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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Senior dog peeing all the time

21 replies

MiddleOfThePack · 27/02/2022 20:59

13 year old fox terrier with colitis and gall stones plus small tumours on various organs. Currently on antibiotics for the infection & something to shrink the stones. He's been weeing a lot, esp in the evening when it's every 15mins or so, for quite some time.

Is there any hope that he'll stop doing this or do we have to accept the he's a geriatric.

We also have a nearly 1yr old labrador who occasionally thinks that if the old guy pees on the floor, then he can too.

And if anyone says to watch them all the time I'll scream. We have so many 'blind spots' in the house layout that watching them constantly is just impossible.

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FazedNotPhased · 27/02/2022 22:31

I'd be wondering about dementia, Cushing's, or a UTI? Definitely worth a chat with your vet, poor old thing.

FazedNotPhased · 27/02/2022 22:33

Sorry, didn't mean it to sound like I was criticising you by calling him a poor old thing just sounds like he's got a lot going on!

I've got a senior and a puppy and I know how hard the juggling can be

Sledgingdown · 27/02/2022 23:38

Does your vet know about the peeing?

AmberLynn1536 · 27/02/2022 23:43

Could be kidney failure, over production of urine is a symptom, if it is that medication and a special diet can help slow the progress though it does sound like your dog has a lot of other things to contend with poor thing.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 28/02/2022 07:15

Unfortunately many older dogs become forgetful and incontinent. I used to walk a fantastic old dog who would look you straight in the eye and just pee on the floor in front of you lol.

It can be a sign of illness - UTI or even kidney failure for example, so I would ask your vet for blood and urine tests so you know whether he's unwell or just a forgetful old boy who's struggling with his continence.

In terms of management, if you can't keep an eye on him all the time the best thing would be to restrict him to an area of the house with hard floors so if he does have accidents they're easy to clean up and aren't going to do long term damage to your carpets or furniture.

The lab will be peeing indoors due to the scent of the older dog doing it so make sure you do clean all accidents up with a proper pet enzyme cleaner to eliminate the smell.

It could also help to keep the lab in a separate room to the old boy so he can't smell the accidents, and I would go back to taking him out more frequently just to make sure his bladder is as empty as possible.

Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 28/02/2022 10:50

Sounds like we are doing all the right things I suppose. He is partially sighted, a bit deaf and yes he does seem to have dementia as he often looks a bit 'lost' & I don't have him off lead any more as he needs to know where I am.

He's got tumours on various organs that they can't do much about, so he has a lot to contend with.

On a positive note, we have laminate & tiled floors downstairs & they've never been so clean, as I'm constantly washing them!

I do refer to my dogs at times as 'the little un' (even though he's actually bigger as he's a labrador!) & 'the old geezer'! We haven't had an elderly dog before and he looks as young as ever as his colouring means he isn't grey-muzzled iyswim.

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Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 28/02/2022 10:52

Vets are treating him for UTI & the gall stones & he had pancreatitis in December when we got close to losing him, so he's a bit of a trooper really.

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fairylightsandwaxmelts · 28/02/2022 13:39

Bless his heart.

I do think this is just one of those things that comes with having elderly pets, unfortunately. Of course it's unpleasant and frustrating but they can't help it.

for you.

Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 01/03/2022 16:29

I know. Its just should estriyibg when you can't see him do it, to redirect him. If I'm working in the kitchen he'll do it behind me, if I'm on the sofa hell do it beside me. He never shows any sign apart from pacing and if he's pacing out of sight I can't see him. I'm hearing impaired so I can't even hear him pacing. I've just got home from a half day in the office & a hospital appt to find hubby sitting on the sofa with 3 pees behind him! He didn't see them either.

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Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 01/03/2022 16:30

... Soul destroying...

Honestly auto correct!

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SilverHairedCat · 01/03/2022 16:34

Honestly, we had my elderly cat put down last week for similar behaviour with a UTI that wouldn't respond to antibiotics - most of her day was spent in the litter tray / peeing in random places, and she was just exhausted. Animals getting old is so fucking awful, especially when they become unwell or disabled. Stella was totally blind, navigating the house by memory and occasionally walking into a dog. She had renal disease, raised blood pressure and a heart murmur. Her quality of life deteriorated so rapidly and there was no more treatment to offer her. 😢

Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 01/03/2022 21:43

With him it's just the peeing that's an issue. Blind, deaf and a bit demented, but happy enough in himself and runs around in the park until he gets a bit 'lost' & can't find me and the puppy. He seems fine in himself. The peeing is our issue really. Just have to get used to it.

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Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 06/03/2022 08:42

Update: old boy is currently in hospital, being fed and watered intravenously, after a horrible episode at home last week. Our local vet ran out of options and he wasn't responding to treatment.

Currently has issues with pancreas, liver, kidneys, gall bladder and spondylitis in his spine. Hospital is running more diagnostic tests, and the bill is obviously escalating.

