What Do I Do Next?

[Meandmy]

I don't know what, if any, next steps I should be taking with my girls. They are both peeing in the house and I can't figure out why!

 

It started with Tori having a possible UTI in December - did a urinalysis and it came up clean, but vet put her on antibiotics for 10 days based on symptoms. She was doing better, but then Pretty Girl started peeing in the house. She started out to peeing a couple of days a week, but has progressed to most days along with occasional poop. Then Tori started peeing in the house again so I did a urinalysis on both and they were clean.

 

Tori, we decided, was likely marking as she always peed in the same room so we closed it off and she stopped peeing. Whew! Pretty Girl, however, continued. I was on vacation for 2 weeks around Christmas and was home so nobody peed in the house.

 

As soon as I went back to work PG started up again, so I took her in to the vet for an exam and another urinalysis. Still clean. Now Tori has started peeing in the house again, but in different spots. She's not peeing where PG is peeing, either. Argh! Poor DH comes home every day to at least one, if not two, pee puddles and sometimes some poop too. He has had it and I don't blame him.

 

It seems that suddenly Tori can't hold it when she's excited. The last two days we think she's peed between the time that DH got home and the time he walked in the house (which is about a minute). Also, over the weekend she peed in the house while I was in the next room.

 

I just have no idea what I'm dealing with here. Is it medical? Behavioral? How do I tell? In the meantime I am working to have someone come in to let the girls out in the afternoon and I am going in to work later so they don't have to hold it as long. But both of them hold it all night no problem. I just don't know what to think.

 

If you've made it through my novel and have any ideas, let me know. I'm willing to try anything.

[Guest sheila]

since they are both doing it I would say it sounds like a behavior issue. I suppose given your location that it could also be combined with not really spending the proper amount of time outside so that they are totally empty. (Not that I can blame them, if it's cold/snowy I wouldn't want to spend much time out there either)

If it was me I would bundle up and do some serious leash walking for potty breaks so I know that they have fully eliminated. Another thing that has been a real bonus for me is to have a dog door that leads to an enclosed dog run. There are a few drawbacks with a dog run, but over all I wouldn't have it any other way now.

[Guest mbfilby]

Like Sheila says, it sounds like a behavior issue compounded by scent marks in the house. When we moved, the pups got thrown off their schedule, and it resulted in a lot of "not really accidents". Again, when the snow fell, it threw them off, and the process started again.

 

Once dogs become comfortable peeing in the house, it is hard to break. We had to go back to basics and pretty much retrain with crates, gates, treats and the whole bit.

 

Throughly clean all the spots with an enzyme cleanser designed for pet marks, and treat them as if they are not house trained. Keep them in sight, re-develop the routine, corrections (if caught in the act), and praise and treats..

 

I know it totally sucks to have formerly well house trained mature dogs acting like pups, but it's not their fault.

[Guest MZH]

Could one or both have a UTI that antibiotics haven't worked on? We had trouble with Rita peeing when we first got her. She had a bad UTI and put her on the usual meds but they didn't work. We did a culture and sensitivity and found out it was a not-so-usual bacteria, Proteus mirabilis, that the first antibiotic didn't work on. We gave her an antibiotic sensitive to her bug. It worked.

[Guest d0ggiem0mma]

If it were a UTI they wouldn't be able to hold it while you were home with them. I think this sounds behavioral. Maybe you could try something like DAP in case there is some anxiety and work on re-housebreaking like mbfilby suggested?

[Burpdog]

Did they culture the urine?

[Guest Shermanator]

It does sound behavioral. My bridge-boy, Patton was doing the same thing - clean bill of health from the vet, but he'd continuously pee in the house when we were gone. We ended up using a belly band for Patton, and that did the trick. (I think there is something similar for girlies?) However, once we got the dog door, we left it open when we would leave the house, and couldn't use the belly band. However, with the freedom to go outside whenever he wanted, no more peeing in the house.

 

We tried the DAP diffusers wither our girls to help their anxiety. It might be a coincidence, but as soon as we plugged them in, DH's sinuses went haywire, and as soon as we removed them, he was fine.

 

Good luck!

[Meandmy]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

 

Diane, they did not culture either of their urine. Should I have them do that just in case?

 

As much as I would like to have a dog door, it's just not possible here. Between the neighborhood cats that are always in our yard and the various wildlife, I'd be afraid of what else would come in. Add to that the fact that Tori is a poop eater and is always sent out with a muzzle with stool guard. I wouldn't want her in that all day!

 

We have been using the enzymatic cleaner and I will be steam cleaning all the carpets this weekend. If it's behavioral, hopefull this will help. Our neighbor will be starting on Monday to let the girls out after school as well so they won't have to hold it so long.

 

At least for Tori, part of this may be the lack of walks. We've had so much snow and ice that the entire neighborhood is one big skating rink. It's so hard to walk them and PG hates it, but maybe just Tori and I can give it a shot and see if it helps.

[Guest MZH]

I want to reiterate what both Diane and I mentioned; the culture and sensitivity test. It's very important to identify the bacteria so it can be treated correctly. The C&S is the only way to do that and it will tell you which medication will work for the bacteria that's there. So, yes, do a C&S, to know for sure what you might be dealing with.

 

It's way easier to treat a UTI than a behavioral issue, so I hope that's it!

Edited January 27, 2011 by MZH

[MaryJane]

The Northeast has been hit with quite a bit of snow and low temperatures and that could be causing some of your problems. I find that my female is having trouble finding a spot to go outside (even though I shovel pathways for them). Plus when it is cold, she just wants to come back in pretty quickly. I go out with them and make sure that she pees otherwise she has a tendency to come running back in when my boy comes in.

 

Also, a few times when she peed, she goes so low to the ground that she is right in the snow and that could cause a chill and maybe "more frequent urination" so I usually clean her when she comes back in the house. I'm pretty on top of the situation this year because last year she ended up getting an infection right around the time we had the cold spell. I also have her on daily cranberry tablets.

 

As someone suggested, get a culture - they both might have an infection. I also suggest that you go out with them and make sure they are peeing and if the temp is below 20, get a coat on them even if they will only be out for a minute.

 

As a note, I think she got the infection last year because she was cleaning herself due to irritation and she is also a "poo eater". By the time I started cleaning her, it was too late, the infection had already taken hold.