Question:
Our lab sheppard cross will be 14 in March. She has always had the bowel control of a super hero. "I'm not going out now, it's wet".
However in the last couple of months she has starting having normal bowel movements in the house, mostly at night. Most of the time she wakes us up.
Is this normal for a dog of her age? Basically she is in really good shape, still climbs up on the furniture, up the stairs at night to sleep in our room.
We feed her geriatric food with glucosamine. She is our first dog, so I don't know what to expect. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thanks everyone.

kelsey's mom

Answer:
Just as with humans, as muscles get weaker, etc., I suppose you can't expect your elderly dog to have the constitution of a 'super-hero'. Do you walk her just before going to bed, so she has an opportunity to do her business? Often geriatric dog food will be made so that it is more easily digestible, and therefore easier to pass. As the stool is normal, I wouldn't be too concerned, (she probably wakens you as she is not used to going in the house and wants to go out...) I would try walking her just before bed time, and maybe giving her her evening meal a little earlier too, so she's not caught short in the middle of the night.

Answer:
Welcome to the forum. We'd love to see a pic of your dog. I agree with Inisfad, it is common for older dogs to have "potty" issues. Feeding her earlier is a good suggestion as is the evening walk. You can also try decreasing the evening meal a little bit and giving a bit more in the morning.

Answer:
14 years old that is great. It is quite normal for an older dog to have to go more frequently as long as they are normal movements and not runny. As a dog ages and exercises less they need less food also. It is important to keep older dogs trim, does she get treats before bed?

Answer:
What are you feeding her and how often? How often is she taken out for "utility runs" ? How often is she walked/leash-free free play and let out?

You may want to think about changing what she is eating and feeding schedule as well as her exercise.

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How long has she been on old folks' food? Generally, senior kibbles have way more fiber in them than regular kibble... Maybe she'd be her old self on regular kibble but in a lower quantity.

Answer:
Our 11 year old husky X has started doing the same thing. He used to be fine all night, but lately he's been having accidents. Some nights even 5 hours seems to be too much for him.

My biggest problem with this is that we have 2 other dogs who seem to think that because Spike makes a mess in the house, they can too! So most mornings I'm cleaning up 3 messes instead of 1! And these dogs DO poop as late as 1-2am and I still find messes at 7-8am.

Answer:
Poop issues are kind of normal as they get older. What kind of food are you feeding? Something with too much fiber may be keeping him regular, maybe too regular.
I use to find pieces of poop that my old girl had inadvertantly let drop out as she walked around the house. It didn't happen often and we never said anything to her because she would have been mortified to know they came from her butt. It didn't happen every day so it really wasn't a problem.

Let us know what kind of food you are feeding. There may be something a little better that will not make her so regular.

Answer:
I don't mean to hijack the thread and go off topic.. but.. if your dog is having good, regular bowel movements, why not just leave the food the same rather than risk constipation from switching to another food? Also, isn't this more like incontinence than diarrhea? Loose stools mean the food is too rich, regular stools in the house means the dog can no longer hold it.

Answer:
My Benny is 9 and he seems less able to "hold it" as he gets older. Here are a few things to try. When do you normally feed your dog, and how many times a day? If you are feeding her in the evening you may want to try feeding her a bit earlier so that the food has gone through her system by bedtime, and if she only gets one meal a day, I would try splitting that up into 2 or 3 feedings instead. Also, do you let her out or walk her right before bedtime? Do you watch her to make sure she goes? I have to watch my guys to make sure that they both pee and poop before bed, otherwise I'll wake up to a mess in the morning. If one of them doesn't seem to want to go, they stay out until they do go and then they get lots of praise for doing it.

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