# Some help with my senior baby.



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I am a little worried and would very much appreciate some help from those with seniors.

My girl is 12 years, 8 months old and is extremely healthy besides a low grade heart murmur that was detected a month or so ago.

My girl lives with my Dad about 3 hours away from me (she is considered the "family dog" so when I went away to school she stayed home), so I have not witnessed anything, just going by what my Dad tells me.

So, this past week she has been pooping in the house. She also has been pooping just outside the door and down the steps as she makes her way over to the grassed area where she goes. This is not a normal behaviour for her.

My Dad has increased the amount of times she goes out, even if she doesn't ask to be let out, he takes her out more often. This has not helped.

The stool is solid, not loose. No discolouration. No change in diet, or routine. 

Then, last night my Dad took her on a walk around the property (4 acres) twice, she threw up when they got back to the house. It was bile. She acted fine, played and cuddled afterwards, all normal behaviours.

She does have a vet appointment first thing tomorrow morning and our vet told my Dad that if anything else happened to call him at home (he's amazing).

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what's going on or if you have experienced something similar?

Thanks everyone. I worry about my girl, she is "my heart dog" and I have a very hard time thinking she is in distress without me there with her, even though my Dad and Gramps are taking super care of her.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't have any advice. But I hope she gets better and they can find out whats wrong with her.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

She's at the age where they can become incontinent. It's a part of developing arthritis in the lower spine causing pressure on the nerves to her rear. If this is what's going on with her - and the pooping when getting up and going too soon really sounds like it - then she just can't help it. She's definitely due for a vet visit to make sure she doesn't have something easily fixable first though before just adapting to her problem.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

I agree about the pooping possibly being due to developing an incontinence problem. Frankly, if the vomiting is out of character for her, I'd be more worried about that. My old girl Kelly started throwing up and it turned out she had liver cancer. It's good that she's going to the vet. It sounds like you trust your vet to do a good job with her.
Hope everything turns out OK with her.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks guys.

My Dad said that she only threw up a tiny bit of bile after the long walk. Usually she won't do so much walking all at once so he thinks it was just too much for her?

As for the pooping, my Dad is concerned with it but thinks (as do I) that it is just due to age, like most have mentioned.

We have hardwood floors which helps with the cleanup and my Dad was inquiring about puppy pee pads for "her spots" around the house and near the front door.

He is a clean freak so I was worried about how he would react to this, but he is handling it just as I would, so I am lucky to have a family who understands and loves my girl no matter what.

Hopefully this can be fixed but if it can't we will deal with that. 

A neighbour of mine who I was speaking too about this said, "well, she is old. Why not just put her down?" I walked away. I didn't even say anything, just walked away. It's nice to have a place to come and talk about this and get some feedback and advice. Thanks everyone!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

KathyW's posts on cushings also come into mind.

If she hasn't had a blood panel in awhile, I would have one run.

I would also see K9 chiropractor.


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

- does she seem distressed about the accidents or is she matter-of-fact about the whole thing? 
- does she get a chance to _assume the position_ first or does it does shoot out?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

According to my Dad she seems upset, I think she knows she's not suppose to go in the house and so her ears go down, head down and slinks to the door.

Sometimes she does assume position, sometimes she doesn't. It all depends.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

The pee pads work well. We used them with Rica when she had problems.

I don't want to be an alarmist with the vomit, but I would still want the vet to do a really good checkup, especially since she's a senior.

When this happened to Kelly, I wasn't too concerned the first time because she would occasionally get an upset tummy. The second day in a row, we went to the vet. He didn't do much of an exam, just gave us some stuff to teat the symptoms. She crashed at the end of the week and we had to rush her to the e-vet. The vet there noticed the tumors immediately. She died that night at the clinic and I've never forgiven myself for not doing more for her sooner.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Oh, we are still planning on doing the "whole shabang" at the vet office tomorrow, so no worries. We want to rule anything else out first before we chop it up to over excise.

Johanna, 
I am so very sorry for your loss. It is tough to watch them get older.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

Good luck with her exam tomorrow. I hope everything works out for the best.

Thanks for the comment about Kelly - that was 13 years ago and it still bugs me when I think about it. and I don't use that particular vet anymore either.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks, I will update tomorrow once I get home from work.

I told my Dad to leave a voicemail on my phone right away.. haha.

I trust my vet (the one we use back home, not the one out here) with my whole heart and know he will do everything and more to figure out what is wrong and what can be done.

Another thing I love about him is he will try doing things "naturally" before he breaks out the medications (depends on situation of course) and get this, he feds and promotes RAW!


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I sure hope she is okay. I am of the mind that the pooping is incontinence. I don't know about the vomitting but my dogs will sometimes throw up bile too. I am sure the vet will test her and hope it is nothing except she had an empty stomach and over exerted. 

My old guy, Max, has Cushings and he did this a lot but he also had explosive and I mean EXPLOSIVE diarrhea that bounced off walls, light fixtures, furniture you name it. I think that was Cushings related.

I don't think what you are describing is related to Cushings although it is possible I guess. Max is under good control with his Cushings now and he still seems to forget where he is supposed to go. Sometimes he makes it to the far end of the yard and sometimes it ends up on the patio by the door. It is solid and he is doing well just has a hard time with where to poop. 

Right now I am in Iraq and hubby lets Max out more often and that has helped. He has not lost control while he is getting uo as far as I know. I think Joe would have told me. Max also has Spondylosis and I would bet that is the more likely cause of the fecal incontinence for him.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

How did things go with Beau's vet visit?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Oh, thanks for remembering, I forgot to update.

Everything checked out fine, they ran a bunch of test and everything came back normal.

She hasn't pooped inside or on the walkway since the weekend so I am not sure what to make of it.

The vet said that she is just getting old and is still healthy so this may be something we have to live with, which is fine. I mean in the big picture, if all that's wrong at 12 years, 8 months old is a little poop, well, we can't complain.

Apparently last night my Dad was walking the property (4 acres) and she came along for the walk with her ducky (plastic squeeky bath toy ducky) and bugged him to play the whole time.. haha.

I will update if anything else happens.

Thanks so much for asking about her, it means a lot.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

Great that everything looks good for her.









She's a pretty girl and she looks really happy in that picture.

The poop problems could be very occasional for quite a while. Rica started out that way and it was about a year (maybe more) before she had lost all control. We just kept the pee pads handy.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I am happy to hear she is basically healthy. Old age is not a disease just a process and hopefully she will continue to thrive for a long time to come.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks Kathy, I hope so too.

I talked to my Gramps last night (Beau spends most of her time between my Dad's house and my Gramps house) and Beau apparently was doing great. 

They went for their evening walk on a local bike traill and he even surprised her with a marrow bone.

She is really something.

She is actually coming up to my place (3 hours north of where she is now) for Christmas and I couldn't be more excited. She hasn't visited up here for almost a year. I went home in August for a week with the fur-kids so it has been a few months since I have seen and cuddled her last.


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