Odd Poop Issue

[krissn333]

I need to preface this by saying that the big dogs NEVER poop or pee in the house unless it is an emergency.

 

I was gone for a while on Sunday and I came home to a pile of poop in the doorway between my living room and kitchen, clearly from one of the big dogs. Then Monday morning, there was a pile, same place, and also Monday afternoon when I got home from work. The poop was well formed, looked just like normal poop. Having three big kids I really had no idea whose it was.

 

Last night I went to bed and Mark was watching tv in the living room. He said that Fritz came darting out of the bedroom and ran right to the doorway (where the other poops have been) and squatted and pooped. Except this time it wasn't well formed, it was liquid, and just a little bit. Mark kind of caught him mid-way though and got him outside so he could finish. Total liquid.

 

Mark woke me up and showed me the poop in the living room (in case there was something about it that I would have noticed that he wouldn't). The only thing "off" about it is that it kind of had that iron/blood smell to it. No visible blood in the poop, just that smell (those of you that have smelled it will know what I mean). I gave Fritz an Immodium and we went back to bed.

 

This morning there was a well-formed pile of poop in the same spot.

 

This is SO unlike Fritz. He normally will ask to go outside too, and he hasn't. It's almost like the poop is sneaking up on him and he doesn't have time to ask, which I could understand if he had diarrhea, but, it's all been well-formed and normal except for last night.

 

I DO think he is due for a chiro adjustment - IIRC if they are out of whack a little bit it can mess with their bowel control a little bit...but that's the only idea that I have.

 

He is his normal waggy toy-grabbing self, has been eating and drinking normally. Any ideas?

 

 

[Sharpshot]

One of my females who NEVER messes in the house disappeared into a spare bedroom and peed the other day. She even has a dog door, so she can go outside anytime she wants or needs. She just really, really hates the cold and snow, and hasn't been taking care of business outside.

 

Could aversion to the lovely weather we've been having play a role in Fritz's behavior? Once he pooped in that spot, it became a habit maybe.

[krissn333]

Nope, we can rule cold weather out too - Fritz LOVES the snow! Last night Mark said he seemed anxious about it too

[Laurenbiz]

Gosh, I have no advice for you. We've occasionally dealt with poops inside the house with our Bernie boy, who we got in October. But, we attributed the poops to separation anxiety.

 

 

So, I don't know what to tell you. I'm interested to see other responses here.

[inugrey]

huh, weird I would have guessed an urgency too. Maybe the immodium fixed the diarrhea problem but he's not sensing the need until the last minute? The poop is always right at the outside door? Have you thought about testing for giardia or any other bug like that? It's hard to figure out what makes a good dog forget to ask and all I can come up with is urgency even when the poop is well formed.

[4My2Greys]

Usually a dog will vomit if something is upsetting there stomach and have diarrhea if the problem is with the intestinal/bowel area in order to rid itself of what is causing the upset. By giving the Immodium you only made the stools firm you didn't fix his problem. More than likely he ate something or has some kind of bug and once he gets it out of his system I bet the accidents will stop.

 

Edited to add: If your smelling blood in his stool that is not a chiropractic problem. It might be a good idea to talk to your vet and let him/her know what's going on if it persists much longer before it's after hours or the holidays and you end up

having to go to the evet.

Edited December 21, 2010 by 4My2Greys

[Guest Swifthounds]

How old is Fritz? Does he have any lower spine issues?

 

It could be that he's using this spot because you'll notice it there and he's trying to tell you something is amiss. It could also be that he's getting caught short for some reson.

 

The dire rear could be from something he ate, a bug, or just from the emotional distress of having thses accidents (which can, itself, be distressing to a house trained dog).

[Guest Lakota]

I think I would get him to the vet. The fact that it has that iron smell, and the urgency indicates something isn't right. Unusual accidents in the house can be their way of telling you something is wrong.

 

The imodium is only masking the issue, it won't cure the under lying problem. It could be a stomach bug, or it could be more serious. If you don't want to, or can't get to your vet today, then feed him only boiled white rice. This should firm up his stool. If he had a stomach bug, it could be that his colon is still a little spastic. Feeding him the rice for 24 hours should fix that.

[krissn333]

Fritz is almost 10 years old and has no lower spine issues that I'm aware of. He sees the chiropractor fairly regularly because his neck and shoulders will get out of whack. But, I do know that when those things are out of whack, it can make the entire body not feel right. I'm going to see if I can get him into the chiro tomorrow. Something's not right and I feel bad for my bubby boy - he seems like he feels so bad that he's done it

[Guest Swifthounds]

It certainly could be an issue with a nerve or a disc in his lower back. Those issue or LS can produce the random well-formed poops. It's upsetting for them because they can't control it. With my old guys I tell them it's ok and don't make a big deal about accidents.

 

Is he on anything for inflammation? Fish oil? Boswellia? If not, you might want to give those a try. The fish oil takes lonegr to see improvements and can cause loose stools. The boswellia you can get at a vitamin place and there's usually improvement in a few days to a week with no bowel issues.

[krissn333]

He takes the joint health tabs from Springtime...other than that, he doesn't take anything regularly. Once when he tweaked his neck pretty good, he was put on prednisone and tramadol for a few days.

 

Poor Fritz, we know he's having some sort of an issue, so he's not being scolded or anything for pooping in the house. We just hug him and tell him it's okay and we're going to get this figured out.

 

He's not having any issues with locomotion at all. If there were no poop in the house I'd think he was just fine. But as many of you said, doing stuff like that is their way of letting us know that something is going on.

[MaryJane]

Since this is unusual, I'd take him to the vet just in case. They can check blood work, stool sample, and do a physical.

[greyhead]

Glad you're considering this from a medical rather than a behavioral viewpoint. Poor pup! Hope you can get it figured out before too long.

[krissn333]

Oh yes, it's definitely medical My bubby boy is such a good little boy, there's really no way this could be behavioral. I called our vet and am waiting for him to give me a call back. Wondering if it's just a bug and it will work its way on by...I need to call the chiro in the AM and see if they can get him in.

[Guest Bamn]

My boy Nick had similar issues when we brought him home. He was diagnosed with whipworms. They are VERY difficult to get rid of and sometimes diagnosis. Go the Sentinel route if that is what it is - Panacur is really expensive in comparison and doesn't always do the trick. Good luck and I hope your boy feels better soon.

[mychip1]

Good luck....Glad you are getting him checked. I know that smell you are referencing....and it is distinctly present when something is not quite right in their system. Keep us posted on your boy....

[krissn333]

No more poop accidents today...I think overnight will tell the tale Vet said he could just have a bug and to update him tomorrow. I am still going to try to get him in to the chiro though.