older dog peeing in the house

[April2]

My dog peed in our house twice today. I was surprised because he'll usually bark at me and go to the door to go outside. I'm wondering if this is a sign of old age? They did think he might have Cushings awhile back but he's been acting so great since then I had wondered if they had misdiagnosed him. Could it be from the Cushings or old age? He's a maltese mix and he's 12.
I just don't get why he didn't "tell" me that he needed to go. I did clean the area well and sprayed the Nature's Miracle on the spots. But I just don't get it. He always lets me know when he needs to go outside. He whined at me real early this morning (4:45am) to go out and I let him out. He got a drink of water and then went back to bed with me. I figured he'd be good until 7am when I would get up but when I got up at 7am there was a wet spot right next to our bedroom door. It had only been 2 hours since he'd been out last. This evening he peed again in the dining room but never went to the door and barked. I'm just surprised by this. He's always been potty trained real well. I used to even work a few years ago and could leave him in the house all day and he woudn't have an accident. Why all of a sudden today? Any thoughts?

[ginger899]

pleasehelpwithjack,
You have posted on a very very old thread. These get little attention usually. You would be better off attracting attention with your question on a whole new post!

Never mind....
OK has the vet tested his bloodwork thoroughly? To look for elevations in CREATININE, BLOOD UREA NITROGEN, and PHOSPHORUS?
Any elevations in these mean that Jack could have very early-stage kidney failure. It is not the end of the world. If that is discovered, and caught at its very early stages, a drastic diet change (vet will advise) and possible prescription medicine (often Benazepril) will help keep him well -sometimes for a long time.

Diabetes would usually show up pretty clearly in the blood work.

Also get Jack tested for Cushing's.

There is also a possibility Jack could have problems with his Prostate gland. Get the vet to check this.

[pleasehelpwithjack]

I have a 13 yr old jack and am looking for advice. First, just for background, I had to sneak him into my townhouse because I am only allowed 2 dogs and.I have 3. (Since Jack is over the weight limit, he is the one we "snuck" in.) Also, I had thought I had found a home for jack before I moved-which was hard but was the best choice of the 3 since jack is "everyone's dog". That didn't work out, in part because I started having concerns about his health..and who would want to deal with that besides his family?
I had health concerns about Jack since he was urinating in the house and in his bed.  He never had potty problems before.
I spoke to my vet about his issues, as well as about my own. I am a single mom, recently unemployed and was hoping for some help (payment plan, discount or something) from the vet since I have spent thousands of dollars throughout the years at his practice.  He was not very helpful with that, nor with determining Jack's problem. After $300 worth of tests and meds, jack is now back to peeing in house more than ever.(Peeing had decreased somewhat with antibiotics but did not stop.) vet had said all organ functions were fine, he thought it was a bladder infection.
I believe that jack has diabetes or worse since he drinks constantly and pees a lot- sometimes every hour. He also has what I (and the vet) think are lipomas. He doesn't want to walk up the stairs either. Otherwise his temperament seems ok. He did growl at a dog the other day and then also threatened to bite me (twice) when I tried to move his plate while he was eating. He has never been aggressive to other dogs, and I have always been able to take things right out of his mouth, so this is VERY out of character.
So my main problem is what to do with Jack. I committed to taking care of this dog as part of my family when I brought him in 13 years ago, but now I am in a very different situation. I have had to move twice since my divorce, having to pay more to find places that will take dogs. Now I have no job and a child that depends on me, as well as the other 2 pups. I can't afford to have more tests, but even if I did do that, how could I afford the treatment? If I take him to a shelter they would just put him down because of his age, not to mention how sad it would make him (and us of course). I am at a loss as to what to do. Any thoughts would be appreciated... :(

[Tazzey]

