Old dog pooing in house everyday

[Whitevase]

I'm struggling to cope with this now. It's been almost everyday recently, no underlying condition other than arthritis which she's on meds for.
She gets let out very often and goes on walks but it makes no difference, she's pooing in the house regardless. Today I've come home and she's covered the sofa with poo. I'm just struggling to cope anymore.

She's around 11-12 years gold retriever rescue.
What can I do?

Have you been to the vets or seeked ant professional advice?

What have the vets said?

Have there been any new people / things in the house recently? I had a dog that pooed on the guest bed when guests arrived 😳

Vet has an injection that can help

Our dog had a few accidents just before it became apparent she had massive cancers and had to be put to sleep. 😞

11-12 is a very good age for a Golden - it’s likely just old age or, as PP said, cancer.

You should see a vet, but it may well be that there is nothing to do except palliative care. Really sorry.

No changes in the house. Vets have just said it's arthritis because she's in so much pain in her legs she's just going wherever & whenever she wants

Aw. She must be so distressed. Time for the hard thing op? Big hugs.

If she’s in that much pain, then I’m really sorry but you should PTS. It’s cruel to keep her alive.

Sorry, I’m sure it’s not what you want to hear.

What pain and arthritis meds is she on?
how many times a day does she poo, what times do you feed her? Is there a pattern?
what dog food is she on?

Sorry but it sounds like her pain medication is inadequate.

Sounds more like this OP than arthritis

vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/degenerative-myelopathy-in-dogs

My dog had it, basically they can't feel when they need to go to the loo. There's no cure for it, it's just an old age thing. Eventually they go off their legs - our dog started with the random pooping and I cleaned up after her for about 6-8 months as the rest of her quality of life was pretty good. Sadly she started falling over and I had to make the decision to pts.

@GildedRage

What pain and arthritis meds is she on?
She's on rhuemocam
how many times a day does she poo, what times do you feed her? Is there a pattern?
She always poops in the morning but sometimes I can leave her outside for ages and she will come in and do it inside. She always poops on a walk but I can't take her until mid morning.
I feed her twice a day but have considered trying her once a day to see if that changes anything.
what dog food is she on?
Grain free

@thoroughlypickled
Yes it does sound like that 😭 I'm preparing myself for the worst. I'm taking her back to the vets tomorrow

Is there really no way you can get up any earlier to take her out in the mornings?

I would ask the vet for more medication - I care for an old, arthritic dog and he's on multiple painkillers and anti-inflammatories and it's made a huge, huge difference.

@sunsetsandboardwalks I can't walk her until after the school run

@sunsetsandboardwalks Dis he pop in the house before his meds? This is what's really hard to deal with, constantly cleaning up dog poo is really hard

My old Airedale needs to walk (not that far either) to poop. I suspect arthritis in his back. He’s not been to the vet but I’ve heard there is a very good monthly injection for doggy arthritis that I’m going to consider.
we’ve switched dog foods and that too has helped.
why can you not get that early walk in? Can you hire someone to help?

The monthly injection is Librella @GildedRage. It’s been fab for our Labrador. She is 14 now and has been on it for over two years.

@Whitevase it might be worth asking your vet about Librella for your dog. If it is all pain related that might help.

Yes, he did but he's not had any accidents since they increased his tablets ☺️

I couldn't tell you what he's on but it's definitely 3-4 different ones and it's helped massively. He can potter around the garden now quite happily and do the stairs at the front door which he struggled with before.

Sounds like canine cognitive dysfunction to me, loss of house training is very common unfortunately.

Please don't use Librela for dogs with potential spinal problems. There is a growing body of evidence that it can cause severe side effects s in some situations.

Will she poop in the back garden?

I ask because i have a 6 year old Golden (male) who will not poo in the garden, so if He doesnt go for a walk first thing he will just poo in the house, but never in the garden.

We have now started keeping him in the kitchen when we are not there to limit where it was happening, but he sometimes just does it overnight aswell.

No apparent health issues, fine in every other way. Maybe a weird GR thing?!

I know how frustrating it is though, its not an easy mess to clean. It takes ages to ensure the smell and germs are gone!

Ah good luck with the appointment tomorrow OP. I don't think we can ever be prepared for our pets ageing right before our eyes.

I have an arthritic Labrador too. He was diagnosed very young at age 3. He has
a myriad of health issues along with this (Addison's) and when we started him on Librella he was like a brand new boy. Every other pain med for arthritis was affecting his stomach and he ended up with an ulcer. He's 8 now and is more sprightly now that he has been in years. We had plenty poop accidents.

Maybe the medication he is on now is affecting his tum. Librella is a monthly injection.

Update!

Vets have confirmed that my lovely dog has lost muscle in her rear so can't hold her poo in which is why she's pooping in the house. Said there's nothing they can do regarding that so we just have to manage it as long as we can.

They've upped her meds and given more pain relief for her arthritis. I've noticed she's now dragging her back feet instead of lifting them so assuming they might start showing signs of being sore soon.

She's still excited for a walk and seems happy so going to take it day by day and see how long we can keep her happy for.