Pooping In The House

[Guest Gemma]

Peyton (age 7) has been with us for over a year and never messed in the house, even when he first came to us as a foster and had severe leg pain, making going outside difficult (we lived on the third floor then). He's a very clean boy, fully housebroken, and good at telling us when he needs to go out.

 

A bit before Xmas (beginning of November, I think), we tried him on the supplement Sam-e by recommendation of the orthopaedic specialist he now sees for his bad leg. Within 24hrs of that first dose, he pooped in the house whilst I was at work (I was away for only 5 hours). It took me a while to put two and two together but by his third accident, I realised there could be a connection. Then Peyton had what looked like a mild seizure so we took him off the Sam-e completely. Since then, he has not had a seizure (that we are aware of) and did not poop in the house for some time.

 

Maybe 2 weeks later, I came home to poop on the rug. At that point, I took him to our regular vet for a full blood panel and a faecal sample. Everything came back normal.

 

Now, I am away in England visiting relatives but my husband just informed me that Peyton pooped on the rug yet again. I am not sure what is going on. :/ Our vet did mention putting him on antibiotics just to see if that helps and I'm considering it. We never leave Peyton for longer than 5 hours without a break, although he is usually capable of holding it for up to 8 hours (sometimes we even have problems getting him to go when we take him out; he tries to hold out for walks!). His food has not changed, his SA is back under control after a little flare up after we moved (in October), and his energy levels are totally normal. He currently takes Metacam for leg/back pain but he was on that for a while before he started messing.

 

Has anyone been through similar? Is it worth trying the antibiotics? Is it possible he's having small seizures whilst we're away and that's why he's messing on the rug? It's not all smeared about like I'd expect with a seizure but the only time I've seen him have one, it was more disorientation and leg weakness than a full fit. He is not diagnosed as epileptic, jsyk, but he has a history of seizures when on heavy medication (he had 3 with his last owner after his broken leg was fixed and he was still on heavy painkillers).

 

Any words of wisdom? Similar stories to share?

[GeorgeofNE]

Does the vet mean Flagyl??

 

If the dog doesn't have diarrhea, and seems otherwise healthy, I'd personally suspect the Metacam.

 

I'd consider switching to something else for the pain.

 

You also have to consider it could just be behavioral. Probably didn't start that way (my vet once suggested a "natural" supplement too, and within weeks George's liver enzymes were severely elevated--no more of that for us!), but maybe he just decided it's nicer to poop in a nice warm house!

 

Flagyl has a very strong anti-pooping component to it, so it WILL work, but if the root issue is behavioral...

[Guest Swifthounds]

Based on what you describe, it doesn't sound to me like an antibiotic would help, other than some slight anti-inflammatory effect.

 

I might suspect the pain medication and try switching him to something else. I've used Tramadol with great success, it is most useful for mild to moderate pain, though it shouldn't be used if he's on any antianxiety or MAOI prescription meds (Tramadol has slightly mood elevating properties). It isn't an NSAID, so if he's only getting relief with an anti-inflammatory, the Tramadol may not be the answer. If you can control the pain without an NSAID, that's what I would go for. NSAIDs have a lot of issues when used long term.

[Guest Gemma]

Does the vet mean Flagyl??

 

If the dog doesn't have diarrhea, and seems otherwise healthy, I'd personally suspect the Metacam.

 

I'd consider switching to something else for the pain.

 

You also have to consider it could just be behavioral. Probably didn't start that way (my vet once suggested a "natural" supplement too, and within weeks George's liver enzymes were severely elevated--no more of that for us!), but maybe he just decided it's nicer to poop in a nice warm house!

 

Flagyl has a very strong anti-pooping component to it, so it WILL work, but if the root issue is behavioral...

 

Yes, I think it was flagyl but I could be remembering incorrectly.

 

I never considered it being behavioural because Peyton gets very upset after his accidents (and we don't ever yell or get mad at him for them so I feel like it isn't learned behaviour). Plus, hubs just informed me that Peyton has been having diarrhea since the last accident, to the point where he's probably going to take him to the vet tomorrow. :/ I feel like something is upsetting his stomach and we're just not seeing it.

 

I'll talk to my vet about the Metacam, though.

 

Thanks!

[Guest Gemma]

Based on what you describe, it doesn't sound to me like an antibiotic would help, other than some slight anti-inflammatory effect.

 

I might suspect the pain medication and try switching him to something else. I've used Tramadol with great success, it is most useful for mild to moderate pain, though it shouldn't be used if he's on any antianxiety or MAOI prescription meds (Tramadol has slightly mood elevating properties). It isn't an NSAID, so if he's only getting relief with an anti-inflammatory, the Tramadol may not be the answer. If you can control the pain without an NSAID, that's what I would go for. NSAIDs have a lot of issues when used long term.

 

The Metacam was supposed to be for the cold weather to see if it helped and it definitely has but I do think we need to discuss long term pain management. I will definitely take him in to see the specialist and have this discussion when I return home.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Batmom]

If he's got diarrhea, stop the metacam.

 

He may indeed need a course of flagyl (metronidazole) at this point -- it's an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties for the gut.

 

The other thing that may be happening is, cold weather. He doesn't want to stay out as long when he is out, with the result that when he's gotta go, he's gotta go! Right now! So if changes in meds don't clear things up, you might want to try keeping a log of his output and keeping him out longer or taking him out a second time when need be.

[Guest Gemma]

If he's got diarrhea, stop the metacam.

 

He may indeed need a course of flagyl (metronidazole) at this point -- it's an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties for the gut.

 

The other thing that may be happening is, cold weather. He doesn't want to stay out as long when he is out, with the result that when he's gotta go, he's gotta go! Right now! So if changes in meds don't clear things up, you might want to try keeping a log of his output and keeping him out longer or taking him out a second time when need be.

 

Will do, thanks for the advice! I'll send a note to hubs and get him to ask about stopping the Metacam for a while when he sees the vet tomorrow. I'll start a log when I get home, too. I am seriously considering hiring a dog walker so that someone can take him for a nice long walk when we're both working. He ALWAYS poops on walks so that should help.