![\"Older](\"https:\/\/puppyintraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-dog-accidents-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nEspecially if they were housetrained<\/a> and used to have a regular potty schedule<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, there are several different possibilities as to why your older pup suddenly seems to have forgotten all about their manners, and we\u2019ll look at them in this blog post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That brings us to today’s question: What should I do when my older dog is having accidents in the house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the first step of action should always be to schedule a vet appointment once you notice that your older dog starts having accidents in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s to rule out both acute and chronic medical conditions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve ever had a UTI yourself, you know how painful they can be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why one UTI symptom in dogs is whining when they\u2019re peeing or trying to pee. Others are the need to lift their leg or squat very frequently, blood in the urine, and licking of genitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dogs who keep having UTIs that don\u2019t respond to medical treatment can be a sign of bladder cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bladder stones also cause pain and can be accompanied by cloudy urine, blood in the urine, and a bloated stomach. Your pup also won\u2019t feel up to exercising and will seem lethargic overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diabetes causes increased thirst which leads to more frequent urination and can easily trigger accidents inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Certain medications can also cause an increase in your dog\u2019s potty needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Arthritis-related pain and certain spinal conditions can make it challenging for your pup to get up when they have to potty, so they may have no other choice than to pee (or poop) while they\u2019re lying down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond acute medical reasons, your dog may be dealing with age-related issues such as dog incontinence and Canine Cognitive Dysfunction<\/a> (CCD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on their size, dogs are considered seniors anywhere between 7-12 years of age. The larger the dog, the shorter their life span and the earlier they\u2019re considered senior.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So a 7-year-old Great Dane is considered a senior dog while a 7-year-old Beagle<\/a> is still middle-aged!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, bladder and bowel dog incontinence is part of a dog getting older. It\u2019s when the bladder and anal sphincter muscles gradually become weaker and the dog loses control over their potty behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can happen both when they\u2019re awake and when they\u2019re asleep. Dog incontinence medication can help tighten the sphincter muscles and nerves, and there are also several tools that can help manage the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll mention those in one of the next sections! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Canine Cognitive Decline or Dysfunction (CCD) translates to memory decline, which is a form of doggie Alzheimer\u2019s. It starts when dogs are around 9 years old and progresses from mild to moderate and severe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s essentially dementia in dogs where they forget routines and learned behaviors which causes them to start having accidents in the house. For example, house rules or using the doggie door to the yard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other signs of dementia in dogs are restlessness, anxiety, confusion, staring and changed sleeping patterns. For example, wandering the house at night and having potty accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, that\u2019s a tough question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your dog\u2019s incontinence is caused by a medical condition that\u2019s treatable with medications or homeopathic remedies, there\u2019s no reason for an early goodbye from your four-legged friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But when your older dog starts having accidents in the house and their incontinence is caused by rapidly progressing dog dementia or an incurable disease, ending your dog\u2019s pain may be the more humane thing to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It truly depends on the specific situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When my late pup Missy was diagnosed with cancer a second time around, it had already metastasized, spread into her brain, and caused a rapid decline in her quality of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n She started having violent grand mal seizures and was constantly peeing and pooping herself, so I ended up making the hard decision of relieving her from her pain in 2018. At that time, she was just shy of 7 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s not one day that I don\u2019t miss her, but I\u2019m confident that I made the right choice when I let her go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She wasn\u2019t herself anymore and whenever she looked at me, it felt like she was begging me to give her peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So again, it\u2019s going to depend on your dog\u2019s particular condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with a potential treatment plan from your vet, there are a few tools that can help you manage your dog\u2019s accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But unless your vet gives you medications that strengthen your dog\u2019s sphincter muscles and nerves, you won\u2019t really be able to stop your older dog from having accidents around the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as a heads-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When your older dog starts having accidents in the house, you take a deep breath, think positive thoughts, and practice patience along with providing very frequent potty breaks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can\u2019t be home as much as you\u2019d like\/need to, consider hiring a professional dog walker or pet sitter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019ll be able to take your pup out to potty several times per day, change their diapers and provide much-needed TLC.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond that, there are several tools that help you care for an older dog with incontinence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They range from a variety of different size diapers, both washable and disposable for female dogs & belly bands for male dogs, to washable dog pee pads, pet wipes and waterproof covers for your home and car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget to take your dog\u2019s diaper off before you take them outside! <\/p>\n\n\n\n When my pup Missy was in heat before she got spayed, I had her wear a washable dog diaper. It\u2019s the same kind as the ones for dog incontinence in senior dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, I forgot to take it off several times towards the beginning of her wearing them when we went outside for a potty break. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, it was a quick fix because all I had to do was throw it into the wash, clean her with a pet wipe, and put on a fresh diaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Years later, when Missy had accidents inside the house that were caused by her spreading cancer, I opted for disposable dog diapers and gave her quick in-between baths with a cleansing dog shampoo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she was home alone (which didn\u2019t happen often during that time), I gated off an area for her in the kitchen that wasn\u2019t carpeted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There also wasn\u2019t anything she could have hurt herself on in case she\u2019d had a seizure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took close to no pictures during this time because I just couldn\u2019t bear it, so you\u2019ll have to excuse the lack of photo footage from that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my pet-sitting clients, a male Bichon mix Rocky, also started wearing disposable dog diapers as dog dementia set in when he was 11 years old. Rocky got frequent baths with a cleansing dog shampoo as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Rocky was 14, his owner made the decision to let him go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By that point, his health had deteriorated to the point where he had no sense of orientation, and constantly walked into walls and into and over food and water dishes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s always so hard to make that decision, and the best advice I can share is you\u2019ll just know when the time has come. Your pup will let you know. <\/p>\n\n\n Yes, they certainly can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That way, your dog can still cuddle on the couch with you and\/or sleep in your bed if that\u2019s what they\u2019re used to, and that\u2019s exactly what Missy and Rocky did too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you\u2019ll want to keep your dog as dry as possible to avoid (urinary tract) infections, it\u2019s important to monitor their diaper or belly band. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s best to put on a fresh one right before bedtime and to check it again first thing in the morning to see if it needs to be switched out for a clean one – which it probably will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, if you notice your pup moving around in the middle of the night, they may have peed or pooped themselves so you\u2019ll want to check if they need a fresh diaper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you replace diapers, wipe your pup down with a pet wipe<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Missy, I also lined my bed with a waterproof cover because diapers couldn\u2019t hold the amount of urine and feces when she had a grand mal seizure in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n\n\nWhy Is My Elderly Dog Suddenly Having Accidents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Senior Dog Incontinence & Canine Cognitive Dysfunction <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is Bladder & Bowel Incontinence A Reason To Put A Dog Down?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Do I Stop My Older Dog From Having Accidents In The House?<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Female](\"https:\/\/puppyintraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/diaper-bulldog.jpg\")
So How Do You Live With An Incontinent Dog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How Do I Keep An Incontinent Dog Clean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"From](\"https:\/\/puppyintraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog-diaper-training.jpg\")
Can Dogs Wear Diapers Overnight?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Senior](\"https:\/\/puppyintraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/poodle-diaper-700x350.jpg\")
![\"Is](\"https:\/\/puppyintraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-dog-potty-accidents-700x1050.jpg\")
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