Dog Troubles

[old medic]

Anyone else have a senile demented puppy?... Ours turned 15 on Thanksgiving, and the only one left. when his litter mate died a few years back he developed severe separation issues, he has to see you... goes nuts if he can't... DW is #1, but does it to me if shes not around. he can be sleeping, and if he wakes up, and DW is in the bathroom, the yipping howling fits begin. Lately he's been dropping turds in the house at night... And then he will nose them away and try and hide them... beats all I ever seen. Our biggest fear is him wandering out in the road which he seems to do more frequently.

[skyking1]

Medic that is tough. The turd thing, the solution is to walk him several different times, till you figure out the turd time. You'll know it when you find it.
Also feed him meals rather than open bowl dining. That way you can manage his bowel movements better. You may be able to manipulate it around to a more convenient time for you.
The road? You know that answer. Fence and gate.
There may be some medication you can get for the anxiety, but they all come with side effects. I feel for you and your wife.

[aja8888]

On the turd thing, Skyking is on track. But an old dog of 15, there may be some uncontrollable bowl stuff going on. Our old dog couldn't control his bowels when he got that old.

On the separation anxiety stuff, we have a 7 year old Jack Russel Terrier and besides him taking control of the house (and the whole neighborhood), he goes whako when we get ready to leave the house without him. But he gets over it.

I believe there is meds for separation anxiety for dogs but I don't know how effective they are.

[punkinhead]

We're on our 4th rescue. The other three all lived to 13+ and had physical and anxiety issues late in life. After the first two we looked back at pictures and videos from the last year or two of their lives and were horrified by how obvious it was that we'd let them suffer too long. We didn't make that mistake with the third and hope not to make it with our current dog.

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Can you crate him at night in your bedroom so he can still see and smell you and yet contain the problem? A few dog biscuits in the crate helps get them in there.
Another option is doggy diapers, they resist at first but get used to them quickly. Not so much with my old cat who tore me to pieces the first and only time I tried it.

[Gotadimple]

If he has dementia (canine cognitive disfunction) and it has not progressed very far, there is a diet change, and/or medication that can help him not be so afraid when he can't see either of you. Check with your vet.

[Teacher Terry]

I had my old dog with dementia on Xanax so we all could sleep. Eventually her behavior became so bizarre every night at 5 that we put her to sleep but she was 18.

[skyking1]

I've mentioned it before but my roommate is a veterinarian who goes to people's homes so that their pets don't have to be anxious on their last day.
I appreciate all the contributions that people make.

[old medic]

Thanks all... he has always run free, the only time he ever was on a leash was going to the vet... and would flip out. We had several acres back in the woods so no issues. When we moved here ,put up an invisible fence but that no longer works. His food bowl gets filled in the morning and he nibbles all day, but have stopped any treats or extra snacks later in the day. Its hilarious to watch him in the afternoon, He lays where he can see the road and watches for DW to get home.. If I approach him he knows Im putting him up and he runs

[Amethyst]

When I get like your dog, I know what I want someone to do for me. But they won't, because I'm a hooman and they would go to jail.

I feel for you.

[old medic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst When I get like your dog, I know what I want someone to do for me. But they won't, because I'm a hooman and they would go to jail. I feel for you.

He's doing OK for now... he gets around good... and almost puppy like when he discovers Mama is home. We have started taking him camping a couple times and he's done good, But he's got to be with Mama.

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredAndLovingIt Another option is doggy diapers, they resist at first but get used to them quickly. Not so much with my old cat who tore me to pieces the first and only time I tried it.

Well, there's your answer right there: no self-respecting cat would ever consent to "doggy" diapers! :-)

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by old medic Anyone else have a senile demented puppy?... Ours turned 15 on Thanksgiving, and the only one left. when his litter mate died a few years back he developed severe separation issues, he has to see you... goes nuts if he can't... DW is #1, but does it to me if shes not around. he can be sleeping, and if he wakes up, and DW is in the bathroom, the yipping howling fits begin. Lately he's been dropping turds in the house at night... And then he will nose them away and try and hide them... beats all I ever seen. Our biggest fear is him wandering out in the road which he seems to do more frequently.

Old Medic, I don't have an answer for you. But I feel your pain.

I once had a young dog in grad school, and at that time they allowed dogs anywhere on campus. So, she was always with me. Afterwards, when I got a job, I found that she went crazy while I was gone from my flat. Sometimes when I got home I would find that her mouth would be bleeding from pulling up nailed carpet edges. Or she would claw at the door. I paid for two new doors, as I remember.

Finally, dog behavior expert (quite a new thing in the 1970s) helped me with conditioning exercises and I was slowly able to build her confidence that I would, return, each day (with nice treats and an extra long walk/run in the park). I miss her dearly and still have dreams of her returning to me, if just for a short visit.

Best of luck with your pup. Definitely keep her inside and away from the traffic.

-BB

[pacergal]

We are getting there. 12 year old rescue, has always been a people dog, not really nervous anxiety, but has to be where his peeps are. Worse than kids, I can't even be in the bathroom without him coming to find me!!
He has recently started pooping occasionally in the house and once in his bed. His chosen place to poop is on one of our Persian carpets bought overseas. Ugh.. Costs several hundred dollars to take it to specialty cleaners.
He gets food only twice a day, so that is controllable. He also has specialty food for his sensitive stomach issues.
The pooping has happened at night, even when he goes out just before bed. We have controlled it by either closing our bedroom door so we hear if he gets up to wander or closing all the other doors in the house so he can't access the ones with the carpets.
He has arthritis which is also getting worse, even with meds.
We know the decision is coming sooner than we are ready for.

[Bamaman]

When a dog cannot or will not control his bowels and bladder, it's time to go. It's that simple.

We cannot live with a pet making a mess in our house--on our heirloom oriental rugs.

We have an aging Rottweiler that's quite obese, and she has arthritis. But we hope she can take care of her personal needs at least for the next 3-4 years. It's not a breed that lives to be old like some poodle or tiny house dog.

[daylatedollarshort]

When we had old dogs that lost bowel and bladder control, we moved them to the laundry room. It had a see through gate in the doorway so they could see into the living room but couldn't walk around the house to pee and poop. Then we had a dog door cut into the wall with a ramp that let out into a nice garden area where they could walk around outside.

[Calico]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daylatedollarshort When we had old dogs that lost bowel and bladder control, we moved them to the laundry room. It had a see through gate in the doorway so they could see into the living room but couldn't walk around the house to pee and poop. Then we had a dog door cut into the wall with a ramp that let out into a nice garden area where they could walk around outside.

You are an angel.

[skyking1]

^ agreed
I have the doggie door in the wall in our laundry area too. It goes out to a covered kennel so cleanups is easier in the wet season.

[Teacher Terry]

The first thing I do when I buy a house or condo is to get rid of all the carpet. Then if a dog has a accident no big deal. I got rid of all my area rugs. Nothing but my human kids are more important than my fur babies.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst When I get like your dog, I know what I want someone to do for me. But they won't, because I'm a hooman and they would go to jail. I feel for you.

You can fly to Switzerland like the 2 sisters did, it's legal there, even if you are not terminally ill suffering in pain.

https://nypost.com/2022/03/26/myster...ouris-suicide/

"Lila, a palliative care doctor, and Susan, a registered nurse, apparently flew from Phoenix to Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 3, and then on to Zurich without notifying family or friends of specifics, a police source in Phoenix told The Post."