We have owned five dogs.  three have died from heart conditions.  Our last dog died two months ago, unexpectedly.  We too have an older dog that is going blind and now peeing and pooping without letting us know what is going on.  The other dog has an enlarged heart and kidney problems.  After watching my husband insert a line into our first dog's blood stream for nourishment, feeding him with constant medicines and trying to keep him alive. I'm under the firm belief that when a dog doesn't have any quality of life... then do the right thing...don't let him suffer.  I'm not telling you that the right decision is to put him down now, but only you can know if your dog's quality of life has become such a problem for him that he suffers intensely!  Also, the one thing we noticed was that each dog knew their life was soon to be over.  You see most animals have a tendency to hide.  At least that was our experience!  They would go away from us and find places of comfort while dealing with death.  I'm still in mourning for the lost of our last dog.  However, we have let him go and he is in a better place now.  If you feel that any of this helps...well I hope it does.  As a caring animal lover...it's hard to make any decision when your beloved animal gets sick....I will pray for your decision and hope things will work out for the best.  As for our family...we are now in the process of adopting a new dog that needs a home and help.  Take Care and good luck!

[lindapalm]

I would have her tested for Cushings, at least then you will be sure.  Was she tested for a  urinary infection?  Our older dog was peeing a lot more, and had to be put on antibiotics.

[pollinom]

My 15 year old jack Russell just started peeing in the house. We just moved into a small apartment with a carpet and she is peeing at least 6-7 times a day! This NEVER HAPPENS...I took her to a vet and she said she was fine..and MAY have cushings....I work part time and my partner is unemployed and cannot afford to do surgery or any major meds. But she doesn;t have any hair loss or bloated appearance- her appetite is ferocious though and she pants a lot! I just ordered cushex- drops and we've been using them for a couple of days but still no luck, i adore my little Lucy and want to help her but not sure what to do! any advice would be appreciated!
Michelle

[butchibear64]

I have a 14 year old Beagle "Chester".  Chester has always been potty trained. I am owner number 3.   Apparently the previous owners gave up on him, for various reasons?  My dog does have behavioral issues.  He does not want to share any attention with another dog what so ever! We do have a small Australian terrier mix who is 2.5 years old.   Sweet and a handful at times.   The Beagle tolerates him "Wally".  But since we got Wally, now Chester mostly Pees in the house, sometimes Poo's too.  The vet said he may have cushings disease because of his extended belly.   He has always had a extended belly.  I get up at 5:00am and walk him around the block, then my partner wakes up around 7:00 a.m. only to find that he has peed in the house????  We have taken both dogs for a walk, and then left for an hour or so,  Only to find that Chester has peed & pooped right next to Wally's kennel?   Is that a statement or what?  I just got a phone call from home that the dogs were left alone for 1.5 hours, so Chester has peed again.  I do not know what to do!!!!!!  My frustration is going over the top.   I know he's getting old,  but to come home daily only to find him doing this?    Any thoughts?

[Mariannnn]

We have Rosie a 15 year old rescue *****, possibly shitzu, tibetan terrier cross.
Is a lovely tempered, clean, pretty little girl.
Suddenly we come down every morning to a kitchen full of urine. Never done this before.
Sometimes poo also.

Fit as a fiddle, happy, lively, alert in all other ways.
We cant afford to spend a fortune on vets. had her checked 6 months ago whilst having booster injections and she was fine, Any suggestions??

[3DogNight804]

I've been battling a poo/peeing Cavalier King Charles' for two years and NOTHING worked--took him to the vet, no problems, cleaned with Nature's Miracle (and when I ran out of money for that white vinegar...which i highly recommend, actually), hired a dogwalker to get him out more frequently. No luck. Then the most recent salmonella scare happened and the owner of my local pet store (Fin & Feather in Ashland, I'm happy to give him a plug!) was out of Canidae. He suggested Verus Canine because it's made in Ohio to really high standards. Because I was totally out of Canidae and couldn't make a gradual change, he suggested I break up my dogs' feeding schedule so I fed them less more often. Now, I don't know if it's the fact that I'm now feeding them the Verus Advanced Opticoat or the fact that they're only getting 1/4 cup 4times a day instead of 1/2 cup twice a day, but we're going into week 3 of no poo, no pee and no puking! I've been afraid to "love out loud" about this, but it has totally changed my life.
The no pooping makes more sense as the result of less food at one time, but not the no peeing. I'm leaning toward believing the dog food made a difference with the marking...unless Canidae was stressing his kidneys? Anyway. You might try smaller meals first and if that doesn't work smaller meals with Verus! Good luck--I know how stressful this can be!

