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Jesse | 4 years ago
We Have 3 Female Cats. Our 2 Cats, Margo And Edith, Are Now 3 Years Old And Grew Up …

We have 3 female cats. Our 2 cats, Margo and Edith, are now 3 years old and grew up together. Gwen is the 3rd, a kitten we rescued a few months ago. Gwen is not yet spayed but she is peeing on things throughout the house and causing Margo to mark her territory. I am here to get help with our situation and resolve the peeing and behavioral issues.

We found out the Gwen has elevated liver enzymes so she is being treated for that. Margo is on prescribed calming treats to help. Both older cats chase Gwen with intent as if they are annoyed or angry with her.

We have multiple litter boxes and plenty of places for them to avoid each other if they please.

Gwen is giving us a lot of trouble with peeing on clothes and random objects in the house and it is getting progressively worse…she is not yet spayed but we are at a loss as opposed to what to do or what is going on.

Can anyone provide some answers and suggestions as to why this is happening?

Thank you in advance!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Anytime I get a case like this I recommend a urinalysis be done. It is imperative to rule out a urinary issue. I also do a full blood work too. After that I talk about Feliway trying lots of treats and catnip and trying to understand what she is trying to tell you. They do everything for a reason so I don’t just medicate and turn a blind eye. I do talk about anti anxiety medications and there are lots of options s for this but it doesn’t change the fact that the case should be investigated thoroughly. This is a huge topic and in the texts book it can take up a hundred pages. There is not a one size fits all remedy.

    1. Jesse Post author

      Thank you for responding. We have tried Feliway wall plug ins and she gets a lot of attention but that doesn’t help. She’s had blood work done which revealed elevated liver enzymes but she it’s taking medication for that.
      Is her not being spayed yet a possible reason?

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
I Recently Adopted A 3 Year Old Male Treeing Walker Coonhound From My Local Shelter…

I recently adopted a 3 year old male treeing walker coonhound from my local shelter. We don’t know any history on him, but it is clear that the shelter did not work with him while he was there for several months. For the most part, he seems to be housebroke. However, whenever we leave he decides to urinate all over the house. He doesn’t do this when we are home, but we don’t let him out of our sight due to this being an issue. He also has this thing where he doesn’t want to do anything for himself. He doesn’t want to move, he doesn’t want to get up, he doesn’t come when called, he doesn’t ask to go outside, he doesn’t want treats for good behavior, he doesn’t eat a lot. It’s like he does what he wants, on his own time, when he wants. We are being patient with him, but we would really like for him to be a family oriented, trustworthy dog. We also do not want to have a dog we have to keep kenneled. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do to fix these behaviors?

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  1. Melissa Rumph

    Okay, I’m working on the housebreaking thing. But how do I go about teaching him how to play? Or be around people? Whenever I try he seems scared even though I’m extremely calm with him.

  2. Melissa Rumph

    Also, any suggestions on how to get him to “come” when I call his name? He looks, just ignores.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for adopting! It is impossible for a shelter to housebreak a dog. They simply lack the time and resources to do so. Therefore you will need to essentially start from scratch in both housebreaking and crate training as I think it is very very difficult to do one without the other. It is the only way to reward and provide the training your dog needs. I would also presume that your dog might be urinating in the house sullly due to stress when you are away. Your presumption about much of his behavior “he doesn’t want to move get up, ask to go outside, etc” are all things he needs to be taught to do. He needs to be shown what play, walking on a leash, shown how to ring a bell on a door, etc etc are all your responsibility in training. Please see your vet and please ask for assistance in finding a positive reinforcement trainer. I also really like Victoria Stilwells books. It really sounds like your dog needs a friend and a mentor and a whole lot of tlc and time.
    Best of luck

  4. Sarah

    I know he isn’t a puppy, but have you looked into beginner obedience class? It’s very good for dogs socially as well a owners for basic training help and how to get started. I highly recommend it. It’s not too expensive (talk to your vet for references and local trainers) and it is money WELL spent. Best if luck!!

  5. Krista Magnifico

    In time he will trust you and start coming out of his shell. I see it all the time in rescues. Sometimes it happens in a few days. Other cases take weeks. For now be gentle, use treats to coax him or just pick him up and carry him. He will eventually start to trust and interact.

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Haley Lierman | 9 years ago
I’m 27 And Have Had My Dog Since College. He’s A 6-year-old Male Cockapoo Who…

I’m 27 and have had my dog since college. He’s a 6-year-old male Cockapoo who I adore, and who is normally in great health (besides the occasional ear infection). I take him on an hour and half walk daily, feed him a potato and duck based diet, and make every attempt to give him the best care possible (regular vet check-up, shots, etc).

