I need some input on a dilemma I'm facing with my dog.

[Obamarama]

I have a Cairn Terrier who is 17.5 years old. She gets around okay, still has somewhat decent eyesight, and still wags her tail when she gets out of her basket in the morning. Recently recovered nicely from a torn achilles tendon, and recently lost her hearing due to an ear infection.

Probably due to her age and doggy senility, she will no longer poop outdoors. Before her advanced age, she very rarely had accidents indoors, but now she poops indoors every day. We have tried retraining her, 1) I suspect it's an issue with her advanced age and not a behavioral issue, and 2) how do you train a 17.5 year old deaf dog anyway, even if you wanted to??! When it comes to urinating she doesn't have a problem with doing it outside. She almost never has a peeing accident in the house, and when she does it is usually because we have been remiss in not letting her out often enough.

But the pooping is a completely different story. We let her out 2, 3, or 4 times after she eats but she just stands in the yard and looks at us. In addition, we're letting her out at least every two hours to pee, so she has the opportunity to poop then, too. But as soon as we're not looking, she poops inside.

We have been keeping her in our back entrance-way to the house, which is like a really large breezeway. It's clean, safe, sunny, and she has the run of the entire room. We keep her back there until she poops, then we let her in the main part of the house. She also has her basket back there and sleeps there overnight. That way, the pooping is done in one place, which makes it easier to clean, disinfect, etc.

Now for the dilemma: We live in Michigan, and the cold weather is coming soon. The entrance way to the house is not heated which means we won't be able to keep her back there any longer. We love the dog, but we do NOT want to have a dog defecating in the main part of the house. That's just disgusting and unhygenic.

She is 17.5 years old, and we had to put her sister down last year because she was in renal failure. If this one lives much longer, she will likely develop renal failure or something else. She has lived a good, long life and although we were more attached to her older sister, we do love the crazy little dog.

Do you think it is horrible to think about putting her down before winter due to this issue? I have reservations about putting down a dog with general quality of life left. It's difficult to do with an ill and dying pet, let alone one who is for all intents and purposes, still viable. But on the other hand, I am loathe to allow the house to become a bathroom for the dog.

So, how would you handle this situation? I'm really perplexed about what do do? Looking forward to thoughts and wisdom from fellow pet owners.

[Longhorn]

1. Personally, I couldn't put a dog down for this reason.

Is the breezeway merely unheated or is it actually open to the outdoors. Could you put in a small electric heater? Another solution might be doggy diapers like this:



I googled doggy diapers and got several hits. You might even find a way to make disposable baby diapers work by cutting a hole for the tail. That would be less expensive.

On sunny days, how about putting a doggy sweater or even fleece jacket and booties on her? There are also heated dog beds. At night, she could sleep in a bathroom.

I would try some of these or other ideas first before I did something more drastic. Good luck! :hug:

[Obamarama]

3. It's only unheated.

On really cold days (15 to 20 degrees) it's probably in the mid-30s' to low 40s in there.

[Horse with no Name]

2. I think it is more humane to put her down

Than for her to be cold and isolated because of these actions. Have you thought of crating her in the main part of the house during the same times you would have put her in the other part?
I'm glad I don't have to make that decision.:hug:

[Obamarama]

7. That's my point...I wouldn't let her be cold and isolated.

At this point, we're keeping her back there only till she poops, then she has free range of the house. So she's only isolated for as long as it takes her to poop. Sometimes it's 20 minutes, sometimes it's 3 hours. The 20 minutes might be okay in the winter, but the 3 hours isn't an option, hence the dilemma.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. As the other poster said, doggie diapers is an idea. As to keeping her warm

in the unheated area, a heating pad in a doggie bed might work well. Cairn's have nice warm coats. I would never euthanize a pet of mine for this.

