Hi Lab lovers, can anyone help me please. Molly our 3 yr old recue lab started off with a 'pee' problem, anywhere, anytime,but laways in the house, we seem to have overcome this but now have an even worse 'pooh' problem. Everynight for the last 2 weeks she has soiled in the kitchen overnight, we have tried to fence off a den area in a part of the kitchen but she manages to break through, in desperation we resorted to a crate in the belief that a dog won't soil its own bed, that worked for 1 night, no mess in the crate and we let her into the garden first thing in the morning. On the second night we discovered that not only had she soiled in the crate on her bedding but was actually lieing in the mess. We let her into the garden whilst we started the clean up, within minutes of her coming back into the kitchen she had soiled again. We are at a loss as to what to do with her, we have tried feeding her in the morning only, we let her out before we go to bed, we have another lab who doesn't have any problems. I've made an appointment to see our vet tomorrow to try and eliminate illness, she seems to be perfectly healthy, very energetic and apparently happy. She is excessively hungry, she stole a raw cauliflower and started to eat it a few days ago. I would really appreciate any advise. Rgds Sue C
Re: Bed soiling Poor you, what a difficult time you are having. Soiling problems can occur for a number of reasons, and they are always miserable to deal with. Obviously tummy upsets can cause problems, but sometimes an older dog with apparently healthy bowels soils its bed. Sometimes this can be due to anxiety or stress. Sometimes it can be due to a physical problem. Occasionally an older dog has been forced to soil himself so often (by being shut in too long) that he loses the instinct to keep himself clean. With rescue dogs, it can be difficult to find out what kind of history the dog has, so you are often left to simply treat the symptoms. The visit to a vet is a good idea and hopefully he will reassure you. The only practical solution in the meanwhile, is to shorten the dog's night time confinement to a point where she can manage to stay clean. This is frustrating for you but it is worth it, as every 'accident' makes future accidents more likely. How long is she shut in for at night, at the moment? And is it possible that there is something disturbing her during the night?
Re: Bed soiling She is shut in at night for about 8 hrs I don't think anything disturbs her because she responds to most noise by barking and is very quiet at night. I hoped that using the crate might break the pattern of night soiling, we've had her now for about 2 months and thought that we had mostly resolved her 'issues' but then about 2 weeks ago she started to soil at night. I can't think of any explanation for the change in behaviour, my only thought now is that maybe she has something wrong with her, hence my visit to the vet. I wondered if starving her for 24 hrs as you sometimes do with a human tummy bug might be worth a try?
Re: Bed soiling Hi sue Poor molly. Does she have diarrhea ? If yes then starving her for 24 hrs may help although some vets say starve some don't because the new theory is they need food to help the bug or whetever pass through the system and also to help restore the gut. If she has had an upset tummy for 2 weeks veterinary advice is definitely needed. If she doesn't have an upset tummy then I don't think starving will help. The vet will be able to give you advice about that. My old dog had a similar problem but that was when he was very old and didn't have control of muscles like he should. The vet will check everything. If it isnt something physical i would think anxiety or stress is most likely given she is a rescue. Do you know much about her history. Is the crate in the same place as her original bed maybe something bothers her in the night that she can hear or see from there. Perhaps moving the crate might help. It's just a thought it's difficult to work out what bothers them, sometimes it's something we wouldn't even think about. I hope you get it sorted soon. Jen Ps. I'm clutching at straws it's just a thought but what was she like with fireworks ? If it started 2 weeks ago was it around bonfire night?
Re: Bed soiling I can't add anything I'm afraid. I'm sure this is probably quite distressing for you. I really hope you and Molly get sorted soon, all the very best!
Re: Bed soiling Just back from the vet, no urine infection, pooh being analysed. We have been prescribed worming powder, antibiotics an adaptil collar and a diet of rice and chicken. Molly weighs 23kilo how much cooked weight of rice and chicken should she have? Must admit I'm reeling from the £220 vet bill and then managed to get a £25 parking ticket when I went to stock up on rice and chicken. Any advice much appreciated, I'm worried about any effect this may all be having on my other (non problematic)dog, Floss.
