Is this bed cruel for the dog?

[HopingSomeoneIsAwake]

I have a 9 month old dog who is perfectly house trained and has been for months. The last week or so he has suddenly started pooing in his bed overnight (he is crated because he was when I first got him and it suits him and us too for safety reasons - young children in the house etc). He can be quite anxious at times however he has started new medication (steroids) so that could be the culprit of upsetting his stomach. I know it’s not his fault but it’s actually starting to get me quite down having to do a full load of washing of his bed things every morning to then have to repeat it the day after - would it be cruel for me to take away the bedding in his crate until his stomach issues have resolved? He has never used puppy pads (went straight into the garden when toilet training) and I wouldn’t trust him not to chew them overnight anyway. He has the vets tomorrow and they are going to give him some stomach protection medications so hopefully that helps!

Cover the bed in a bin bag or a waterproof mattress protector eg
amzn.to/3HHfS7g

They are cheap, if you get two then you won’t have to rush to get it dry for the same day.

Put a quick drying fleece blanket on top. Or not if you’ve used the mattress protector.

Yes, you have to do a quick wash in the morning.

I don’t have a problem with crating in certain circumstances, and it is acceptable at night, but there must be some compromise on bedding.

dog bed in a bin bag to protect it with an animal blanket over the top. They are so easy to wash and come out almost dry.

Oh yes because I’m definitely a horrible abusive monster who needs to get rid of their dog right now because of bedding 😂🤣 MN answer to everything unless you let your dog rule the house, eat whenever it wants, poo wherever it wants and god forbid if you ever use a lead on it 🤣

Ha ha exactly same thoughts as poster above me.

Thank you for all of the helpful answers I’ll look into getting some of the products mentioned today! X

Also all these people who are telling me I’m such a bad dog owner can I please bring him to your house until his stomach is settled so you can do washing every single morning instead of me 😁

You said upthread “It’s closed at night and when I’m out”.

Yes when I have to pop out to do grocery shopping or for appointments, an hour at max once a week… terrible aren’t I

Does he cry to be let out before he poos in the crate?

No doesn’t make a sound, and I sleep right next door with both doors open so I definitely would hear him

That’s just your opinion, crating dogs does have its benefits including safety at a young age when they are left unsupervised and getting into things that they shouldn’t be, I don’t think it’s any of your business if people crate their dogs or not and vets aren’t exactly against it and neither are the big and well known animal rescue centres so I’m guessing you are more qualified then them are you?

I think mistreatment of animals is everyone's business, tbh, and that you're very rude.

If dogs are "getting into things they shouldn't be", it's the owner's fault for leaving such things where dogs can reach them. Vets and animal rescue centres are a completely different question, they have multiple dogs, who aren't part of the same "pack", who are often ill, or have aggression or other behavioural issues. The containment of dogs in such circumstances is essential for their welfare.

Get some vetbed fleece. It washes like a dream and dries in minutes, it's comfy for them to lie on and warm. You can buy it online, and some companies sell offcuts that are cheap as chips.

It is very distressing for a dog to be constrained in such a way that it has to foul its sleeping area. When my dogs were ill, they slept in my bedroom, so that they could wake me when they needed to go out. And the two that I had from puppies were crate trained, because they travelled in crates in the car, but were never shut in their crates after about 16 weeks old.

Crating a dog is not mistreatment thank you very much, get a grip seriously. And I said that vets and rescue centres advise you on how to crate dogs - they don’t turn around and say that’s terrible do they? And unfortunately my dog doesn’t sleep in my bedroom because I have young children sleeping in with me, or am I mistreating him now because I don’t want to leave a dog and young children unsupervised? Or should I be a terrible mother instead and put the dog’s needs in front of theirs?

I feel for you, our first dog wet/ soiled his bed most night for ages when he was a puppy. I think I would have something in there, even if a padded plastic mat you could wipe clean so he is not sleeping on hard cold plastic. The other thing that might help is getting up and letting him out at night for the toilet. Dogs hate going to the toilet where they sleep (which is why most cry to get let out), so it can't be nice for him.

I doubt you’re a cruel owner or you wouldn’t be on here asking questions but overall I wish locking in crates wasn’t seen as such a normal thing to do to a live creature in its own home.

Your vet will have disposable pads, with one side absorbent material and plastic backing. They’re the same as incontinence pads people use. You can almost certainly buy some. Vets use them all the time because the animals they hospitalise often need disposable pads. If you buy some vet bed, you can use the disposable pad on top. Even if the vet bed gets dirty, they wish out easily and are almost instantly dry after being spun. Obviously this is a problem your vet will have a great deal of experience of.

I think people think it's pretty mean to let him lie in his own shit all night every night. Which it is.

My dogs don't have beds in their crates, they sleep on the plastic surface. It ks their preference! The boys used to dig under their bed, you'd find them under neath it in the morning. Much happier without bedding in.

I would put newspaper down.

Are you removing the bedding because it is being chewed or because your dog is toileting in the crate?

One of them who no longer sleeps in a crate chooses to sleep on a cold tiled floor between garage and kitchen. Cold!

This is why crates are cruel. Dogs shouldn't have to sleep in their own shit to make life easier for humans. And taking his blankets away would be horrible. Don't have a dog if you can't cope with the inconvenience when they're ill. They are living things, not cuddly toys.

What age do you plan to stop closing the cage door.? You can't lock a adult dog up at night , it really isn't fair.

They are a training method. Cages with doors open are fine as dog sees it as his bed. But closing him in all night needs to really stop soon.

Don't remove his bedding but put an old towel over it, and take him out in the middle of the night so he's not sleeping near his own poo.

Yes it would be cruel to remove all of his bedding OP. You know it would.

Imagine if you were being forced to sleep on a cold hard floor because you had loose bowels?

How often is he pooing in the night? I'd get him to go out in the garden at say 10pm, 2am and 6am.

As soon as he settles overnight out of his crate. If he is out of his crate and he knows I am sleeping next door in the bedroom he won’t settle and won’t sleep, he just paces all night wanting to come in with me which isn’t happening because I co sleep with younger children and don’t like the thought of something potentially going wrong whilst I’m sleeping

Your dog is poorly...and you want to take his comfy bed away. How would you feel if that was done to you?

Just wash the bed...presumable you are not having to hand wash it in a river that’s a 10 mile walk from your house.

Poor dog.