It’s easier than you’d think to express a dog’s bladder. However, getting your vet to teach you how to do it is recommended.
If your pug can no longer urinate without your help, this technique will allow you to empty the bladder. Before starting you need to ensure that your space is carefully prepped. Hygiene is an important part of this process.
Follow these steps to Express your Pug:
- Be somewhere calm and quiet.
- Lay down a towel. Some owners prefer to express their dog’s bladder, if it’s a small breed, on a raised surface like a table or even on their lap.
- Wash your hands. This minimises risk of infection.
- Position your dog in a lying or standing position, depending on what’s most comfortable for them.
- To find the bladder gently press (palpate) your dog’s lower abdomen. The bladder feels like a soft, balloon-like structure located toward the rear of the abdomen.
- To express the bladder, gently start applying pressure to the bladder using your fingers. You can use a rolling motion or firmer pressure, depending on what works best for your dog. Start from the rear of your bladder, and move forward to help expel the urine.
- Watch for urine to flow out. It may take a few seconds to start flowing so be patient. Continue to express the bladder until you feel that it’s empty.
- Pay attention to your dog’s body language during the process. If your dog appears uncomfortable or in pain, stop immediately and consult your vet
- Cleaning up afterwards is important, particularly for female pugs. Use a clean, damp cloth to ensure your dog’s genital area is clean. In the case of female dogs that there might be deep folds of flesh in this area, so ensure they’re not collecting hair and debris there that might cause infection
Don’t get discouraged if you’re not getting the hang of bladder expressing immediately. Once you’ve understood how it works, you’ll be able to do it without thinking.
There’s a video here explaining the process. It’s important to make sure your dog is kept very clean if you’re bladder expressing.
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