Why is my senior dog pooping inside and refusing to go outside?

Question

My 13 year old dane would rather lay down in house and go #2 we need to food bribe him to get up sometimes on his own or with some help How can i stop this. Pet's info: Dog | Great Dane | Male | neutered | 57 years and 4 months old | 150 lbs

C. Rathjens, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor guy. He's very handsome and 13 is an impressive age for a Great Dane. You must take very good care of him. There are two possibilities that jump to mind for me. The first is that he may have enough arthritis and pain that he doesn't want to get up and walk outside. Even if he moves around ok and doesn't limb, and even if he's already on arthritis medications, I would recommend an orthopedic exam with a veterinarian to make sure he doesn't need more. The other possibility is that he's starting to have cognitive dysfunction (aka doggie dementia), which can cause dogs to forget their house-training. Actually, he likely has both things going on. A three thing to throw in there is he could have a true gastrointestinal issue such as parasites, IBD, issues digesting food, etc that is making him uncomfortable or feel increased urgency. So I would recommend starting with a vet visit to check him out for pain and talk to them about cognitive dysfunction. Bring a fecal sample too in case they want to test him for parasites. Best of luck to you and sweet Maverick. Please let me know if this was helpful information and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

Why is my senior dog pooping inside and refusing to go outside?

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