A couple months ago I realized he was frequently squatting to pee, but nothing comes out. He urinates normally when first let out, but then makes a ton of other squats, prolonged squats, where nothing or just a few drops comes out. At times, its almost impossible to walk at all as he will continue to squats over and over again for 30 minutes. He hasn’t had any incontinence or more than normal desire to go outside (except for every now and then, when he’ll go out, pee once, then keep squatting over and over again and want to go out soon after- but that’s not daily). However, I woke up this morning to a couple drops of blood on the carpet, which I can only assume were from his many attempts. Previously, there has been no presence of blood in his urine.

I’ve been to the vet SEVERAL times, and spent the majority of my savings and money trying to figure out what’s wrong (even with vet insurance, I’ve spent almost all I have). He has had a cystoscopy (camera inserted) to check for urethral cancer (none), full abdominal ultrasound, plenty of x-rays and blood tests done. They have ruled out bladder cancer, his blood work is normal, and the x-rays show nothing except a slightly enlarged liver (though since blood work is normal so they think the was born with it). They have ruled out a UTI, bladder stones, and just about everything else you can think of that would seem obvious. The only abnormalities are really the dysuria, mildly protruding abdomen, the appearance of a layer of fluid on the outside of his bladder, and some abnormal bacteria.

Please help. I can’t afford much more and I really love my dog.

General information about Jackson included in the attached images.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Hi,

We Have An Almost 13 Year Old Chocolate Lab Named Koko. About 5 Weeks Ago…

Hi,

We have an almost 13 year old chocolate lab named Koko. About 5 weeks ago, she had a seizure. We took her into the vet and they prescribed Phenobarbital to help control the seizures. Since then, she has been incontinent in the house, and has to go outside very frequently (which is a side effect to this medication). This is a problem when my husband and i both work Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. She has accidents in the house almost every day. Thankfully we put her in our laundry room which has wood floors so clean up is a little easier, but it still is stressful being that she usually pees, and then walks through it all day long tracking it everywhere in that room and gets urine all over herself. Especially when she has seizures, she paces for hours afterwards until finally calming down. We have tried NUMEROUS different types of diapers, doggy diapers (vets best from Petco, womens depends, XXL childrens diapers) and even tried buying suspenders and attaching those onto the diapers and around her to try to keep it on, but NOTHING stays on throughout the whole day. I just bought the “Dog Diaper Keeper” off Amazon today so I am crossing my fingers that it’ll work, if not i dont know what to do.

Besides that, my husband and I also have noticed that she has become increasingly anxious during the day and night time. She has always been on the more anxious side but lately it’s been getting worse, fast.

Since starting the Phenobarbital, she has had 3 more bigger seizures that we are aware of and since then have been to the vet and they have also prescribed Potassium Bromide which she is taking alongside the Phenobarb. We also noticed she started having facial seizures which the vet said could either mean the Phenobarb/Potassium Bromide are working and controlling the bigger seizures, or if the facial seizures continue along with big seizures it could be time for a CT scan.

In the last couple weeks, she has begun to wake up very early in the morning (3am) barking. We thought that maybe she was scared to be alone since having seizures, or is starting to get Alzheimer’s. Her kennel is in our living room so we thought that moving her into our room would help knowing that we were there, but it hasn’t. We also take her outside to go to the bathroom and that doesn’t seen to solve anything either. We are afraid to feed her too early because we don’t want her to get in the habit of eating that early in the morning. We have tried everything we can think of and she still continues to bark at all hours in the morning. The vet also prescribed her Diazapam to calm her down after seizures, but we are reluctant to use that to calm her down just because she is barking at night and hasn’t had a seizure.

We fully understand that it’s not her fault, and that she is getting old and is needing some extra TLC. But we feel so bad because we can’t figure out what she needs/wants. We desperately want to help her and keep her comfortable throughout the night.

Do you or anyone else have any advice for us? For the early morning barking or the diaper issue? Anything is greatly appreciated!

-Ashley

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
So I Thought He Was Making Himself Throw Up To Eat Again. Because He…

So I thought he was making himself throw up to eat again. Because he doesn’t really cry or seem in pain. But I switched his food to see if that would help. But lately he’s been throwing up way more, and it’s mostly just clear and a small amount of white foam, and sometimes some food mixed in. He still doesn’t seem in pain and doesn’t cry. Sometimes he gags to get it out, other times he will literally just be walking and a small amount will come out. He’s also been drinking quite a bit of water lately. And urinating quite a bit when he goes outside. But other than these symptoms, he seems completely fine.

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  1. Jana

    Dogs don’t make themselves throw up in order to get it to eat it again. Throwing up for extended period of time, particularly after a meal is a concern.