[rainy]

5. Put her in a playpen type cage in the kitchen. I bought one from the

pet store years ago. It has six sides and can be made to be very large. Put her basket in it and let her outside first whenever you take her out. Keep her here until she is no longer happy and wagging her tail and has gotten too sick to live comfortably. Then you would have to do the humane thing.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I'd put her down, sadly--I say this as an animal lover and Humane Society volunteer--

but this problem is causing your quality of life to suffer, and she just doesn't seem to know what she's doing anymore--and disrupting her routine by leaving her outside all the time will cause her mental anguish. In fact, she might be distressed about going in the house, because it goes against her instinct not to soil the den, but she's so old and confused she just doesn't know what to do. 17 years is a really good run, I'll bet she's had a wonderful life, but if this were one of my dogs (I have two, one of whom is also elderly) I wouldn't live with this behavior that isn't going to improve.

[jwirr]

8. If she can be trained to pads that might help.

[virgdem]

9. I'm facing a similar situation with my 17.5 year old cat

He has IBD (Intestinal Bowel Disease) and regularly poops outside the litter box due to his inability to make it to the box in time. He has bad diarrhea and will just stand in the middle of the room and poop where he is sometimes. We have been dealing with the disease for quite some time, but it has gotten progressively worse over the last year. He was real sick over the summer with URI and was at the vets for two days in June. When we got him home again, he wasn't the same. His quality of life has declined to the point where he no longer grooms himself and only eats and sleeps. This past Monday, I made the sad decision to put him to sleep tomorrow and I will tell you that this decision has not been easy. My Vet suggested in July that I should consider putting him down due to the sanitary issues with his disease, but I wanted to give him a chance to recover and to see how he would do. I can't tell you what to do, but I will tell you to assess the situation, assess your dog's quality of life, and do what is in your heart. My criteria has always been quality of life and if it is no longer there, then the final, painful decision must be made. I wish you all the best as you make this difficult decision.

[TwilightGardener]

10. I hear you, one of my cats also has inflammatory bowel disease, has been

on and off steroids for bloody diarrhea all his life. He's only 6, and so most of the time makes it to the litter box, but I dread his older years, frankly. It's a very tough thing to live with a pet who can't control itself, you're always on the lookout for a big mess, every day. God bless you and the OP, too, for being such loving and patient owners.

[virgdem]

16. I empathize with your situation...

My guy didn't start with his problem until he was about 8 or 9 years old and it's just gotten very bad, but he's 17.5, old and very arthritic. I've been putting the decision to put him to sleep for 4 months and just decided this past Monday that it was time to come to the endgame. I know how you feel about the messes, as I've been dealing with that for at least a year now. I can't leave the house for long, as I don't know if he'll have a blow out in the middle of the living room and then step in it and track it around. Just for the sanitary issues alone, my Vet suggested in July that I should end it very soon. It's a very tough decision and tomorrow is the day I've been dreading and avoiding, but it is for the best. Quality of life is not there anymore and he is very uncomfortable and in some pain when he goes in the litter box. I wish you much luck with your little guy and hope you have many more years with him.

[lukasahero]

11. Not sure the diapers recommended will work for your problem

I understand where you're at, I really do. I went through it last winter. I chose to try to make the most of what would likely be my dog's last days (and indeed, he passed away last spring).

He had degenrative arthritis and the vet suspected he couldn't "tell" when he had to poop any more so he'd go to the bathroom unawares. I looked at the diapers and they were really for urinary incontinence.

That said, the idea mentioned upthread of getting a pen for her sounds like it would work really well. There are pads you could put in the pen to encourage her to go there. (For re-useable pads check these out: http://inthecompanyofdogs.com/itemdy00.asp?c=&T1=D84094+24x5&SKW=+dogs_life%20accessories&GEN1=Dog+Accessories&PageNo=1&pos=1 ) She'd be able to be with you in a warm safe place but your house wouldn't suffer in the meantime.

I know this going to sound extreme, but you can actually make a dog go to the bathroom on demand. Not sure if it's something you'd be comfortable with but check out Handicapped Pets http://www.handicappedpets.biz/www/index.php for lots of resources about aging dogs. (They have a discussion board here: http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ too - those folks might have more ideas.)

Obviously, it is ultimately a decision that rests with you. Maybe this will help you through this time: It's Anna Quindlen's article "Good boy, Beau. Stay" http://www.newsweek.com/id/32467

:hug: to you and your pup.

