Seamus, what is WRONG with you? - Paw Talk

pihlaja · #1 08-23-2004, 06:58 AM

Seamus is about to go to the vet before I strangle him from frustration.

He has NO bladder or bowel control! NONE! He poos wherever! In the car, on the floor, his carrier--he doesn't seem to care! On the way home from the vet's (less than a 5 minute drive), he POOED and PEED in the car. Another time, on the way to a friend's house (he was in his carrier this time) he pooed all over himself even though he had used the bathroom before we left! TODAY, we went outside and he did his business then came in, played a bit, and he went in his carrier for naptime. Later, I kept smelling this horrible smell. At first I thought the cats just had gas (they often do) until I walked over to Seamus' carrier and the smell was AWFUL and STRONG. I looked in and, once again, he had pooed all over himself.

I understand that puppies do have iffy bladder and bowel control at young ages, but at almost 4 months old, I honestly believe Seamus should AT LEAST be able to hold it for an hour to two hours. It's not like I'm asking him to hold it all day, oh no, just one hour. But he wouldn't even hold it for five minutes on the way home from the vet's office, fourty minutes on the way to a friend's, and about the same amount of time today.

He is given MANY chances to use the bathroom outside every day. I just don't understand this.

Does anyone have ANY advice on what to do? If this continues, I really am considering going to the vet ... This really just doesn't seem normal to me and it is very frustrating.

DirtySouthChins · #2 08-23-2004, 11:11 AM

I honestly have no real advice for you hun.... Sadly Jessie the rottie pup is going through something similar although she is much younger than seamus and we are now just working on cutting back her water intake late at night and giving feed her earlier, etc.... and she still goes in her kennel. Darren even blocked off part of her kennel to make it smaller and she still poos in there, then she will take her blanket and cover it up and proceed to lay back down....smart little stinker let me tell you, however she has learned to hold her bladder just not the other one...... I hope somebody can give you some sound advice......... Best of Luck

hang in there!!!

Millimi · #3 08-23-2004, 11:24 AM

I don't have any advice either, sorry! I hope Seamus gets better soon, hang in there!

Chrisanne · #4 08-23-2004, 11:32 AM

It is honestly hard to say. If you feel a vet visit is in order then follow your instincts. When it comes to our pets we are seldom off the mark.

At his age, he likely can hold it for an hour or so. It could be that he has control issues or it could just be an act of fear or defiance. Maybe he's afraid of his kennel and you just don't realize it. A lot of dogs have car sickness and it isn't always in the form of vomit. Just some food for thought.

I hope it gets better for you soon. You will both be in our thoughts.

dappledoxie · #5 08-23-2004, 01:10 PM

Gosh, that is no fun at all. I'm sorry! Claire doesn't hold her pee too well but I think her bladder infection may be coming back. She peed on my bed Saturday...

first time in a long while. I'm taking her to the vet in the next day or two.

Denise · #6 08-23-2004, 02:28 PM

Let us know what the vets says. Poor baby. There has to be a deeper problem other than poor bowel control. I will be thinking of you and your Seamus and hope everything is okay.

pihlaja · #7 08-23-2004, 03:12 PM

Thanks everyone. Seamus pooed in his carrier AGAIN today after I washed him and the carrier and Sami and I went out for about an hour to go look at a house.

I really feel like something is off here. Seamus has NEVER done this before. He would hold it and wait until we went outside. I think I'm going to document the times he does it and when we go to the vet next week for his second set of shots, if the problem has continued, I'll mention it to her.

Chrisanne, Seamus does have some car sickness, but it was always in the form of drooling and vomit, not peeing and pooing.

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Just as I was typing all of that, Sami came back inside from walking the dogs and said, "I think I know what's making Seamus poo like that."

Rawhides and treats.

Sami got to thinking about it. Seamus didn't have these problems before and one pig ear would last him two days because his teeth couldn't really bite into it and chew it up. But now, his jaws are stronger and a pig ear will last him an hour because he can gobble it down. And as Sami noticed, he's not PEEING in his crate, just pooing. He will have big pees outside because he holds that (except in the car, oi, which as Chrisanne noted could be his new form of car sickness) but he has been pooing in his crate.

