Why is my senior Great Dane in pain when having a bowel movement?

This sounds like he’s in pain. He could have back pain from a bulging intervertebral disc, or be constipated, or have hip pain. This sounds serious so I recommend a veterinary exam soon. With bloat they look bloated and they go from fine to very distressed in a few hours and then it’s life threatening. If this has been going on longer without a swollen abdomen then bloat is less likely. Regardless, he’s in pain and needs veterinary care. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. 17.5 years old is great! My late dachshund just passed away in June and was 20 years old. It's always nice to have a friend that sticks around this long! It sounds as though Zak may be dealing with some arthritic pain causing him difficulty to position himself to defecate. I would recommend starting joint supplements and pain medications to see if this helps. I would also add fiber to his diet such as canned pumpkin or green beans to help normalize his stool movements. I would have a veterinarian examine Zak and discuss pain medication and joint supplement options with you . I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns that I may help you with.

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Niles. There may be some age-related changes in his spine that are causing him to defecate inappropriately. Things like a narrowing of the spinal column called spinal stenosis is a fairly common age related change we can see especially in the very large breed dogs. Sometimes ant-inflammatory medications ca help, but he needs to be examined by your veterinarian for an accurate assessment. I can say he has not lost any house training ability. He most likely does not realize at all he is doing this. Hopefully, your veterinarian can help with this. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

In an unneutered male dog the likely problem is an enlarged prostate. When it enlarges, it pushes on the colon and can make defecation painful. He should see a vet for an exam. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/prostatic-disease-in-dogs

I am sorry to hear about Quinn! I would definitely recommend bringing Quinn in to his vet for an exam and discussion. There are medications that can help with arthritis and make him more comfortable if he isn't on anything currently (including omega fatty acids, joint supplements, NSAIDs, and drugs like Gabapetin, as well as alternative treatments like acupuncture). Your vet may recommend increasing the fiber in Quinn's diet by changing diets to something higher in fiber or adding fiber (such as canned pumpkin or psyllium) to the diet which can bulk up the feces and make it easier to poop and less likely to fall out. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do for your other dog in preparation. If Demon does have anxiety after Quinn is gone, there are some non-drug options for this such as an Adaptil (pheremone) collar or diffuser, or a calming supplement like Composure or Solliquin.

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

Hello, my name is Dr. Elizabeth and I certainly understand your concern. If the stool looks normal, than I suspect Opus may have some pain while defecating. This could be coming from the intestines BUT with his age, I'm also very suspicious he may have some arthritis in his back that is starting to both him. I recommend to make an appointment this week to have Opus examined by the veterinarian. It may be time to start some pain medication to keep him comfortable. While not as good as pain medication, starting a joint supplement like Cosequin or Dasuquin and a fatty acid like Welactin will be beneficial to the joints in general. I recommend to get Opus started on these as well. I hope this helps and that things get figured out quickly for Opus.