Faecal Incontinence In Elderly Greyhound

[Guest Jude]

Hi all we have a 13 yr old ex racer who we adopted when she was 5. This year started with her being under the weather a little urinary incontinence which resolved.... I think it may have been a virus as bloods returned no clues and no infection detected. She then had persistent bouts of diarrhoea and weight loss. On vet advice I started her on a mixed diet of home made potatoes, rice , pasta and fish with a little of her usual tinned stuff and biscuits (grain free) I often add whatever else I think she might like sometimes egg, cottage cheese, carrot or chicken. I have been feeding her twice a day. This has worked a treat.....diarrhoea stopped, energy improved weight regained. She is just generally better and much happier ! The big problem is incontinence at night. Sneaky poo escapes before she realises and if she does know its time to go urgency means it escapes before she gets to the garden. Does anyone have advice ? I'm wondering if one large meal earlier in the day would help ? Scared I'm gonna upset what seems like a happy old lady ?

[GreyTzu]

Night poops happen with age. I would just clean it up and not make a big deal out of it. She cannot help it.

[tbhounds]

A diet change may help. Sometimes changing to a low residue diet will make for less stool production.

[silverfish]

I'm having this problem with Jeffie who is 12 1/2yrs old. We've just had a referral appt with a neurologist who tells me he strongly suspects degenerative myelopathy (we're waiting for blood test results). It would be relatively unusual in a greyhound, but there you go .. apparently there are several types, not just the one which affects GSDs. Here's what I learned from the neuro:

It's a complicated question to answer, because first you have to determine why she's doing it. If she's simply losing bowel control, Wendy is right: it's an age thing and she can't help it. Clear it up without making a fuss and move on with your day. Arrange the best you can with poop pads on the bed, or washable covers, or diapers if you choose to go that route and be glad you still have her with you.

If it's due to her 'losing' her housetraining, she may need 'Dogzheimer's' drugs. Jeffie is trying these at the moment because - I'm told - the fact that he raises his tail just before he drops the odd poop on his way to the back door means that he is aware. Raising the tail is under his conscious control.

If it's due to lack of bowel tone, then yes, changing the diet may help, if only temporarily. Sometimes they need more fibre, but we tried this first and it made Jeffie worse. So we are going the other route, and giving him a lower residue food which make his poops smaller and more solid. Hey - at least they are easier to pick up!

If it's due to lack of sphincter tone, there's not much you can do, so it's back to 'A': clean it up without making a fuss and move on.

 

If it's due to a bulging disc or lumbo-sacral stenosis (cauda equina) you need to address that issue and treat her accordingly.

 

If there's any change in the consistency of the poop, talk to your vet. It may be an urgency thing, it may be parasites, it may be a tummy bug. If she's had antibiotics recently, she may have trouble with her gut flora and need probiotics.

 

Jeffie has good sphincter tone and there seems nothing wrong with his bowel (or prostate, which won't be an issue for your girl, of course). He has a slightly bulging disc but not enough to cause this problem because it's not compressing the nerve. He has no parasites. I'm trying to find some decent dog nappies (diapers) at the moment, if only for the times when the poor dog has diarrhoea and it's not so easy to pick up! Not sure how I feel about having him in them permanently, but we'll do what it takes. I'm sorry you're dealing with this as well. It's so sad to see them failing.

[Guest normaandburrell]

We had a very elderly mixed breed who became incontinent of both bowel and bladder when left too long, either overnight or when we went to work. We just dealt with it. Congratulations on still having your happy old lady.

[Guest Jude]

Thanks all for responses x I guess we will just continue to get on with it ....... - do any of you think I should continue with 2 meals per day ? Or reduce to one ? I'm worried her age she probs needs more frequent meals than once a day ?

[Batmom]

I would continue with 2-3 meals/day, for the reasons you give .

 

Our elderly whippet (an angel now) didn't have incontinence but would have to go without much warning or without enough warning given that he didn't move so quickly anymore. We did find that a lower residue diet (more protein/meat/egg and less fiber/carbohydrates) helped. We also tried to make sure he got really empty before bedtime -- a little walking around helped -- and before meals (so he wouldn't have to rush outside the instant he was done eating).

