We have a 12-year-old Japanese Chin who began acting out when we leave the house about a year ago. It started with tearing window sheers, pacing, defecating in the house, and urinating on the couch.
We tried covering the couch with a tarp- she urinated on the tarp and defecated elsewhere in the house, stepping in it while pacing and tracking it everywhere.
We then confined her to a smaller area. She jumped repeatedly at the gate, paced/stood all day, defecated, stepped in it, and required frequent baths.
We moved to diapers. She somehow defecates out of the diaper and still tracks feces everywhere.
We tried crating, she still defecates in the crate.
We tried artificial grass, she has no interest. Still soils the area.
Recently she has begun urinating in the house even while we are home- not dribbling/incontinence, but full urination. For example, she urinated under the table while we were sitting at dinner.
What we’ve tried:
• Increased potty breaks (very frequent) • Changing feeding schedule • Hemp oil • Calming treats (~$90/month) • Prozac (fluoxetine) • Confinement to small area (we removed flooring and replaced with laminate for cleaning) • Crate (she soils it and smears feces) • Recently received Librela injection “just in case” for pain, though she shows no arthritis signs (only a few days in) Medical workup:
• X-rays • Bloodwork (twice) • 3 urinalyses • 2 fecal exams • Multiple checkups Everything has come back normal.
This is severely affecting our mental health. We’ve had to throw away a couch and flooring. We love her deeply but are at a breaking point.
Has anyone experienced this with a senior dog? Could this be cognitive dysfunction? Extreme separation anxiety? Something else we’re missing?
We’re open to suggestions.
submitted by /u/SaveTheSquirtles
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