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-   -   I have this 15 year old beagle (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=79334)

  • Apr 4, 2007, 07:30 PM
    lrhall41
    I have this 15 year old beagle
    HE has been the best dog forever, but lately he has been having "accidents" on the carpet even when we are home. I think that he waits until we get home and let him out to relieve himself, to have his "accidents" on the carpet inside He has cancer all over his body (tumors) and had an operation 3 years ago to have some of them removed, but they came back and now has more. He is deaf and sometimes has problems walking.1:( I think he might even have doggie Alzheimmer's because he goes outside and stands there, and comes back in and has an accident inside.
    I do not want to put him to "sleep" because I do not think that he is hurting or really sick.
    Any suggestions other than cleaning up after him everyday...
    He is a family member and other than getting him diapers, or those pads for the carpet (that do not work) because he lays down on them rather than peeing, we don't know what to do.
    Thanks.
  • Apr 4, 2007, 07:43 PM
    labman
    It might be worth another trip to the vet. There are old dog things that can be fixed. One example is my 13 old Lab was having accidents. One capsule a week of replacement hormones cleared the problem up in days.

    The other thing is to take him out and walk him around. It works on puppies to stimulate their body, and maybe a 15 year old too.
  • Apr 5, 2007, 07:24 AM
    RubyPitbull
    labman's right. Both those suggestions are needed here.

    If, after doing these things there isn't any improvement, and your dog does not seem to be in pain, frankly, those doggy "diapers" that are made for males who have accidental urination problems around the house do work very well. He may just be at a point where he is losing all control of his bladder function. It doesn't have anything to do with remembering training. Your sweet boy is very old for a Beagle. It sounds like the confusion he is having is the beginning of elderly dementia. This is the time in their lives when we have to do all we can to help them. As long as he does not seem to be in pain, you need to make him as comfortable as possible and find creative ways to work around the accidents that occur.

    Growing up we had a number of different dogs. One was a West Highland White Terrier. She lived to be 15. Although she was not in pain, she had been through cancer surgery, and at that age, was blind and deaf. When we found her doing things like standing around and seeming to be confused as to where she was, we realized that she was starting to go senile. Finally, when she could not longer differentiate between her food or her excrement (VERY upsetting to find her in the midst of eating that), my father felt that the kindest and most humane thing we could do for her was to euthanize her before she was in any truly visible pain. He felt that her complete confusion, no longer allowed her to have any quality of life. It nearly broke my heart to have him come to this decision. I still miss her to this day. But, I realized in the end, he did this because he really loved her.

    It is so hard to gauge at this point in their lives, when the time has come. It appears your guy still has some spunk left in him. Just watch him carefully, and find ways to make his life easier and comfortable. Give him lots of love and attention and if he continues to have accidents, keep being as patient as you have been. When he gets to the point that you are not sure what to do, if you have a good veterinarian, rely on his/her wisdom to guide you in your decision. It is obvious from your posting your boy has a been a good companion to you and that you love him dearly. Now is the time when he really needs your careful attention to his signals, and as much patience and creative "thinking outside of the box" to make him comfortable and happy, as you can muster.
  • Apr 5, 2007, 08:24 AM
    olivia_7
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lrhall41
    HE has been the best dog forever, but lately he has been having "accidents" on the carpet even when we are home. I think that he waits until we get home and let him out to relieve himself, to have his "accidents" on the carpet inside He has cancer all over his body (tumors) and had an operation 3 years ago to have some of them removed, but they came back and now has more. He is deaf and sometimes has problems walking.1:( I think he might even have doggie Alzheimmer's because he goes outside and stands there, and comes back in and has an accident inside.
    I do not want to put him to "sleep" because I do not think that he is hurting or really sick.
    Any suggestions other than cleaning up after him everyday...
    He is a family member and other than getting him diapers, or those pads for the carpet (that do not work) because he lays down on them rather than peeing, we don't know what to do.
    Thanks.

    Oyur dog is old and you neeed to gte diapers or just let him go.

    We have a 13 year old poodle and she is the same way,fat little and can't rardley go.
  • Apr 5, 2007, 12:01 PM
    mrscoltweaver
    There is hope and good drugs out there. First, he needs bloodwork to detect any metabolic problems such as renal failure (kidneys), urinary tract infection, etc. If all are normal, ask the vet about Anipryl by Pfizer. It is specifically made for Old dogs with problems you have described! Don't give up!

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