No one likes coming home to find an accident on the floor. If you’re housebreaking your puppy, this stinky surprise just comes with the territory. But if your older dog leaves you an unpleasant present—warm puddles or mountains of manure—he may be expressing a medical or behavior problem.
If your dog urinates where he’s not supposed to, it’s important to distinguish among urinary incontinence (loss of urinary control), urine spraying (territorial marking), or your run-of-the-mill “accident.” Incontinent pets often leave small puddles of urine when they get up from sleeping or resting. A pet who decides to use the carpet for a toilet—the back yard—will leave a large puddle of urine in one location.
Causes
Medical causes of housesoiling include bladder, kidney, and prostate infections; bladder stones; diseases that increase urine production (diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, Cushing’s syndrome); or any of the many causes of diarrhea. Muscle and joint problems also can make it painful or difficult for your older dog to squat in his outdoor potty spot, and cognitive dysfunction, an age-related brain condition that resembles dementia in people, may cause your pet to forget his housetraining.
Because estrogen and testosterone help maintain muscle tone in the urethra, spayed or neutered pets, especially middle-aged and older female dogs, can experience hormone-responsive incontinence. Pets with this condition often dribble urine when sleeping or resting.
What you can do at home
Solving your dog’s housesoiling problem may be as simple as offering more bathroom breaks. Some dogs, like some people, just can’t hold it. If you leave your pet alone more than eight hours at a time, arrange for someone to let your dog outside.
Forgetful or lazy pooches may just need a little motivation. Treat him like a puppy again, with frequent trips outside and crate confinement when he can’t be supervised, until he proves trustworthy again. Don’t forget to shower him with praise when he takes care of business outside!
To help rid your pet of this unacceptable behavior, thoroughly clean soiled areas using an odor-neutralizing product designed for pet accidents. Most cleaners, such as ammonia or vinegar, just mask the smell.
When to call the veterinarian
Call the veterinarian if your pet shows such symptoms as diarrhea, appetite loss, lethargy, or vomiting. You also should schedule an appointment with the doctor if your dog’s urine is bloody or unusually foul smelling or if your older housetrained pet suddenly starts housesoiling.
Even if you think the cause is behavioral, you may want to consult your veterinarian. He or she will examine your dog to rule out any medical conditions. The doctor also can tell you how to stop the housesoiling or suggest medications that may help.
What your veterinarian will do
Your veterinarian will ask questions about the nature of the housesoiling and will thoroughly examine your pet. During the examination, the doctor will look closely for any joint, spine, or other physical problems that might contribute to housesoiling.
If your pet is urinating in the house, your veterinarian will perform a urinalysis to check for infection or other urine abnormalities, and X-rays and blood tests can help identify other disorders, such as bladder stones or diabetes mellitus. If your pet is defecating in the house, your veterinarian will check a fecal sample for gastrointestinal parasite infection.
Treatment depends on the cause of housesoiling. For example, urinary tract infections are treated with oral antibiotics and possibly a diet change. Hormone replacement therapy can help hormone-responsive urinary incontinence. For older dogs, pain-relieving drugs for arthritis may help. The drug selegiline hydrochloride (or l-deprenyl) helps treat cognitive dysfunction in dogs.
Once your veterinarian diagnoses and treats the cause, this disturbing behavior should stop—and your surprise will be coming home to a clean house.