    If stomach content comes out “on its own” without any heaving, it’s called regurgitation. That can have its own set of causes, such as megaesophagus, which is pretty serious stuff. Is he losing any weight? Reasons for vomiting can range from issues in the digestive system itself to systemic problems such as kidneys or liver.

    With your set of symptoms, please do take him to a vet and have this diagnosed so you can treat it accordingly.

    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2015/01/symptoms-to-watch-for-in-your-dog.html  

    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2015/02/symptoms-to-watch-for-in-your-dog.html  

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Sebastian Has Blood In His Urine And I’m Unsure What The Cause Could Be. He’s…

Sebastian has blood in his urine and I’m unsure what the cause could be. He’s about 9-12 months old and he’s never had blood in his urine before. Some of it had this grainy sand like stuff in it. He is NOT showing signs of straining when he pews inside or outside. He’s still a happy cat as far as I can tell but I have no idea what could cause this. We don’t have any money so we can’t take him to the vet but I will give her a call tomorrow. I’m extremely worried because we have two other cats. And blood is always a sign. Please give me advise.

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  1. dakoda peterson

    Thank you that is very helpful. I will call my vet hospital and describe what’s going on and mention his diet and how to get some medications. We buy friskies for him as wet food and we feed all the cats a mix of everpet dry and new mix origional

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My 9 Month Old Female Miniature Dachshund Was Emitting A Metallic Odor From Her Back…

My 9 month old female miniature dachshund was emitting a metallic odor from her back end yesterday. I noticed it, did some google-ing, and shortly after the smell disappeared. My research concluded that it might be her anal glands. But I can’t understand why the smell disappeared (and as of this morning had not returned). She has exhibited no other signs or symptoms (no scooting on the floor, no problems going to the bathroom, acting perfectly normal)

As the mystery continued, we were walking outside to use the potty before taking a drive. After peeing, we got into the truck with her on my lap. I noticed she has made a wet spot on my pants. Assuming it was just some urine from her potty trip, I used a towel to wipe me and her off. That’s when I noticed that coming from her vulva was a thick, milky, yellow color liquid that was accompanied by a fishy smell. This led me to think that maybe she has a case of vaginitis. As the day progressed, both smells and the discharge disappeared. And as of this morning, no trace of either can found. I was already planning on taking her to the vet on Friday, should I take her in sooner? She just finished her first heat last week and I am planning on finding out this week when we can get her fixed.

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  1. Anonymous

    i’d get her in today, if possible JUST to make sure.

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Jennifer Taylor | 10 years ago
This Puppy Is The Last Of A Large Litter, He Was One Of The Only…

This puppy is the last of a large litter, he was one of the only ones who would keep a clean crate/puppy pen. When the ground froze he discovered the practice of eating poo when he was outside in our fenced in yard. He was neutered a week and a half ago and we thought it would be an opportune time to remedy the poo eating issue since we had to leash walk him. He now refuses to poo outside, we do take him out every 1-2 hours and give a high value treat for pottying outside. He will go in his crate immediately after coming in and will immediately eat it. It almost seems that since I won’t allow him to eat what is in the yard he is just going to make his own snack. I will add that he is a very quick learner, he learned sit and down in an evening. He is very driven by treats and praise. He will urinate outside and looks to me for a treat and praise as he is going. He does not like to be in a messy crate, we know almost the moment it is soiled as he barks/whines and we clean it up. He will only poo in his crate, I do tether housetraining pups to me to eliminate the possibility of accidents (I try to set them up for success) and he has not accidents in the house. He will poo in his crate once I have exited the room where his crate is. I of course can smell the moment he goes, I run in the room and catch him eating it. I have gone as far as letting him out to potty in a pen thinking maybe he does not want to potty with an audience, I watch from a nearby slider but have only “caught” him pooing outside twice in a week and a half, both times I was able to deliver praise and a high value treat as soon as he was done. Lastly his crate is appropriately sized for him, it is a wire folding style crate that is just tall enough for him, he has enough room to lay, stretch out and turn around. This is something I would like to rectify as I know it will be a potential problem in a forever home.

6 Responses

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  1. Anonymous

    Your puppy is just being a ……puppy!  Sometimes the art of pet parenting is like the TV show Survivor–Outwit, Outsmart, Outlast.  

    Be diligent in cleaning up after your puppy poo’s. Do not give him the chance to play with or eat poo. Try placing the puppy on a leash when you take him outside to relieve himself, and do not allow him to inspect his poo. Distract him from by calling him to you, and when he responds appropriately, reward him with a treat and verbal encouragement (go crazy and act like he is the BEST PUPPY ON THE PLANET!) and then take him inside before you go back to pick it up.

    If he hates poo’ing on the leash this is where the “Outlast” portion of the program comes into play. You just have to wander around the yard with him until he does it.  