I think Seamus won't be getting many piggie ears anytime soon.

Just Greenies (it still takes him forever to chew those up). We'll test my hubby's theory and see how it works.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and best wishes on Seamus.

I appreciate it.

Tilt · #8 08-23-2004, 03:52 PM

It probably is the pig ears. Both of my pup's breeders practically forbid me from giving them pig ears. I was told cow hooves are OK, but pig ears cause bowel problems.

Millimi · #9 08-23-2004, 04:26 PM

I hope that's the answer to your problems!

Hurray for your detective husband!!!

chocolatepuppy · #10 08-23-2004, 05:02 PM

pihlaja I hope your hubby is right. I know the few times I gave my dogs rawhide that wasn't made in the USA they would poop green poop and it would be mushy

I don't give mine pig ears so don't know about them. I hope poor Seamus is doing better soon.

Denise · #11 08-23-2004, 05:45 PM

Interesting! My good friend has a Shar Pei and she told me the one time she gave him pig ears he had HUGE bowel movements and horrible gas. I hope by not giving him pig ears his poop problem will be under control.

pihlaja · #12 08-24-2004, 01:00 AM

Hehehehe ... those darn pig ears! Like Mexican food for dogs.

Hubby thought that may be the reason because when Kirby was young, he said pig ears made him poo a lot, too. But over time Kirby just got used to them and now eats anything you give him with no problems.

Hehe, Chocolatepuppy, it seems people always want products from their home country.

When we buy treats for the dogs (rawhides and bones, in particular), if it's not "Made in Finland," hubby raises a BIG fuss! I was picking up a big Greenie for Kirby on his birthday and Sami said, "It doesn't have the Finland key (little sign that shows it was made here)! I don't want it!" I said, "Oh hush, it is made in America and the only thing it might to do Kirby is turn his poo green, which means it would blend in with the grass and you wouldn't have to pick it up."

Last night we didn't keep Seamus in his carrier. We blocked off the kitchen and let him sleep in there. No poo, but he did have a big pee on the paper we left on the floor (at least it was on the paper). Of course, after all the pooing he did yesterday, I think I can say at this point he's a bit empty.

DirtySouthChins · #13 08-24-2004, 03:56 AM

Aweee poor Seamus.... It could be the piggie ears, ours are only allowed to get them once in a blue moon as they tend to get the poo's from them as well.... Although we have found out that too many greenies can do the same, so when they get their "we are leaving for awhile" treat it is nothing more than a small sized plain milk bone. We have large dogs and yes they get the small sized milk bones..... so yup maybe it is the treats

Hang in there Seamus your tummy will feel better soon

Formula86 · #14 08-24-2004, 04:08 AM

i'm so sorry!! my dog chaquita used to have "anxiety" poopies. even if she'd just gone poo and pee, she would poo when i'd leave from anxiety. maybe he is going from anxiety. you say he only goes when he's: 1. in car, 2. in crate. well, maybe those things really scare/upset him. ???
i hope it's just the pig ear thing!!

let us know!

pihlaja · #15 08-24-2004, 04:14 AM

Well, Seamus was getting piggie ears because he liked chewing them so much and it would make him sit still for over an HOUR! For a puppy, that's a long time.

Hehe, it was my way of getting baby to do SOMETHING while I tried to get work done in the house.

Today we might go out and buy him one of those nylabones so he can still have something to chew on. And the dentastixs didn't make him poo a lot, either, so I'll still give him those every now and then.

But I think he's doing better. He hasn't pooed at all today (he usually poos once in the morning and twice in the evening, but yesterday he pooed 5 times)! While he didn't do his morning poo, I think things should be all right in a day or two from the looks of it.

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For some reason, I don't think his pooing in the crate (while in the house at least) is from anxiety. Usually he knows the crate means nap time and doesn't fuss when he has to go in (except in the day--he doesn't like daytime naps). He's accepted the crate as *HIS* space and won't even let the cats go in it.

But we'll see. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.