Advice needed: I'm pregnant and dealing w/ a senior GSD with fecal incontinence

[christianforumperson]

We have a female 12.5 yr old GSD who has had issues with fecal incontinence since Feb 2023. When it started, it was maybe once a week. Now it's 6-8 times a week, sometimes multiple times per day, and sometimes within 5 minutes of her having been outside. It's pretty clear that she can't control it.

We've been told that she should go on more frequent walks, but walking more than a couple of hundred yards puts her out of commission for days. She struggles to get up as is and is completely deaf.

I'm looking for any way to help this get better since my patience is wearing thin. I'm pregnant and my husband works long hours, so it's mostly me cleaning up after the dog. I can't lift her if she falls in it, so I could end up having a poop- covered dog around for hours until my husband comes home. That's rare, but I've cleaned up dog poop from inside the house 5 times since Monday, two occasions on the same day. I just want to cry. I literally just stepped in it barefoot earlier because I wasn't watching where I was going.

I don't want to suggest putting her down because it's my husband's dog from before we met, but I'm struggling with the idea of dealing with a house covered in dog poop while home alone with a newborn. Any outside-the-box suggestions welcomed.

Edit: the comment about lifting the dog was referring to lifting her into the tub to give her a bath and clean her up

 

[mhcapa1]

@christianforumperson One of the signs of degenerative myelopathy Is fecal incontinence. The dog will lose sensation in their rear end and will be unable to control their bowels. If your dog is struggling to get up, that’s also a sign of DM.

If your dog has DM—which is likely considering her age and symptoms—you’ll need to do some research on the disease so you and your husband can have a serious conversation on how to proceed.

 

[nilo74]

@christianforumperson Some dogs will tolerate diapers surprisingly well.

 

[christianforumperson]

@nilo74 I'll have to see if my husband will go for it, any suggestions on brand?

 

[svetkaelisy]

@christianforumperson Only grab simple solution. Trust me. Our dog was in heat and its the only one that fit well or tear off. We also have a german sheppard. We even tried reusables. Nope nope nope. Amazon had them on sale for like 16$ for a 30 pack about a month ago but before that I was seeing them for 25$ very well worth it

 

[camillecosby]

@christianforumperson Absolutely take her to the vet. At 12 1/2, she's definitely nearing the end of her life, and from the sound of it, her quality of life has been declining for some time. Talk to your husband, let him know just how bad things have gotten - since he isn't home like you are, he likely doesn't realize just how much her health has declined. Even if you decide not to make that decision now, you and your husband should still have the conversation, so you're both on the same page when you may come to that point. See if he can come to the vet appointment with you, so he'll be able to hear the vet's input, since that can help as well.

 

[christianforumperson]

@camillecosby He'll absolutely need to come to the vet with me, I can't get her in the car by myself. But yes this had crossed my mind. Thank you for the response

 

[dcyshy]

@christianforumperson Is she having diarrhea?

 

[christianforumperson]

@dcyshy No, it's pretty solid but it just seems to fall out of her. Even she seems surprised by it.

 

[dcyshy]

@christianforumperson Our husky-shepherd mix used to drop a trail of poop while walking outside in his old age. He had some arthritis in his back legs but nothing else wrong (as long as we didn’t feed him anything with chicken).

If she doesn’t go at regular times of day, I’d restrict where she can go in the house, layer that area with puddle pads and gave her outside as much as possible.

 

[christianforumperson]

@dcyshy Yeah, it's completely random. Sometimes morning, sometimes while I'm at work, and sometimes in the middle of the night.

We've been trying to limit her to the garage most of the day, especially since it's been warmer. Keeping her outside a lot for more than a few minutes at a time really isn't an option, unfortunately. She barks/ growls at anyone who isn't me or my husband, and barks nonstop if left alone outside for more than 10-15 minutes.

 

[bunny136]

@christianforumperson I once had a roommate whose dog had this issue, I didn't realize at the time that he wasn't capable of doing what needed to be done.

I wish I had handled it with more empathy and helped him rather than waiting till I couldn't handle it anymore. It was really far overdue at that point.

 

[nobodyuknow]

@christianforumperson At her advanced age, it's important to take the dog to the vet and have an honest discussion about quality of life. Struggling to get up, falling, and inability to control bowel movements might be good indicators that her time is coming. I'm so sorry.