[kittyhawkgrl]

I have an 11 year Mastiff and she is peeing and pooping in the house...she has NO idea she is doing it. She weighs 150 so she pees a lot!!!! I just don't know what to do!!

[April2]

missparky, yes, I found out my dog had Cushings. He lost the battle and died almost one year ago next week.
It does sound like your dog has Cushings. I'd get him tested. My prayers are with you and Sparky.

[lindapalm]

Our dog had the same sypmtoms yours is having, and she was diagnosed with Cushings.  She was put on estrogen pills because she would pee on herself in her sleep, they helped a little, but she continued to have more symptoms.  They later diagnose her with Cushings.  I  would have your dog tested.

[misssparky]

I know this thread isn't active, but my dog Sparky is going through similar issues. I just wanted to know how your pup is doing. Sparky has diarrhea and pees himself every morning for the past 3 days. He's old and they recently (3 months ago) told me he had elevated toxins in his liver. I am giving him .9% Sodium Chloride via IV once a week to prevent further damage. But now he's peeing himself. Tons and tons of clear pee all over him when I get up to take him outside. And his stools aren't easy. He'll have diarrhea and try to poop again and again and again when he's outside.

The other issue is his legs. He can't get up by himself anymore. He had a TPLO last year, but it should be healed by now. And it's just worse. He's on a few pills, mostly arthritis and bone cartilage stuff, but I'm thinking he might need to get on something else.

Do you think he has Cushings?

[ginger899]

Hi dogone......this is a really old thread you posted on, and you may not get much response because of that. But nevermind. Here I am, instead!

Dogs' urine, as such, is not particularly toxic (not like rats' urine) Even if it contained any bacteria, say from a urinary tract infection, those bacteria would not survive long when exposed to the air.
But obviously, it IS a hygiene issue, and you could clean, and then spray with something to deodorize, which is not harmful to pets.
However, the big problem here is WHY your dog is peeing in the house. There could be a number of reasons...
1) he isn't getting enough outdoor time.
2) He has a urinary infection or some other health problem which needs to be properly assessed by a vet. Diabetes could be one of the problems, amongst other things.
3) He has a behaviour issue which needs sorting out (like 'marking' territory, etc.)
4)He hasn't been potty-trained (which I am pretty sure isn't the case here??)
5) He is drinking SO MUCH water, and not getting enough time outside to eliminate it.

[dogone]

If a dog wont stop peeing in your home besides the stains and smell i can wash that ,but does this also pose a Health  risk to human and other animals in home  ??  I Thank anyone for any Info they have :)

[lonewolf07]

When one of our cats was ill a few years ago, we were in the same situation.  Like you, we decided to not have her treated but to make sure she was not in pain.  The cat lasted two years instead of two weeks like the vet said.  This also happened with one of our dogs.

I can imagine you do hate this situation.  Vets aren't always right with their predictions as I  have learned.  Feeling loved and wanted makes a big difference to a dog's (or cat's) will to live.  I have absolutely no doubt that your dog knows how much you care and that everything you do or don't do is a result of that caring.

If posting here helps, please keep posting.  A lot of folks have been through the same thing and can offer you support.

lonewolf

[April2]

I just talked to the vet and she said that he'd have at most 18 months to live whether we try treatment or not and that the medication would probably make him violently ill since it's a chemo drug used for cancer patients. She said it's not a cure, it would just keep the tumor from growing. She said the surgery would not be advisable considering his age and health. So, I'm like "What the heck?! why would I want to give him a drug that would make him so sick if it's not even going to prolong his life anyway, or make the tumor go away?" That's just crazy. I think we're going to just choose no treatment and keep him as comfortable as we can at this point. I won't let him suffer whether he's on drugs or not. Man, I hate this. :(

[lonewolf07]

I don't want people judging you or whatever your decision is either.  It's difficult enough to make a decision about such a thing without worrying about what others will think.

At the risk of sounding really dumb, I honestly believe that our pets can communicate with us if we listen.  Between "listening" to your dog and praying, you'll make the right decision.  