 

Hugs to your darling pupper.

[scullysmum]

Night poops happen with age. I would just clean it up and not make a big deal out of it. She cannot help it.

Ditto

[silverfish]

I would continue with 2-3 meals/day, for the reasons you give .

 

Yep.

[Burpdog]

Oops turds are common in the elderly Chiropractic adjustments help

[Mercsmom]

Ditto

I had three sets of dog panties for my Liberty. Poo is so much easier to deal with than loss of bladder control. By "dealing" with it (panties at night, lots of clean up) we were able to spend almost a whole 'nuther year together. She was still enjoying herself and we were enjoying her.

Seriously - dog panties fro Pet?Co or Pet Smart. Skip the expensive dog diapers. Use the panties, line with a female sanitary product and save a fortune.

[Burpdog]

Yes to more frequent meals and I personally would never, and have never, put a diaper on an old dog.

[silverfish]

Yes to more frequent meals and I personally would never, and have never, put a diaper on an old dog.

 

 

I think there's no reason not to, if the old dog will happily tolerate them and it helps everyone to manage. I'd want to make sure that they were comfortable and didn't bind anywhere and I'd also NEVER leave them in a dirty one for more than a few minutes. Clean up - proper clean up - is vital. Skin care management is also vital. If they caused distress for any reason, I'd stop, but I can see there might be a lot of situations for many people where it was that or euthanasia.

 

Personally, I have a husband who hates dirt and mess, I have tiny grand-daughters and I can't be getting the carpet cleaning machine out every day because my health won't allow it. If it were only me, I wouldn't be anywhere near as fussy about the oops poops, but there are other people to consider.

 

Before the usual cries of 'kick him to the curb' or 'he should lighten up' or 'children should be exposed to bugs' etc get posted, that's all very well, but the fact is that they are other people's opinions and not mine. They are not my husband's opinions either, nor are they necessarily the opinions of my son and his partner. I will continue to do the very best I can possibly do for my dogs, and will not put a dog to sleep simply because he is old and leaking poop or pee, but each one of us has to manage in the way we find best. Personally, I don't see what is wrong with using diapers/nappies if that's what it takes and the dog doesn't mind and is managed properly.

[Burpdog]

We can agree to disagree. I have never and I will never subject an old dog to a diaper. It hurts my heart to even think about

[Mercsmom]

Having some protection made it possible to allow her to get up on the bed every night where she really wanted to be. During the day, I just watched and cleaned carpet. Arthritis and nerve damage meant that she'd often poop when getting up. Or sometimes while she slept. I can't tell how many evenings I sat in my chair in the living room and watched lying on the floor cushions. She'd be sound asleep and the tail would start to rise.......

[galgrey]

Chiropractic adjustments and/or acupuncture can both be effective for age related fecal incontinence (and urinary incontinence). Aligning the vertebral bodies and stimulating the nerve fibers that communicate between the colon and the brain can help reduce incidences of fecal incontinence.

 

Here are some links:

http://pointseastwest.com/tag/back-pain/

 

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/07/urinary-fecal-incontinence.aspx

[Guest Jude]

Hey folks .... Thanks for all of your opinions and thoughts .... Our lovely greyhound Winnie ( racing name Cromalt Winnie ) is very happy with the responses , she is very wilful, funny and a little bit naughty -( stealing hot dogs from people on the beach .....just gently taking it out of the bun as the person ate it .....) (attending a wedding reception - uninvited and stealing a burger this time )

She is such a character and very loved so she can just make as much unintentional mess as is necessary at her age xxx and we will continue to clean up without any upset ! We will try a lower residue diet and see how we go ! And continue regular feeds .... I've just finished making a new bed waterproof and wipe able ! Hurrah !!!!

 

Keep lovin your dogs in your own way all of you .... A bit like parenting there is no right or wrong just degrees of doing your best as you see fit xxx our dogs all love us either way we go !!! And they are very fortunate to be loved as they are .... There are so many who don't have a person to do their best for them whatever that may be ............ Thanks again xxx jude & Winnie

[Batmom]

Oh, Jude, one of the other things we did that was useful was to line the floor of the room where our dog slept with rubber-backed mats. Then if something messier happened, it was easy to pick up the mat and take it outside and hose it off.