     

    Some have found that adding meat tenderizer or natural additives to the puppy’s food makes a big difference, since these additives cause the stool to have a particularly unappealing smell that will discourage him from eating it. If you cannot immediately clean up the stool, or if there are some old stool piles in your yard, you can spray it with hot pepper sauce or mouth wash. It is  more effective to just clean up after the puppy.

    A good resource for puppy training is The Complete Idiots Guide to Dog Training.  You can check it out of your local library.  Good luck!!

  2. PK Dennis

    Walking helps the bowels move.  How about taking him on a walk when he comes out of his crate, and after he eats his meals.  The walking will get him eliminating and you will have him on a leash to control his movements while you pick up the poop.  This may work faster/better than turning him out in the yard and waiting, or wandering around the yard while he decides if he is going to poop or not.

    It may also be so exciting to be out and about that he forgets he wants to poop inside where he can snack.

    Good luck!

  3. Jennifer Taylor Post author

    Thank you for the suggestions. I actually had given more info in the details when I posted that I am doing all of these. This isn’t a typical housebreaking issue but more of a compulsion to eat stool. The issue of eliminating in his crate began AFTER I restricted him from eating poo outside. In the past year alone I have fostered 30 puppies, all were well on their way to being housetrained when they were adopted. As a board member of a local rescue and seasoned foster I provide support to adoptive families on the subject of house training. My approach to house training is to set a dog up for success eliminating the possibility for accidents and rewarding appropriate elimination. I vary my method according to the dog as not all dogs respond to the same method. I have had great success with training dogs who have come from horrendous living conditions, spending months in their own waste.

  4. Anonymous

    There are products out there to make the poo taste bad and most of them (I believe) have the main ingredient of MSG, which is the same thing as meat tenderizer. Dr. Foster and Smith has a product called Dis-Taste, but I’m sure there are others. If a dose of MSG isn’t harmful, give it a shot!

  5. Brian Downie

    Hello Jennifer. My Great Dane did this and then my Golden Retriever starting doing it. Learned behavior? I agree with Dr. Mag’s suggestions. I taught the leave it command and do not leave them unattended when it is ‘potty time.’ I tried to read a lot of remedies for this issue. What I found was mixed reviews on the food additives to deter the poop eating. I read about nutritional deficits and remedies. What I read and think was going on with mine was most dogs like to keep their play and living areas clean. Sometimes when a mother has a new litter, she will demonstrate this issue to keep the area clean for her pups. I too have a fenced in back yard which doubles as their play area when I cannot take them out in the unfenced area. I taught the leave it command and keep the area clean of feces. Somehow, imo, your dog has associated the crate pooping as safe but then cleans the area since it is his ‘safe spot.’ It took a few weeks to dissuade my dogs from doing this. Still, if I am not diligent about watching over them and keeping the area clean, the issue will persist. Your reaction whether positive or negative outside, may be influencing what the dog believes to be ok so he returns to his ‘safe’ area and only poops when he thinks you are not paying attention (because of your reactoin?) then gobbles the tasty morsel up for maybe cleaning? I found with my dogs when there is an unwanted behavior/issue the best reaction is no reaction. Remember, running to the crate to stop him may be interpreted as him doing something wrong so he tries to ‘destroy’ the evidence. It is learned somehow.

    An anecdote. My very sensitive Great Dane when she was young had what I perceived to be separation anxiety when my wife and I would leave. We would come home and rugs would be chewed, pillows destroyed, etc. I would come in and immediately react, negatively. I posted on here and in short, the response was it was my fault. I was at first offended thinking I was a great doggy parent, but then I thought about it. My Dane associated our leaving with her getting negatively in trouble when we came home. This caused her great stress and her acting out was a reaction to fear and anticipation. I quickly changed my behavior. When I came home I would simply clean up what was destroyed and before leaving I would remove anything I could. I did not react. She would cower in her chair while I cleaned. I simply went about my business without noticing her. When I was done, once she came out of her chair, I acknowledged her and said hello. It was my responsibility to break the association, not the behavior. It took a little time, but we became successful. Now when we leave, we make it no big deal. When we come home, it is not a big deal. She isn’t afraid of us leaving and her ‘just’ getting in trouble when we come home. We no longer come home to destroyed items or a fearful dog. I personified her hiding in her chair with her knowing she did something wrong. Nope. I taught her that when we come home I would yell at her so she anticipated that with great stress and fear.

    Maybe, without knowing it, we teach our dogs to do negative things. The hard part is realizing and accepting it then correcting OUR behavior.

    Good Luck!!!

  6. Brian Downie

    ” The issue of eliminating in his crate began AFTER I restricted him from eating poo outside.” Maybe he learned it is not ok to poop outside?