Emily

Hello all! Thanks so much for all of your advice it's been a big help! We're trying out the belly bands and also just putting more effort in all around. Spending more time outside, working on training, and we have a good set up now with a pen that attaches to his crate that he seems more comfortable in while we're away. It is still early with the belly bands and we plan to use them until we get figure out which vet we’d like to try next for a second opinion. I’ll report back if we come to a behavioral or medical solution!

Thanks for your response! Yes, the vet said he is clear of crystals. We had him on a ph balancing food and he is now fully back on his original food. They didn't mention anything else maintenance wise, but we're thinking of getting a second opinion. I'll look into the refractometer I haven't heard of it! We used to have a camera and he is pretty chill and just finds different places to sleep while we're away. He has never destroyed anything, seems more like a lonely SA, if anything. I like to say he just loves us too much... He only seems clearly agitated if he's in a confined space (crate or pen) when we're gone. We also considered having a dog walker while we're away at work but he was still having accidents for a couple hours alone, which is making us believe it's SA. Good suggestion about the belly bands as well. Unsure if a dog friend would help at this time because he is still getting comfortable around other dogs in close quarters, but I appreciate the suggestion. The only thing we can pinpoint that changed at 6 months was he went to the kennel for boarding around that period of time. We thought maybe he got off his potty schedule, but we're not so sure that caused an issue for him or if the struvite began this bad habit? Or if the kennel upset him? We're really struggling with this and are not sure what approach to take. I think we will plan to see another vet and look into trainers as well. We of course still love our boy and won't give up!

Hi all - We cleared up the struvite crystals but our boy is still having accidents. I'm starting to think it is separation anxiety related or just become a bad habit. I've replaced all of the rugs he soiled in the past and he is still finding everywhere and anywhere to pee when we aren't at home. We need some major advice on potty training/crate training. We tried to ease into crate training, but the second we leave he becomes totally irritated and barks, howls, tries to escape the crate. We even tried adding dog gates around his crate to allow more room for him, and he still has an accident or escapes. We continue to treat him when he goes outside. I'm at a loss at this point because we can never catch him in the act. Any advice is appreciated.

Hi all - Just wanted to thank you all for your feedback. We finally were able to get an appointment and did a urine test. Urine test came back with no bacteria, but a small amount of struvite crystals. Did an x-ray of bladder to make sure there were no stones, and x-ray was good, no stones. We have him on a diet to slowly dissolve the crystals, then will get tested again in about a month to see if there is any improvement. Hoping it will help him get back to normal and feel better!

Hello - first time posting here! The issue: Our 3 year old greyhound has been having frequent accidents. We have had him for almost a year and did not have many accidents for the first 6 months. He has gradually been having more and more accidents while we are at work. Unfortunately he is home alone for 8 hours a day while we're at work. With the success we had at the beginning, we thought he was getting the hang of it. Our attempt: We will typically come home to an accident, 3-4 days a week. He is usually okay on the weekends when we're home, and we keep him on a similar schedule to be consistent. We are also continuing to treat and praise him when he goes outside. We've even purchased a new washable rug to make sure we can remove the odor, and always use Nature's Miracle to clean up. We are definitely planning to take him to the vet to have him checked out. Question: Does anyone have experience with this? We were putting off the vet because we thought it was that he was smelling the odor. Is there better training we can do? I am starting to feel horrible for leaving him home, but I know a lot of people do it successfully. Any advice is appreciated.