Older dog and accidents

[P3LH]

Thought I’d pick brains in case anyone has any clever ideas to deal with this one (I think it may be a case of just accept it)

scenario: rough collie, intact dog, 12 in November. Checked by vet to see if it’s medical - it’s not. No medical concerns. Fine in day but has accidents (urine mainly) overnight. Can’t quite work out if he can’t hold it, or is a bit doddery/forgetful (I think it may be the latter as he needs some gentle reminding about where things are at times and I’ve noticed in the last few weeks relies a lot on the other dogs for where stuff is). Either way - lots of pee each morning from the night before. Toilets outside fine throughout the day, but most of the time I drop him to mums (sometimes with the other 2) as she likes the company in the day.

Not an issue to clean up, but longer term a bit of a pain. Moved his bed at nighttime into a room with no rugs etc. He wouldn’t take to the crate despite being crate trained when younger - vet thinks this is down to his partial blindness as the main issue was he couldn’t navigate in/out/around etc.

Anything else we can do other than bed in tiled room and have an ample supply of cleaning produce? Again, not an issue if this is the only option but H&H often throws up things I’d never considered before!

 

[meleeka]

I’m presuming you make sure he goes before bed? My old dog has to be taken out or she won’t bother. Even if was able to see well, he would still presumably need to go and would be unable to get out to do so? I’ve also heard about people removing water overnight to reduce peeing. You could try that.

 

[Birker2020]

Thought I’d pick brains in case anyone has any clever ideas to deal with this one (I think it may be a case of just accept it)

scenario: rough collie, intact dog, 12 in November. Checked by vet to see if it’s medical - it’s not. No medicos concerns. Fine in day but has accidents (urine mainly) overnight. Can’t quite work out if he can’t hold it, or is a bit doddery/forgetful (I think it may be the latter as he needs some gentle reminding about where things are at times and I’ve noticed in the last few weeks relies a lot on the other dogs for where stuff is). Either way - lots of pee each morning from the night before. Toilets outside fine throughout the day, but most of the time I drop him to mums (sometimes with the other 2) as she likes the company in the day.

Not an issue to clean up, but longer term a bit of a pain. Moved his bed at nighttime into a room with no rugs etc. He wouldn’t take to the crate despite being crate trained when younger - vet thinks this is down to his partial blindness as the main issue was he couldn’t navigate in/out/around etc.

Anything else we can do other than bed in tiled room and have an ample supply of cleaning produce? Again, not an issue if this is the only option but H&H often throws up things I’d never considered before!

Sounds like he may have CCG (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction). Its where older dogs become like human dementia victims and they forget to go to the toilet or they make noises in the night, my friends dog had it.

These are some of the side effects, it affects between 14% - 34% of dogs with 28% the average in dogs between 11 and 12.

• confusion and disorientation
• decreased interest in food
• general apathy
• decreased ability to recognize places and people
• disruption of the normal sleep/wake cycle
• wandering
• repetitive compulsive disorder
• persistent barking or whining, especially at night
• loss of learned behaviors, such as toilet training
• irritability and aggression
• reduced interaction with the owner

https://www.localvet.com.au/burwoodvetclinic/CanineCognitiveDysfunction–DogDementia-dogvet.aspx#:~:text=Can CCD be treated?,of cognitive dysfunction in dogs.

 

[Sandstone1]

I’m presuming you make sure he goes before bed? My old dog has to be taken out or she won’t bother. Even if was able to see well, he would still presumably need to go and would be unable to get out to do so? I’ve also heard about people removing water overnight to reduce peeing. You could try that.

Make sure that he goes before bed. You really should not restrict water.

 

[Rowreach]

Vet and I have concluded mine has doggy dementia. He's 12. I make sure he pees before bed (I watch him, otherwise he goes outside and forgets) and then I put down layers of Daily Mail as provided by my neighbour, and he uses that to pee on so at least it's easier to clean up. And then it's a case of a lot of Flash.

 

[Birker2020]

There is a tablet they can go on which is meant to help, I think its a bit like prascend for horses. And there are various adaptations you can make which it sounds like you are already doing. This is from the PDSA and is useful.