If there's a quick fix and he can have a normal life for a length of time, it's worth it (covered by insurance but will have to pay 25% of bills) - isn't it?

When do you say enough is enough and how on earth do you cope with the feeling that you can't keep throwing money at the problem and hoping it will resolve?

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SilverHairedCat · 06/03/2022 10:27

We had the discussion about what the treatment options were. She (the cat) wasn't responding to normal treatments, and we couldn't get into trialling random treatments because her kidneys were failing. Even if they could have cured the UTI, she was still blind, falling off things so often that we were worried she'd end up badly injured, was often walking across the dogs with one occasionally baring her teeth in response so we were worried the dog might hurt her, she had a heart murmur and such high blood pressure that she must have had a headache. This was also what made her blind in the first place (retinal hemorrhage).
So then it was a quality of life question. Even if the current illness could be treated, what would their life look like after that? Where would the enjoyment come from? What happiness was left? Would they have dignity in toileting?
And the other bit no one wants to talk about but our vet wanted to discuss - the effect on us. Could we leave the cat unattended? What would happen in our absence? Would she be safe? Could we cope with maybe months of pee all over the house and the effects on furniture, carpets, beds etc? If we closed the cat into a room to reduce pee across the house, was that good enough for her? And for us?

So we made the hardest decision, but I'm certain it was the right one.

Ask yourself about every element of both your lives - home, walks/exercise, toileting, food, treats, play, sleep etc.

SirVixofVixHall · 06/03/2022 10:35

My last FT was exactly the same, spondylitis, the weeing was connected with that according to my vet, it was due to spinal nerve damage. He also had a tumour on his liver, although we didn’t realise that until he was dying, it started bleeding and he had to be euthanised. He would have died within a day anyway.
13 is the age when most Fts die, my last one was almost 14, the one before him was 12. He is reaching the end of his road but may not be quite there yet. If they can give him a little bit more time where he is having some fun still then I would carry on with treatment. If it looks as though nothing will help and/or his organs are failing, or he is miserable then it will be time to pts. I am sorry he is so unwell and I hope you get a bit more time with him.

tsmainsqueeze · 06/03/2022 10:43

@MiddleOfThePack

Update: old boy is currently in hospital, being fed and watered intravenously, after a horrible episode at home last week. Our local vet ran out of options and he wasn't responding to treatment.

Currently has issues with pancreas, liver, kidneys, gall bladder and spondylitis in his spine. Hospital is running more diagnostic tests, and the bill is obviously escalating.

If there's a quick fix and he can have a normal life for a length of time, it's worth it (covered by insurance but will have to pay 25% of bills) - isn't it?

When do you say enough is enough and how on earth do you cope with the feeling that you can't keep throwing money at the problem and hoping it will resolve?

Hello, i'm a vet nurse , if your dog were mine i would let him go . Anything a vet can do at the moment will give him borrowed time only and you will be back in the same situation again soon. Is it really fair for him to be prodded and poked in an unfamiliar environment in whatever possibly short time he has left. I would imagine he is pretty miserable with all the problems you mention . He doesn't know the difficult decisions you are agonising over and if you do choose to put him to sleep the only thing he may be aware of is the needle , most don't even feel that and i think in your boy's case he will have his canula in place anyway. The saying better a day early is so true , i am thinking of you and your dog , i know how bloody awful this time is .

Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 06/03/2022 10:57

Silverhairedcat: your comment re effect on us really resonates. We watched a film last night, for the first time in months, without having to get up every 10 minutes to let him out. I also realised that for the last year I've been getting up to wash floors and bedding every single day but the last 2 mornings there's been no mess. Our labrador puppy just doesn't do anything inside the house (in the recent past he has peed where the old boy has had an accident, but nothing while he's been in hospital or at the regular vet).

The last few months have been really stressful between me & DH too as even when we are wfh, we have to watch him like a hawk.

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Original poster

MiddleOfThePack · 06/03/2022 11:03

35SirVixofVixHall & 43tsmainsqueeze: thanks for your comments too. It's really hard to weigh everything up.

We also have 3 adult DSs, 2 still living with us, so we need to discuss with them too. 2 boys are currently away and we haven't told them anything about this episode yet. (One's on holiday and the other is at uni.).

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SilverHairedCat · 06/03/2022 11:05

I think it's huge. None of us want to admit the hard part of living with elderly or ill pets. It's not about whether it's fair on is really, and yet it's a huge part. The cost of replacing spoiled items is huge let alone the time required to clean up etc.

TBH, from what you've written I think you're moving towards is letting him go, and I think it's probably the kindest thing to do unless there's a miracles cure.

RedHelenB · 11/03/2022 17:13

Would it not be kinder to put him to sleep? He doesn't seem very happy. I couldn't bear to let my first pet not, but by keeping her alive for a year or so it was for me not her. Since then, tumours, blindness, dementia I'd like them go.

RedHelenB · 11/03/2022 17:14

Let not like.

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