My older dog had a house accident. Is it incontinence or anal glands?

Hello. It may not be obvious, unless you can tell that he might be dragging his back feet a little. But this can be very subtle. You might notice the nails on the back feet are quite short. Your veterinarian will due a neurological exam by testing placement reflexes with his feet. A positive response is not anything to be overly concerned about. These are very common aging changes. All I was saying is this may explain the accident in the house & by no means indicates this will get worse. It is just something to be aware of. And, there are other reasons for house soiling accidents, so if it happens again, just have Maverick fully examined to make sure nothing is missed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bambi. Fecal and urinary incontinence can be caused by many things including problems with the nervous system or nerves innervating these organs due to spinal cord problems, vetebrae problems, enlargement of organs near the back of the abdomen, tumors, anal region problems, urinary incontinence secondary to her being spayed, etc. So I would highly advise a trip to your veterinarian and let them take a thorough history. They will perform a physical exam and most likely a rectal exam and then advise a set of diagnostics to try to solve these problems. Blood work, fecal tests, x-rays and ultrasound are all initial possible tests to be performed. Once diagnostics are performed the problems can then be addressed. Good luck and I hope Bambi does well.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, that would not be a cause of incontinence. This could be an anatomical anormality and in some cases it could be a neurological issue, among many other possibilities. If that is happening, I would recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Poor guy. He's very handsome and 13 is an impressive age for a Great Dane. You must take very good care of him. There are two possibilities that jump to mind for me. The first is that he may have enough arthritis and pain that he doesn't want to get up and walk outside. Even if he moves around ok and doesn't limb, and even if he's already on arthritis medications, I would recommend an orthopedic exam with a veterinarian to make sure he doesn't need more. The other possibility is that he's starting to have cognitive dysfunction (aka doggie dementia), which can cause dogs to forget their house-training. Actually, he likely has both things going on. A three thing to throw in there is he could have a true gastrointestinal issue such as parasites, IBD, issues digesting food, etc that is making him uncomfortable or feel increased urgency. So I would recommend starting with a vet visit to check him out for pain and talk to them about cognitive dysfunction. Bring a fecal sample too in case they want to test him for parasites. Best of luck to you and sweet Maverick. Please let me know if this was helpful information and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

This can be due to a neurological problem or aging changes. He also may be painful and not wanting to stand and hold the pooping position when outside. I recommend a veterinary exam to see if he’s painful or if there is a neurological problem. They may try him on pain medication. Acupuncture can also improve fecal incontinence sometimes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Potter.

Hi Bill, I'm so sorry that you are having this problem with Champ. Unfortunately, we do see neurological problems in older dogs that can result in fecal incontinence where they are unaware when they have to defecate and/or unable to control it. There are not a lot of good treatment options for this condition. However, since you know that Champ has bad legs, I would start with discussing pain medication with your veterinarian. Sometimes if we are able to improve the pain in their rear legs, they seem to have an easier time squatting to defecate and will have less accidents. I am attaching more information on pain medications below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

There are a couple of reasons why Hunter is pooping in the house lately. It could be due to stress, he could have diarrhea from a medical illness causing him to have to go right where he is at the moment, or it could be due to canine cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to dementia in humans. I would have Hunter seen by a vet tomorrow for a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. These tests will help identify if there is a medical cause behind this behavior, and if there is, the vet can discuss treatment with you. If he does have canine cognitive dysfunction, there are medications to help with that as well as diet changes you can make. Again, the vet can discuss this with you.