Protect Your Carpets from an Incontinent Dog – A Thrifty Tip

These tips will show you how to protect your carpets from an incontinent dog while keeping your pet comfortable.

OK, I know this post is a little on the gross side, but it can be really hard dealing with a dog that can’t control his/her bladder and ends up peeing on the carpet. Unfortunately, my poor old girl has not been feeling well the last couple of weeks and is having this problem.

How to Protect Your Carpets from an Incontinent Dog

What I have found as my rescue is vinyl tablecloths with flannel backing, which are also called oilcloth. These are very inexpensive and you can usually buy them for a few dollars each.

What I do is put them on the carpet with the vinyl side facing down. That way the part that she lies on is still soft. BUT, if she has an accident the vinyl prevents it from leaking through to the carpet.

Carnation Home Fashions Vinyl Tablecloth with Polyester Flannel BackingCarnation Home Fashions Vinyl Tablecloth with Polyester Flannel BackingTavern Check Classic Restaurant Quality Flannel Back Vinyl Tablecloth

You can easily cover an entire room by using multiple vinyl tablecloths placed end to end. Just be sure to have some overlap between the tablecloths so there are no gaps where the accidents can leak through.

You can also place the tablecloths on top of your dog’s bed. That way he or she can still have the comfort of their cushy bed, but won’t get it wet or soiled.

You can wash these in the washer (use the gentle cycle or they will end up breaking apart). Let them air dry or, if you have a cool cycle on your dryer, you can use that.

If you have any other tips to protect your carpets from an incontinent dog, please leave us a comment with your suggestions. Anything to keep our pets comfortable while still protecting our homes and their furnishings is appreciated!

UPDATE: For our most recent elderly dog, I found these waterproof bed pads also work quite well. The largest size is 72×36 inches. They are quite a bit more expensive than tablecloths, but do wash and dry easily.