Avoid sudden changes.
Your dog may get confused by changes in the house, for example, if you get new furniture or rearrange your rooms, as they might struggle to learn the new layout. Avoid making changes wherever possible, but if they’re absolutely necessary, try to make them gradual (for example one room at a time), and give your dog time to adjust at each stage.

Give your dog a ‘safe’ area or den
That always stays the same. You might want to have a comfy bed, their food and water and any favourite toys in their area so they can find everything they need in one place.

Make it easy for your dog to find their way.
Try to make each room or passageway in your house different, for example playing a radio in one room or putting a textured rug on the floor.

Stick to a routine.
Dogs with cognitive dysfunction will often benefit from regular patterns to their days. Try to feed and walk them at the same time each day and encourage them to stay awake for some time during the day if they seem to be restless at night. The routine will be comforting for your dog and will help you know if your dog has forgotten something so you don’t end up over feeding or exercising.

Try gentle, regular exercise and activities.
Encourage your dog to keep active by taking them on short walks in their favourite places. To keep them safe, it’s best to keep them on the lead, under close supervision, or in an enclosed field/garden. Make sure they have time to sniff and investigate, as this will help keep their brain active. You might also want to try playing simple games at home.

Keep training simple.
Try to focus on only using a few simple commands to avoid confusing your dog. If they seems to be forgetting things they used to know, start re-teaching their basic training using positive, reward based methods.

Keep your dog safe if they forget commands or toilet training.
If your dog suddenly starts to forget their training it can be very frustrating or even dangerous for them, especially if they stop responding to their name when you’re out on walks. If your dog suddenly seems to have forgotten something, try not to get angry or upset with them. Instead try taking steps to keep them safe and stop them becoming confused, like regular trips outside to go to the toilet and keeping them on a lead when out for walks.

Spend quality time with your dog.
The more positive time you spend together the more like it is your dog will remember and respond to you. Having fun with you can also help your dog feel more confident and happy. Consider putting aside time each day to play a game, have a quick positive, training session or even just cuddle up together and relax.

Don’t put anyone at risk.
Dogs with cognitive dysfunction can act unpredictably - and this can include aggression, even if they’ve always been friendly before. If you notice your dog becoming nervous in certain places, or around certain people, try to remove them from the situation as quickly as possible. Never force them into a situation if they seem scared or confused- this could be dangerous for them and for you. It’s also even more important that children are never alone with a dog with cognitive dysfunction.

 

[P3LH]

Thank you - this is why this is such a useful place.

We do go out with him for the last toilet trip as otherwise he would just potter around sniffing things.

 

[tda]

Our oldest ones are not at that stage yet but it's coming I'm sure
Just a thought about water consumption, is your dog on dry food, and do you feed him on an evening, if so he will be drinking more overnight so more pressure on the bladder.
Just swapped my oldest onto wet food and the decrease in the amount of water he drinks is noticeable

 

[Pearlsasinger]

When we had a similar problem, we put puppy pads down over night. I would put them in the same place each time for yours, so that he can find them easily. Ours was a symptom of a specific illness and didn't last but in your position I would assess whether the lack of cleanliness is upsetting the formerly clean dog.

 

[Marnie]

I am giving one of my old dogs something called Activait as she was showing some signs of senility - she can't go as long at night without needing to pee, although does come and tell me that she wants to go out, it just depends if I actually wake up or not. She can still find her way around but she is more wobbly and can be easily knocked over, she also is more around my feet than before. The Activait seems to have helped and certainly things haven't got any worse. She is 15 1/2 so she is actually doing pretty well all things considered. It may be worth looking at the Activait though.

 

[MissTyc]

My old girl was put on vivitonin but her main symptom of age-related decline was that she became incontinent - either she couldn't control or she just didn't care. I put vet bedding down under her blankets so she was always comfortable. The vivitonin helped a little bit and she seemed to make better decisions, but she did continue to make puddles. She never did a poo in the house, but she wee'd a lot and she checked for cushings, diabetes, etc, but it just seemed to be age,.

 

[BBP]

Can you do a middle of the night garden trip like you would when you have a new puppy? I know it’s different as puppy’s grow out of it so the tiredness is easier to cope with.