Hugs and tail wags ....

lonewolf and dogs

[April2]

Just got word from the vet. It is definately Cushings. She left the message with my husband so I didn't get to talk to her yet about options. This is something we've suspected for a couple of years but he was never officially diagnosed. The vet said since he showed no symptoms before they wouldn't have treated him yet anyway. I had hoped it wasn't this. I thought maybe they made a mistake a couple of years ago since he'd been doing so well. I've been looking stuff up online about it. If he winds up needing surgery or chemo I'm not going to make him go through all of that. I read that life expectancy is 20-30 months. I don't want him to suffer, of course, but we're only going to be able to go so far financially. He's really gone down hill this last year. I thought it was just old age. He can't see so well and he struggles to get up when he's been laying for awhile and sometimes limps as if he has arthritis. It's very difficult for him to go up and down stairs. But this last week in particular he's been drinking excessively and losing control of his bladder. Poor baby, just yesterday after picking him up from the vet, he made it outside and then just let it go and was walking beside me with pee just pouring out of him. He peed all over himself and I had to give him a bath when I got home.
I'm going to talk to the vet and see what she says. Please pray I make the best decision for him. I don't want him to suffer. I want him to be as comfortable as he can in his old age but I also know that we are not going to be able to afford the medication if it's terribly expensive. And I won't put him through surgery and/or chemo at his age either. I know how hard that can be on the body. Whatever decision I make I don't want people judging me. I love this dog and want what's best for him. Whatever decision we make will be difficult, I'm sure. I would appreciate any and all support without any judging. If anyone has any information or helpful advice for me, too, I'd appreciate it. Thanks everyone. God bless.

[sunny129]

When my dog started peeing in the house I KNEW something was wrong - after many tests, xrays, and ultrasound with needle biopsy she was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer.  The vet said 6 months was the average life expectancy - She proved him wrong!!  Lived almost 3 years.   Hope your babies test prove only a UTI - but if not do not give up!  

[April2]

Ok, this is what I've got so far. He's still at the vets getting some tests run. Remember when I said they thought he had Cushings a couple of years ago? Well, they never officially diagnosed him because he was asymptomatic (did I say that right? Anyway, he had no symptoms at the time). His liver enzymes were elevated which was why they though it could be Cushings but it could have been other things too. Well, now his enzymes are like 3,000? They were a little over 1,000 a couple of years ago so they have dramatically gone up. They think it could be Cushings then and asked me if I wanted the test for it. So, I'm having them test for that plus the UTI. The first test on the UTI came back negative but they said his urine was diluted, probably because he's been drinking so much. So they're running another more accurate test, I guess. His blood sugar came back fine so it's not Diabetes. It's starting to look more and more like Cushings. I don't know what we'll do if it is. Money is real tight right now and I heard the treatments are very expensive. I pray it's not but I guess I'll take one day at a time.
I guess we'll finally find out what they've suspected the last couple of years, whether he truly does have Cushings. Sorry about the confusion but we didn't get an official diagnosis before, just that they highly suspected it since his liver enzymes were high. So, for now they will give him an antibiotic and I should get the test results back next week. This has just been an awful year with the pets. I've spent a small fortune on vet bills, first with the cats and now the dog. This has been one of our worst years financially too, of course! Ugh. Just gotta take one day at a time. That and winning the lottery would be nice! :) Can always dream!
I'll let you all know when I get the test results back. Thanks, everyone.

[peekawho]

Let me know what it is!  

You might want to put a doggie diaper on him.  Petco sells them, you just slide a diaper or a heavy duty sanitary pad in it and wrap it around your dog.  

[April2]

Can they not hold it or something when they have a UTI? Today he peed again in the living room but it came out like in a long line like he was dribbling. No blood or anything like that, thank goodness.

[April2]

Thanks Peekawho, let's hope that's all it is.

[peekawho]

With this bladder infection, Jakes only symptom was drinking excessively and peeing extremely often, sometimes lifting his leg indoors.  I was shocked when his urine culture came back with a bad infection.  

Usually when he gets a bladder infection, its obvious b/c he has blood and dribbles smelly urine.  This was totally different--just gallons of clear urine.

The vet said dogs will drink more when they have a UTI, and thus will urinate more.  

He probably needs a UA and a culture.  I hope that's all it is.  

Jake has to be evaluated for a stone, if this happens again.  Apparently, if a male dog has UTI's, there is commonly a stone present.