[Guest Jude]

Thanks again

[macoduck]

We covered angel Harold's bed with a washable bed pad. If the turd fairy came during the night the clean up was easy.

Edited December 7, 2014 by macoduck

[silverfish]

I'm looking for a more washable bed for Jeffie. Unfortunately, he's a nester so bed pads aren't going to work. He also likes the big squishy donut beds which also happen to be too big for my washing machine! We'll manage somehow. I see an extraordinarily expensive Orvis bed in our future - you can take them completely apart and wash the bits separately, but they cost about £300 for greyhound sizes.

[Robin1017]

I just thought of these bed covers I saw at a pet expo a year ago. I grabbed their card and have had it on the fridge, so it was easily accessible. since I've had trouble with Robin with the sleep poops. This woman makes really nice pet bed covers that are machine washable (I believe) and come in tons of different fabrics. Some of the fabrics were water resistant/proof. We poured water on them and watched it bead and roll off. This might be an option for covering the really nice beds you have. I don't remember if she makes them custom for different bed sizes, but I bet she does.

 

Here is her website: www.dbcoverzzz.com Her name is Diane Cohen, and she calls them doggiebedcoverzzz.

 

I am thinking, technically, anyone who can sew a bit could probably custom make their own, actually, if you found the right material. But definitely check out her site anyway! It might give you an idea for an option that may not have been considered.

[Batmom]

You can stuff a bed cover with anything -- old quilts (washable/dryable), 1"-2" slabs of foam in layers (washable altho you have to squeeze and then hang to dry)..... Don't know if they still make them this way but Big Shrimpy beds used to be filled with polar fleece scraps -- completely washable/dryable.

 

If you have a bed made of thicker foam or foam chips, you can also line the top of it with diaper/lunchbag cloth (PUL) or part of a kid's waterproof mattress cover, or just 2-3 layers of terry towels (enough to soak up most goo so you just have to wash the bed cover and not the innards).

[silverfish]

My problems are that:

1) we're in England so American brands of anything would be prohibitively expensive to have sent over. Not only is the shipping pricey, but these days they slap a HUGE amount of import tax and/or customs charges on imported goods. Last time I ordered some small bits and pieces for jewellery making from the US, the charges came to more than the item was worth.

2) Jeffie is a bit difficult when it comes to beds. Firstly, he's a nester, so anything just laid in his bed or folded round the cushions is going to get tossed out PDQ, and secondly, his bed has got to be more attractive than Sid's bed or he'll steal Sid's. I'm pretty sure he's not going to go for a fleece-stuffed bed - he's old and bony, so he needs more softness than that. Sid, being an aging tripod with pain issues needs his flat, memory foam bed with a sheepskin on top for warmth. He can't get into donut beds very easily, so if Jeff steals his bed, I end up having to physically heave nearly 30kg of dead-weight Jeffie off it and into his own or Sid ends up on the floor and can't walk so well in the morning. I simply can't do that every night! Nor can I clean faeces off sheepskin very often, because those things take forever to dry. By giving them each their preferred type of bed, one which the other won't use, it saves us all a lot of hassle.

 

Which is why I said each of us has to manage in the way we find best. It's good to have these discussions though, because I'm now looking to see if I can find replaceable covers for the donut bed. If I can, we're home and dry - if you'll excuse the incontinence pun!

[DocsDoctor]

silverfish - just in case this helps, what worked for us when Doc had a UTI was an old shower curtain tucked around his (duvet) bed, then on top of that a large but very lightweight polyester counterpane from the charity shop. The counterpane was easy to chuck in the washing machine and the shower curtain could be rinsed and dried on the line at the same time. He is a bit of a nester too, but both of these covers were large enough for him not to scrabble them off. It would also be possible to reinforce the arrangement a bit I should think by adding fastenings underneath - maybe using the shower curtain rings, or running a tie or some heavy elastic round the edge, like a big bath hat!