO GO POOOTTY!"

The problem is the infection is overwhelming his little bladder that he often barks to be let out and the flood gates open on his way to the front door.

To deal with pet accidents, I got a Bissell Spot Lifer as gift on Blitzkrieg’s first Christmas. I think I got more use out of the box because I turned it into Blitzkrieg’s first toy box until I made him a toy box from a wood wine box. 

This is my new toy box Lisa made me. It's comfy.
 
Between the Spot Lifter and the later gift of a Bissell Ready Clean carpet cleaner I was able to keep up with the rare dog accident.

Until now.

I almost fell over from the smell coming from the dry living room carpet when I bend down to clip Blitzkrieg’s leash to his collar for a walk.

O.M.G! Ew. Ew. Ew!  I'm big baby about smells. I better never have a human baby because I'd make them potty in the yard like Blitzkrieg so I don't have to deal with stinky diapers. Whiiiich I just tipped Children Services off about me early and put myself on some sort of Watch List. Oopsie.



My normal Baking soda, vinegar and water dog urine cleaning tricks cannot keep up with the pee volume that is steadily decreasing but is still smelly. I hit Target to lay in pet friendly carpet cleaning supplies. (Let's hear it for keeping unexpired coupon flyers just in case!)

Don't worry friends, I checked the MSDN sheets for these products before I bought them. And before I checked the MSDN sheets, I contacted Bissell customer service to ask about the ingredients in their cleaners. There are other brands of pet accident carpet cleaners (in fact I had a better coupon for another brand and didn't go with it) but when I have to pull out the big guns, I go with these.

I'm not mad at Blitzkrieg for having accidents in the house. I know he isn't 
doing it on purpose because most of his accidents are by the front door where we leave for walks.
I'm frustrated and tired of cleaning carpets 10+ times a day. I'm sure Blitzkrieg is even more frustrated and tired than I am, poor guy!
 
 It’s embarrassing. I can’t have people over who want to spend time with Blitzkrieg because my carpet smells like dog urine. I can’t go to their homes because Blitzkrieg isn’t finished with his antibiotics. I don't want him to have an accident in someone else's home even though I bought a box of Bissell Stomp and Gos for my Dog Mommy Bag just in case.

Photobucket
When Lisa grabs this bag from her closet I know we are going someplace fun as a family!
 
 I suggested a well placed repurposed wine cork to deal with the problem but Blitzkrieg would have none of it.

Turns out it is not the carpet cleaning fluid that is failing me but my carpet cleaning machines. I have two first generation carpet cleaners that don’t shoot steam into the carpet and pad. My problem is the urine in is the pad  which soaked up dog pee like a sponge.
 
We’ve outgrown them and need a steam carpet cleaner upgrade. I borrowed one from a friend but I have to give it back.  Fortunately, I will have time to do research as I save my pennies for a replacement steam carpet cleaner. Do you have any recommendations?

Update 10:00AM: The last round of chemo gave Blitzkrieg diarrhea, an upset stomach, and he didn't feel like eating or taking his nausea and diarrhea meds. Husband and I spent Monday afternoon at the vet hospital, where our awesome oncologist squeezed us in and gave Blitzkrieg a shot of each medication so they'd work their magic.

Blitzkrieg ate a few bits of plain chicken breast Husband sliced and cooked for him from the ingredients of our dinner* last night.

Unfortunately, the anti-diarrhea meds still need time to work. I woke up to a big semi solid surprise this morning on the living room carpet by the front door and where I parked the carpet cleaners - smart boy. 

*As Husband cooked Blitzkrieg's plain chicken, I sauteed the rest of the sliced chicken breast in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and added it to a red pesto sauce with avocado and served over whole wheat pasta. We've been eating from the pantry for the last month and a half and banking our grocery money for future vet bills.


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3 comments :

Mary said...

I really sympathize with you and Blitzkrieg. I know how frustrating it must be for both of you.I was taking a sick dog to the vet one day when he started going ballistic in the car, which he never does normally. He was trying to tell me "Pull over and let me out - I have to go to the bathroom right now!" We were in traffic so I couldn't have pulled over anyway, but he acted so sad and ashamed about his accident in the car that I felt bad for him even as I cleaned out my car:(

Linda said...

You have my best wishes and I think of you often. I have been there twice. My little yorkie, Emily, went into kidney failure & spent a week at the vet so they could run a liter of fluid through her little kidneys a day. We wanted her home so we did it at home the second week and she didn't have any control so the carpet took a hit. My cat, at 22 years, just got too feeble to make it to the cat box. I couldn't find any home carpet machine that worked so I bought a steam cleaner and just shot steam through the carpet and I can also clean everything else. It is green because it works on all hard surfaces without cleaning products. My bathrooms shine. Mine is oreck brand and they don't make the steam cleaner any more but I am sure there are others out there. Go bigger rather than smaller. After the crisis was over I had a pro come in and do a good whole house carpet cleaning.

san colechio said...

hi it is samson again....san and davids pekingise. I am so sorry about all this, and i think about Blitzkreig every day. I really know it will be ok, and you are the best parents.

I got san to right this....she is better on the key board than i am

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