[magellan]

12. It sickens me to think anyone would consider putting a pet down for this

Sorry, but a 17.5 year old dog that knows to pee outside but won't poo outside probably has a behavioral problem (as opposed to a physiological one) that needs to be addressed.

Do you feed at the same time each day, and is it the same food each time? Is the food high quality? These factors are important.

You say you "let her out". If she gets around okay, why aren't you walking her? Walking helps get the colon working (she'll want to go). Also, cairns are easily bored. We have two 7 year old cairns and walk them 4-5 times a day for 10 minutes each time. Two of those times are within half an hour after feeding.

My suggestion is to crate-train (look online for how to do this), or otherwise try a gate or leash to keep her near you where you can watch her after feeding. Wait 15-20 minutes, then walk her for 10 minutes. If she does nothing, bring her back in and put her back in her crate or on a leash, and leave her there until she gets ready to do her business. This is easy to see if you keep an eye on her, which you should be doing. When she starts to get into the position, immediately swoop in and stop her, then take her out on her leash for another 10 minutes.

If she does her business outside, praise her. Give her a treat, a toy, some affection -- whatever she responds to best. If she doesn't, don't punish. Just bring her back in and put her back in her crate/on her leash and keep watching her until she tries again.

You will need to be consistent and put the time into it.

[Dover]

13. A friend of mine had a similar situation with her dog.

Ordinarily she'd let her elderly dog out in the fenced yard and the dog would
do his business. But as he aged he started messing in the house and so she began to isolate the dog in a particular area. Then it occurred to her to try a new routine. She took the dog on a fairly long walk in the morning and in the evening and for some reason (maybe the smell of other dogs or renewed interest due to change of scenery), he started doing his business and the problem was solved.

If you must keep her in the back hall area have you considered putting a heater in there? Either a regular space heater, a doggy bed heater or a ceramic bulb heater (that fits in a shop lamp...found at pet and reptile pet stores). I have some outdoor cats that stay toasty all winter with a heated
pad beneath and a ceramic lamp above.

Caring for elderly or disabled pets can be so hard.
I wish you both well.

[Coyote_Bandit]

14. I

don't think you have reason to put the dog down unless you have tried other alternatives and they have failed.

I have a senior dog that sometimes has similar issues. The three things that have been most effective in resolving the issue have been: (1) maintaining a strict feeding routine with respect to both time and food, (2) walking the dog reqularly - including walking the dog after feeding when possible and (3) personally supervising the dog and encouraging the dog to do its business if the dog is left in the yard to poop rather than walked (and rewarding when dog poops). My dog prefers to lay in the sun or look out the gate rather than do his business - but he does not fail to do his duties when supervised. I have also created areas in the home where the dog has only restricted or supervised access - and I sometimes utilize a crate.

[roody]

15. Some good walks will help her out.

[Obamarama]

17. UPDATE ON MY DOG: Sometimes you just gotta ask around for advice!

I talked to my vet the other day and he recommended putting her on one feeding a day as opposed to two feedings a day (one at around 7 a.m. and one around 5 p.m.). She's always had two feedings a day for all of her adult life. I would have never thought about that, especially given the fact that she is up there in years. The vet said she'll adjust and dogs do just fine on one feeding a day.

Lo and behold, I fed her a full cup of food Saturday morning at 7 a.m. and immediately let her out. She pooped in about two minutes time. This morning, same thing. Fed her one cup at 7 a.m., immediately let her out and she pooped within 5 minutes, with me turning her back around into the yard when she started to walk toward the deck. SHE HASN'T POOPED OUTSIDE IN A FEW WEEKS! For all I know, she might have logged on and seen what I posted and thought "uh-oh...the jig is up...gotta start poopin' outside!"

I still can't believe the solution was that simple, so I'm going for a back-up plan. I'm going to get a dog crate for her and start keeping her in it overnight inside the house so we don't have to worry about keeping her in the back entryway in the cold weather. I'm going to start out keeping the door closed overnight, and if she is accident free for a period of time, I'll try leaving the door open and see what happens.

Thanks for your input and suggestions!

[roody]

18. Great news! eom