My 10 yo intact female shepherd has somewhat recently begun soiling her crate (poop and/or pee) fairly frequently. She seems to only do it if she has bedding in her crate. After she ruined her last crate pad she went without any bedding for about 2 months. I dislike her not having bedding because she does sometimes get a little stiff and I don't think that it's good for her to not have some padding. She didn't have any accidents during the bedless period so I figured maybe she was going to be ok and I went out and bought her a new bed (with a removable cover, just in case) and two days later she pooped on it. I cleaned it. Now, about two weeks later, I was smelling urine when passing her crate so knew it again needed washing. Before I had time she pooped on it again and when I took it apart for washing I could see three large pee spots on the inner foam.

Other than the occasional stiffness this dog appears healthy and is let out frequently for exercise and potty. She is no longer allowed in the house because she will also soil indoors without warning. This was not a problem when she was younger. I don't believe it is incontinence as she has demonstrated that she CAN hold it. She rarely alerts us to her need to go out, though if she does whine lightly it is usually too late by the time we get to her. Occasionally she will go out and within a minute soil her crate.

Any suggestions? Could this be a medical issue even though it is inconsistent and she appears otherwise healthy? Is she going senile? lol ... Any insight would be apprecaited.

This is just a guess. Could it be she sleeps more soundly on the soft bedding, and eliminates in her sleep. This could well be age-related.

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She is no longer allowed in the house because she will also soil indoors without warning. This was not a problem when she was younger. I don't believe it is incontinence as she has demonstrated that she CAN hold it. She rarely alerts us to her need to go out, though if she does whine lightly it is usually too late by the time we get to her. Occasionally she will go out and within a minute soil her crate.

what you are describing commonly happens with dogs her age. it is a sign that she is declining. clean the egg crate foam with a product called "odor mute." it's an enzyme powder that works brilliantly. then put a waterproof cover on it. at her age, she needs a comfortable bed, so don't deprive her of it just because of her accidents. this is part of end of life care for a dog.

you are experiencing the older dog issues. i would strongly suggest a visit to the vet. if she is having minor incontinence or she is dribbling in her sleep...the urine issue could possibly be treated with meds.

I found that as my old gsd got older,she could no longer hold it.the last year of her life she went out every three hours around the clock.she would not alert any more. i took responsibility and took her out every three hours..no exceptions..she slept on the floor of my bedroom,next to my bed, as she was arescue who i had for8 years..but she would eat through airline or wire crates..frantically..she was rescued from a puppy mill..where she was being used as a broodbitch and was kept in a 3 x 3 pen..so that is where the phobia stemmed from..she could be kept in a xpen
which might be an idea for your girl...ifnyou do not want to clean all the time
bed a small area, then put puppy pads down in another area..this allows her comfort and a means to get out of the soiled area if she soils.. old dogs well they have the same issues that old humans do
I currently have an elderly greyhound..who some nights ask me to go out as much as 4 times between 10 pm and 5 am..and i can not deny.. she is old..and she will try not to potty in the crate
one other thing
i have found thatthe older girls often need to urinate two or three times, as if they can not completely void easily.. so i always watch..and wait for her to go ,walk around,etc.. and try to get her to void a second time..sometimes it is easier to take her on a leash..
first and foremost get a complete vet exam
second consider letting her have a x=pen with a sleep spot and puppy pads
third consider leashing her to potty to verify that she is going enough..that she voids and possibly voids a second time
Nicole

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you are experiencing the older dog issues.......first and foremost get a complete vet exam...second consider letting her have a x=pen with a sleep spot and puppy pads ...third consider leashing her to potty to verify that she is going enough..that she voids and possibly voids a second time...Nicole

Along with the taking outside every couple or three hours, YES. What Nicole and Alice have written is exactly what I could have written from my own experience with senior females. Number one IS the vet.

Not only do you want to rule out bladder/kidney/etc. tumors and UTIs -- but also kidney failure and diabetes.

I also have seen that failure to completely void the first time, and found it helpful to keep her out walking around for a bit and perhaps going again.

I had these problems with my old Dobie, Odin. He didn't have that much trouble with urination issues, but he lost anal tone and couldn't keep from soiling in his crate. I found it helpful to feed him his last meal earlier in the day so he'd be fairly empty by bedtime. A thorough vet check with a blood work-up is the first order of business.

Thankyou for your replies. I should have mentioned that she had blood work done about 3 weeks ago when she suddenly lost a significant amount of weight. No parasites ... nothing abnormal at that time upon physical examination or in the bloodwork, just seemed that her metabolism changed. I guess I was too preoccupied with her weight at that time to remember to ask the vet about her soiling problem. She has regained the weight and is still as healthy as she's always been. I will see if I can get her back in next week and talk to the vet about it, though.

I do not believe there is any incontinence. She does not seem dribble or leak. When she has accidents it is usually a bladder full and it is conscious, not in her sleep. And if she defecates it is usually after she has already done it outside. I think that Connie is probably right and I need to watch her go more than once, be sure she has plenty of time to completely finish her "duty." Maybe she is in a hurry to get back inside. I don't have room anywhere for an expen, unfortunately.

I will ask the vet for his opinion, but if it's her time to decline I think it must be mental, rather than physical decline as she still gets around as though she were much younger. Just a little stiff here and there, no major problems at all. Beyond her elimination problem she is aging very gracefully, we have been lucky with her.

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....I should have mentioned that she had blood work done about 3 weeks ago when she suddenly lost a significant amount of weight. No parasites ... nothing abnormal at that time upon physical examination or in the bloodwork,... I will see if I can get her back in next week and talk to the vet about it, though.....I do not believe there is any incontinence. She does not seem dribble or leak. When she has accidents it is usually a bladder full and it is conscious, not in her sleep.....
I will ask the vet for his opinion, but if it's her time to decline I think it must be mental, rather than physical decline as she still gets around as though she were much younger.....

I understand what you're saying. I just want to add, though, that incontinence often happens in senior dogs who seem to be otherwise healthy and active, and that physical causes would not necessarily have been spotted in blood work for weight issues, especially when the vet didn't know about it when he ordered blood panels.

I understand that incontinence can happen in the absence of any other problems and I will discuss it with my vet, but would incontinence be so intermittent? She only soils the crate when she has a bed to soak it up. I don't recall her ever having any accidents during the absence of bedding (whether because it was being washed or whether she was waiting for me to purchase a new one). Please don't misunderstand and think I am arguing ... just trying to dig deeper and get all the insight I can from those of you who have had this problem with your older dogs as I never have. I have dealt with a few senior dog issues, but never "bedwetting" lol. I will also, of course, discuss it with my vet, but I tend to have very little faith in the veterinary profession due to several past experiences (with a different vet) so I want to know as much about a possible problem as I can so I can better judge what is necessary and what is money grabbing or ignorance. He still thinks that she should recieve all vaccinations (including bordatella) at her age and wanted to give them to her when she was ten pounds underweight! He wasn't impressed when I refused, said I was jepordizing my dog's health. Now I'm rambling so I'm going to leave, lol.

here is a link: house soiling