Is cold weather causing my senior dog to poop inside at night?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Elderly pets can experience fecal incontinence where the feces will fall put without the dog realizing it. Other times, the pet has severe arthritis and it is painful to assume the position for defecation. This leads the pet to either avoid defecating outside or not going the full amount. It is worth having her see her veterinarian to see if there are options to help the situation. I hope this information helps!

There can be many different reasons for dogs to poop inside a house. If they are older they can have arthritis and not fully empty outside so when they come in they can feel the need to go. They can have diarrhea from stress, intestinal parasites, eating something they were not supposed to or even a virus. It can be a behavioral issue that something cahnged they are not fond of and they can start with this. I would recommend bringing her to the veterinarian just so they can make sure it is nothing medical prior to saying it is from moving into the new house. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would talk to your veterinarian about arthritis. Sometimes when older dogs have arthritis they won't position long enough outside to defecate and they end up coming inside and doing it. Your veterinarian can examine her and see if that is what is going on. I also would recommend a joint supplement for Phoenix as she ages. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sometimes as a dog ages they develop something called cognitive dysfunction (like dementia) where they forget their training. This may be the cause of Tot's accidents. A supplement like Senilife may help withi this. Pain and arthritis can also lead to accident in an older dog as they have a harder time going outside and positioning to go to the bathroom. Sometimes urinary tract infection, internal medical issues or digestive problems may also cause accidents in the house. A visit to your Veterinarian may help to sort out what the cause of Tot's accidents are. Until you are able to take him to the vet you may want to take him outside more frequently to avoid accidents.

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.

If Foxy is housebroken, her going to the bathroom inside could be a sign she is sick. She may have diarrhea, causing her to have to go more than usual. I'd take her into the vet today to get checked out. Best of luck.

If this is a new behavior I would recommend bringing Tuck along with a stool sample into your vet. This can help rule out some more common issues such as parasites that could be causing GI upset and accidents. Your vet can also examine Tuck for issues such as arthritis that may be making it harder or difficult for Tuck to go potty thus leading to the accidents, or any other health issues that may be affecting his ability to hold it.