Advice for my old dog

[ken_79-fj40]

I've got a nearly 14 year old english bulldog/pit bull mix. He's been a great dog but he's now very obviously old. He was crate trained as a puppy and up until about a year ago he always slept in his crate at night. Then he started thrashing around wildly and whining in his crate. So for a while we let him sleep on the couch. But he would then pace around all night, driving us nuts. So we started having him sleep in the laundry room. The first few nights he tried to chew his way out, so the door and moldings are now trashed. But since then he's been good about it as long as I get him outside by 6:45 or so in the morning. Over the past 6-8 months he's been having a lot of accidents in the house. When we got him both my wife and I worked close by and we could walk him midday. That's no longer the case and neither of us are close enough to do that. I'm an hour away now. Lately he's been doing OK with not peeing in the house, but tonight is the first night in about 2 weeks there wasn't a nice fresh poop by the front door. Having someone walk him midday isn't an option. He is NOT good with strangers. Like try to eat them not good. I have some relatives reasonably close by that he knows, but he's too strong for them to walk him if he see's something and get's excited. One of my friends suggested trying only feeding him at night. Right now I feed him a cup in the morning, and another when I get home. If I can't figure out a way to keep him from having accidents I think my wife is going to take him for one last ride to the vet when I'm out someday. Although old and now a little slower moving and sometimes grumpy He's still a happy pooch overall so I hate to let that happen but my wife's patience is wearing thin. What says mud?

 

[ken_79-fj40]

This is him a couple years back out on one of my favorite local trails.

and about a year ago crashed out on the couch.

 

[JayMilla]

Trim his nails and put him back in the crate.
The laundry room is big enough that he can s*** and not have to lay in it.

 

[Mxndrnks]

All I can provide is good luck. I have to put my best friend down tomorrow..... It sucks!

 

[WyoCruiser]

OP, We have had lots of dogs. All of the them were rescues and we still do fostering for a breed rescue. We empathize with you and wish your family the best. It's never gets any easier seeing a buddy not doing well. Take your friend to the vet and have him checked out regarding his accidents and general health. From our experience, even though we may think we know what is wrong, a vet visit is good to rule out changes that may be caused by disease or some other hidden cause. Our vet has been very helpful in ruling out causes of problems, helping us find solutions and, at minimum, giving us a good base to start from in trying to help our dogs live out their lives in comfort with their tails wagging.

Mxndrnks, Sorry to read about your friend.

 

[B.C. Hoshall]

Saw your post and just have to say, " Old Dogs Rock ". We do what we can to repay them for all the times they have saved our butts (even when we didn't realize the person they were trying to eat was a scumbag). I think anyone who has taken the time to reply has certainly been there. Talk to your vet, follow your heart and peace be upon you and your old friend.

 

[patride71]

WyoCruiser has the best first step.

Make sure there is not an underlying problem first.

If not, then you might be dealing with an aging dog that has some obvious incontinence issues and maybe onset of dementia (just a shot in the dark). That would be worst case and then you are back to having a tough decision on your hands. If the quality of life for the dog and for you and your family is suffering, then you probably have the answer (albeit a tough one) as to what you need to do.

I've been there, not with one of my dogs, but with a few cats, and its one of the toughest things I've ever had to do.

Here's to hoping the best for you and your dog.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Thanks for the replies. He's going to the vet soon for some routine shots and a checkup. Last year when this started I had some blood work done on him that all came back perfectly normal. And the vet said physically he's in better shape than some dogs he sees half his age. But my vet thinks that he has cushings disease. When this first started he was peeing in the house constantly. My hoover steamvac has paid for itself many times over. I couldn't afford for the vet to do the rest of the tests to confirm cushings, nor could I afford the treatment. But I did start giving him cushex drops daily a year ago and he has improved remarkably since then. I started the feeding him only in the morning too, and it worked yesterday. Hopefully that continues. If not I may have to make that tough decision.

 

[patride71]

We don't feed the dogs until the evening if we are not home. This is early enough for them to digest and go before bedtime. Plus they seem to do fine and keep weight on etc. That helps with accidents. Just a thought.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

my old aussie did something similar

My ex wife and i were together at the time.

When it was nice/warm outside i would put him in the dog pen outside. about 12x12.

If it was cold/rainy i would keep him in the house in the kitchen/living room area. We both left for work/school about 730am but she would be home by 4 to let him out.

When we divorced it was about 6 before i could let him out but he did fine.

A few months go by and he had started scratching the doors to go out. He coudln't hold it as long due to older age. I feel the same way some mornings when i wake up before the alarm and dont want to go pee until i get more sleep before the alarm goes off.

So i put a heater in the dog house outside so he could still be warm even on colder days and i also put up a huge canopy to keep him dry as well as tarps around the pen to keep rain off even if the wind were to pick up.

A few years later he started having accidents at night. If i didn't get him up before 7am he would poop or pee while trying to stand.

