Is She Trying To Tell Me Something?

[Guest auforygirl]

My girl is 7 almost 8 and before the last few months never pooped in the house except once when she was really really sick. She has now done it on a semi-regular basis. Usually on a morning when I had to cut our normal morning walk short but truthfully she never had an issue until now. Now I just pick it up and deal with it internally and I didn't yell or do anything to her except shoot her some dirty looks. But now I am thinking I should have because I think it gave her the message that it doesn't matter. I am now completely paranoid and won't let her go in until she poops. Which works 90% of the time but if it is raining or cold she refuses. So is it because she is older she just can't hold it like she used to or is she trying to tell me something like it is too cold and wet outside I am fine using the carpet don't bother getting up?

[Guest widowcali]

The only time my girls ever pooped inside was when I was gone too long (which is almost moot since my mom lives there now and has the opposite schedule I do), or when they are sick. Over the weekend someone must have gotten into something, because I woke to the gift of poo piles two mornings in a row.

 

Do you think she is getting into anything that doesn't agree with her? Has your schedule changed in any way? Is the consistency of the pile different from what it is outside? Have you changed the times you are feeding her or the type of food?

[Guest auforygirl]

surprisingly the poop is thankfully solid and just like outside poop... The schedule has been slightly odd but not monumental.

[Guest sheila]

When I had a time when leashed potty breaks were the only option and morning walks were NOT an option (I left for work at 4:30AM) I paced the same section of yard for as long as it took to get both a pee and a poop. Only until both were done would we come back in. The first week or so it could take as long as 20 minutes for this to happen. Once the dog figured out that he came back in and got breakfast he was very reliable about getting all business done in about 2-3 minutes.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Yelling at her won't help. She might need to walk to work up to a poop. Some dogs are funny like that. You can always pace around your yard... Do you have a fenced yard? Some dogs will go in a fenced yard in the absence of a walk.

[Guest auforygirl]

I live in an apartment it does have a dog run but it is terrible at the moment with how muddy it is. It is just odd to me that she could hold it just fine and now she can't.

[Guest auforygirl]

Well in related news this morning I had to help pull out poop because apparently she had eaten some of the towel she had torn up a few months prior and I am guessing this was the issue with her inability to hold poop because she probably had some sort of partial blockage... hopefully she will be better now... I can't remember if the towel was before or after the first time but I am going to hope before...

Edited January 23, 2010 by auforygirl

[GeorgeofNE]

Well, 7 going on 8 is not "too old to hold it" by any means. However, fecal incontinence can be a sign of spinal problems.

 

Any issues with her hind end? A hitch in her walk? Trouble with stairs?

 

I only mention this because my George DOES have a spinal issue, and the pooping in the house the vet told me I can probably look forward to hasn't started, but she says it may.

[Guest auforygirl]

I will bring it up with my vet... but she does see my chiropractor... and she says that she has a good spine. But I can see if she could do a little more in depth next time with her.