My senior dog is pooping himself while lying down. What's wrong?

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.

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!

Hi there. So sorry to here that Willy is having this issue. The short answer to your question is yes. He could have dementia. That being said, he could also have a problem with his liver, his kidneys or other organs that may be causing him to have accidents in the house. Another thing to keep in mind is that he may have arthritis that could be causing him to not want to walk to go outside to use the bathroom. It is good that you are taking him for a vet exam. Keep an open mind and be prepared that the vet will likely do a thorough exam and then recommend at least some lab work to check Willy's kidney/liver function and they may even recommend x-rays and/or an abdominal ultrasound. I sure hope they can figure out the root cause of Willy;s issue. Best wishes to you both. Dr. Amber

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.

It sounds like Trevor has fecal incontinence. This can have several causes, including nerve damage to the rectum and arthritis, which causes pain when posturing to defecate so they hold it longer than they should. Prostate enlargement can also cause some issues. I would recommend taking Trevor to the vet for a thorough evaluation. They will do a physical and neurologic exam to determine if there are any issues. They may recommend x-rays to look at the pelvis and bones around the based of the tail, and to determine who things look on the inside around the colon.

Poor Tanner! I highly recommend bringing him to your vet for a complete exam and workup to rule out any more serious health issues such as neurologic problems, illness, metabolic issues, nerve or muscular problems, etc that could be causing this. Since he is a senior, issues such as severe arthritis or other senior-related illnesses could also be a cause of his trouble getting around and holding his stool. Your vet can work with you to see if anything can be done to help him feel more comfortable, such as pain or arthritis meds, or even changes in routine to help get him up and outside to potty a bit easier such as taking him out more often or keeping him in an easy to clean area if you aren't home.

This presentation could commonly be caused either by a neurological damage of the nerves of the back legs (usually from spinal cord), caused by a stroke or a intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion,or potentially by severe arthritis and osteo-arthrosis. A check up and appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories) would be ideal and essential to understand the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.