 

[Clodagh]

Vet and I have concluded mine has doggy dementia. He's 12. I make sure he pees before bed (I watch him, otherwise he goes outside and forgets) and then I put down layers of Daily Mail as provided by my neighbour, and he uses that to pee on so at least it's easier to clean up. And then it's a case of a lot of Flash.

And at least the Daily Mail is good for something ?

 

[Rowreach]

And at least the Daily Mail is good for something ?

I live in total fear that visitors and/or the bin men will think I buy it

 

[misst]

Sounds just like my old girl was. She was 13 and a JRT. Cataracts and deafness did not help but she started having accidents. She was checked out for UTIs etc but everything was fine. She would go into the garden wander aimlessly and then come in and pee on the mat. She only wee'd in the house luckily never poo. She genuinely did not seem to know what she was doing. It progressed over about 9 months until it was more than just first thing in the morning and she had disengaged from everything and was very "blank". She was PTS at home later that year. We minimised accidents by taking her out regularly and making sure she wee'd when she went out rather than wandering about but in the end it was a lost cause. I didn't have her PTS because of the weeing but because she was detached and odd and started to seem a little distressed for no obvious reason at times. Broke my heart but it was the right thing for her. I hope your dog does better x

 

[FinnishLapphund]

If nothing of what has already been suggested helps, and if they have nappies in his weight range, that could also had been an option if he had been a bitch. But with nappies and the location of male dog's genitalia, it usually isn't as easy as just cut a hole for the tail, and put it on over night.
However, I have heard of dog owners using some type of belly wrap/band to keep a nappy in the right location for it to work also on a male dog with urine incontinence problems. Googled, and found this YouTube video:

If you're handy, there's descriptions online for making a homemade either sewn or knitted belly wrap yourself, e.g. on this page https://www.dailypuppy.com/make-belly-band-male-dog-1413.html


Another alternative is perhaps to get some waterproof matress covers for humans, and put one over his bedding. In the morning you take it off, put on the next one, and the used one goes in the washer. E.g. IKEA have this waterproof mattress cover https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/grusnarv-waterproof-mattress-protector-60462093/

 

[FinnishLapphund]

By the way, I just realised I forgot to mention that if you serve dry food, it could be worth soaking it in water first, before serving it. Or as Tda mentioned, maybe try swapping the dry food (or raw if that's what you feed) to wet food.
If you serve several meals, maybe swap to wet food in the evening.
It could perhaps also be worth looking over when during the day you serve him food, and how much per portion. Maybe there's something you could do there, which helps.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

We used the belly wrap right at the end with Brig. He started to wee because he was finding it hard to get up and I’d say 100% had dementia. He was 15, still running round the park but very confused one day. We made the decision to pts when he just stood in the park and looked lost.

If the dog’s quality of life is still good and it’s just the wee and he’s not distressed at soiling himself, then if you can deal with the cleaning (you seem like a lovely owner) carry on.

 

[Redders]

You could ask your vet about a medication called Propalin. Works for many, not all. Ideally rule out medical causes first. I see a good response generally

 

[buffy2]

Hi ,my dachound has a incontinence problem he's 15 , so the last 2 years he wears dog nappies it's been a game changer ?

 

[P3LH]

Well we’ve done ok with urine related accidents since I posted, but have had a couple of the other. Have given him his dramatic summer personal trim to try and help.

I am now starting to wonder if things are just starting to stop working and it may be a bit of a beginning of a slippery slope situation sadly.

He’s happy enough today, albeit embarrassed by his 1970s school haircut I’m sure, so that’s enough for today. Tomorrow, the day after, the day after, we’ll take as they come.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

{{{Hugs}}}, and thanks for the update.

If it is the slippery slope, then my Beata is also living on borrowed time. But she galloped out in the garden this morning as usual, and is happy and perky, so I try to just be happy over that she is here today, and deal with whatever happens tomorrow, tomorrow.
But I fail sometimes. And then stupid thoughts pops up in my head, like e.g. This could be the last time I walk here with both Beata and Blomma. Is this the last time she eats this type of treat?

Then I have to remind myself that they don't care about such things. That it's here and now that matters.

More {{{Hugs}}}