Dog Pooping in Sleep

[altermetoday]

My old dog has been slowly declining… He’s had some spinal fusion and is stiff getting up. I had been taking him to a vet and she was doing chiro, accupuncture and laser treatment. It was getting over the top expensive so I stopped about a month or so ago. I’m starting him on gabipenten and tramadol, however, I had wanted to wait and see and try to figure out the effects of the treatment and how long he was good before starting him on the meds…

At any rate, the last two days, I’ve found dog size pellet poop near where he slept. Last night I found I two of them in my bed, yuck. Thankfully they are hard. I know they weren’t in my bed when I crawled in because I have to pick him up and put him on the bed. So, its happening overnight.

What to do with this ? Just old age? Something to be worried about? Or just an accident? Vets office isn’t open yet and I’m not sure if they are open today or not…Thoughts?

[Angela_Freda]

My Labbie is 16 next month, and does poop the bed in her sleep from time to time.
When she goes out to poop, she can no longer squat, just marches along in a demi squat, tail akimbo, dropping a trail.
I am thrilled when she goes outside, but truthfully, just thrilled she still goes at all.

She has her own bed in the family room, and I put a sheet over it, so I can do a quick change/clean up when she has an accident.

She was on tramadol, wellactin and Duralactin for about 18 months or 2 years… but went on a hunger strike about last summer and to get her fed I stopped all meds. planning to add them back on after she was eating again. She just flat out refuses meds, no matter how you offer them. And she’s ashamed to do it, which makes it harder to force her.
She’s as comfortable as I can make her, ambulatory, excited for meals, thrilled to see her Beagle sister come out for a walk… and loves to amble around the yard sniffing.
I am learning to be happy with what I get.

[altermetoday]

Angela - dd you take your dog to the vet to get this checked out? Just wondering if I should even bother or if basically there is nothing I can do… still waiting on them to call me.

[Angela_Freda]

Oh yes she and our Vet are old friends. That’s who I got the Wellactin and Duralactin from, and the Tramadol.
She has not been in a while, but Vet knew/knows about the poor hind end that doesn’t allow her to squat any longer [hence the anti-inflammatories and pain meds].

[yellowbritches]

My older dog will do this on occasion, as well. She’s also no longer the “I’m going to go off in the under brush and have a discreet poo by myself” dog that she has been all her life. She tends to walk and plop. To me, it seems a strength/balance issue. It’s hard for her to maintain that precarious poo squat balance nowadays.

She will occasionally (very occasionally, at this point) leave a little turd where she slept, so I just try to be extra certain that she gets plenty of outside time, especially if I’m uncertain she’s gone at all. She’s old, and I try not to ever make a fuss about it. I just grab it and flush. If she knows it’s hers (and they do) and sees me go pick it up, she’ll get embarrassed, which makes me feel bad. Old bodies give out and I want her to know that I’m so not upset about that. I’m just happy she’s still happy and spry.

[HappyTalk]

And on the lighter side about bed pooping…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6JhvTnanms

[altermetoday]

Last night about 1230 my dog got restless in bed and he couldn’t get up. I had a feeling he needed to go out which is unusual as he typically can go all night…but I’m guessing he didn’t go when everyone else did. So I picked him up and took him out and sure enough he pooped and peed. So hard to see these guys struggle as they age.Last night about 1230 my dog got restless in bed and he couldn’t get up. I had a feeling he needed to go out which is unusual as he typically can go all night…but I’m guessing he didn’t go when everyone else did. So I picked him up and took him out and sure enough he pooped and peed. So hard to see these guys struggle as they age.

[altermetoday]

@HappyTalk

And on the lighter side about bed pooping…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6JhvTnanms

my puppy started barking when this came on and jumping all over me…hilarious

[Angela_Freda]

@yellowbritches

My older dog will do this on occasion, as well. She’s also no longer the “I’m going to go off in the under brush and have a discreet poo by myself” dog that she has been all her life. She tends to walk and plop. To me, it seems a strength/balance issue. It’s hard for her to maintain that precarious poo squat balance nowadays.

She will occasionally (very occasionally, at this point) leave a little turd where she slept, so I just try to be extra certain that she gets plenty of outside time, especially if I’m uncertain she’s gone at all. She’s old, and I try not to ever make a fuss about it. I just grab it and flush. If she knows it’s hers (and they do) and sees me go pick it up, she’ll get embarrassed, which makes me feel bad. Old bodies give out and I want her to know that I’m so not upset about that. I’m just happy she’s still happy and spry.

I tell ya’ my dogs, when the chips are down, always seem to throw me a small nugget of ‘How sweet are these dogs?’

The Beagle is so protective of the Lab that she will hide or eat [GAG] the Labbies poo if it’s deposited in the house.
Beagle won’t do that for the JRT, who has no shame about indoor accidents sigh
The Lab house trained herself, she is that good… or was. And really none of my dogs get punished for accidents… ultimately it’s my fault when it happens.

And one morning I woke to frantic Beagle barking… the Lab had fallen on the vinyl kitchen floor no where near the mats scattered to help her get up… I love my dogs.

[TMares]

Get these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YA9ICG6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

when our older guy was failing in a similar way, I bought a cheaper version and they were useless. These fit, they will capture the droppings and are very sturdily made.

[CindyB59]

Our old GSD did the same, just lose control of those muscles. I feed good food, so no big deal to pick up after him. But he didn’t sleep on our bed :). I figure it’s just part of loving them, he couldn’t help it.

[jetsmom]

In many cases their sphincter tone becomes more lax, and the exertion of getting up if arthritic forces the poOP out. Arthritis meds like adequan, nsaids can help.