The poor old guy was just getting old. The new wife hated him but he had been my buddy so long i took lots of yelling/cursing to keep him sleeping inside where he belonged.

He had authritis (spelling) and i guess the strain trying to get those achy old legs moving in the morning was enough to cause accidents.

He was proably 10+ when this happened.

get him checked out.

My old boy was losing muscle/heart failing when this all started happening. Vet told me to make an unbiast opnion when his quality of living dropped to much (me having to carry him from the house to the yard and back in. also having to carry food to him)

They did lots of tests so think positive that it's something that can be taken care of so you'll have some more time left with your buddy!!!

Old dogs are the best dogs!

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Well the feeding him only at night is working for the pooping in the house. Although yesterday he did pee on the floor at some point. But he had a full water bowl when we left in the morning which we usually don't leave for him. One of the symptoms of cushings is they will drink whatever you leave for them, then they obviously have to go before long. I leave him water every day, just not a full bowl. He'll be going to the vet in a couple weeks for a checkup too. But it's looking good.

 

[patride71]

Well the feeding him only at night is working for the pooping in the house. Although yesterday he did pee on the floor at some point. But he had a full water bowl when we left in the morning which we usually don't leave for him. One of the symptoms of cushings is they will drink whatever you leave for them, then they obviously have to go before long. I leave him water every day, just not a full bowl. He'll be going to the vet in a couple weeks for a checkup too. But it's looking good.

Right on! Glad to hear things have improved.

Hope things go well at the vet.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Dog door and a fenced yard? I've known of a couple of older male dogs that nearly died, they were so trained to not go in the house. My house has 4 dog doors in it. All separate fenced areas. Old dogs and old people gotta get up in the middle of the night to go.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Well I'm happy to report he's been doing pretty good. But the last week has been rough. My PITA mother in law was here all week after shoulder surgery and it really messed with the dog. She was occupying the couch he usually sleeps on during the day, she couldn't walk him but he probably thought she could, stayed up half the night with the TV on etc. Had a few accidents during the day, whining half the night because he knew she was up, etc. She left an hour ago and he's finally stopped pacing around the house and crashed out on the floor. Hopefully he'll be fine from here on in. I had a long talk with a friend who's had a number of dogs and had to put a few down. He said his dogs always let him know when they were ready to be done. From what he said my old pooch isn't nearly there yet. He's still got quite a few cruiser rides in him for sure. He just needs a little help getting in and out now.

 

[rusty_tlc]

If he starts having problems again you might consider puppy training pads. Just a thought but if you give him a place inside that is OKAY to relieve himself in it might make life easier for both of you.

 

[bkfj40]

I'd put the mother in law down and then the dog could get some rest

My 15 year old lab get carried up and down the steps at home and at the office. She can't make it at home by herself, so she gets to go to work everyday....she is sleep right here next to my desk. One of the perks of owning your own business I guess....

When they don't get up to go to the bathroom and don't want to eat anything...then it is time to start thinking of a happier place.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I'd put the mother in law down and then the dog could get some rest

My 15 year old lab get carried up and down the steps at home and at the office. She can't make it at home by herself, so she gets to go to work everyday....she is sleep right here next to my desk. One of the perks of owning your own business I guess....

When they don't get up to go to the bathroom and don't want to eat anything...then it is time to start thinking of a happier place.

Wives get funny about stuff like that.

I've always know when it was time for my dogs, they look at you and let you know.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Apparently my vet is quite busy. I put off making an appointment because I've been so swamped at work and now they are telling me they can't get him in until the first week of June. He's been thrown for another loop though. We fixed the trim and the door in the laundry room so he's been loose in the house at night. He wanders a bit and comes sniffing at the bedroom door a few times a night. So I get up and let him out. But I've had to clean up quite a bit of poop over the last few weeks as a result. I found him one morning asleep with his butt hanging off the edge of the couch and there was a pile of poop on the floor directly under it. That worried me a bit. My wife is calling for termination again but he's still happy and eating and getting around OK. She's probably right as this is seriously unsanitary especially with a 5 year old in the house but I just don't think it's his time yet.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Otis is no longer with us. He had stopped eating regularly a few days ago and last night I noticed he was drooling blood. Upon closer inspection he had what looked to be a good sized abscess on his jaw. So I called in to work and made an appointment to see the vet. As soon as he saw it and smelled it he said it was a large tumor and that unfortunately he didn't think he would make it even if he tried to remove it. And he told me that he looked to be in pain, which I knew but didn't want to face. So I made the toughest decision ever and sat with him as they gave him the shot. He's gone to a better place after 14 years and 4 months of being with us. But my 6 year old is crushed. Might have to get her the kitten she's been after for a while now.

 

[IanB]

Very sorry to hear that, but it sounds like it was his time. I've had to put down a cat last year, and it was so hard, I know what you're going through.