Senior dog eliminating in the house

[maybe532]

My senior, Lucy, is almost 9 years old and has been vet checked and has no issues. She consistently pees in one spot in the dining room regardless of how often I take her out. I feel this is a habit but since she is old I don't like kenneling her. I have tried retraining her but if it rains or anything spooks her in the yard she just reverts. How do you guys with seniors deal with this? I have to laugh because if Koda were to pee in the house we would kennel her but we let this slide with Lucy. She had such a hard life before we got her and lived in a kennel for about 6 months before we adopted her. Plus she is just the best dog ever. We always joke that the next time we get a dog we are going to the shelter and asking for a dog that has had a litter of puppies, has/had heartworm, and was running the street because she is just that great of a dog. She is just chill and happy.
Unrelated, but has anyone had any experience long-term with dogs that previously had heartworm? I always mean to ask my vet but does it shorten their lifespan or reduce their energy? Lucy had severe heartworm when we got her and was going through treatments. She has the lowest energy, like yellow dog on Funny Farm. I hope she lives a long time but sometimes I worry that she has no energy from all that her little heart went through. That has to be taxing on the heart.

 

[Doberluv]

Have you used an enzymatic clearner, such as Nature's Miracle? The scent of urine lingers in that spot and nothing will eliminate it entirely. I don't know how thoroughly Nature's Miracle gets rid of it, but apparently very well. So that would be my first line of defense. The next thing would be re-training or re-freshing her education about pottying in the house, which means constant supervision when she is free in the house. I know what a hassle that would be, especially when she's been fine all this time. But that has to happen. Any further accidents must be prevented. In addition, it is exceedingly important to go out with her each time and reinforce heavily for eliminating outside. That means a high value treat, such as fresh chicken, steak, hot dog, cheese...something she really goes nuts over, plus loads of praise. No punishment for accidents. She may be confused. It could be a little senility creeping in or not. But at any rate, it's not her fault if she has an accident. Try making the outdoors into the best place to go, from her view point. If something is scary outside, try pairing it with treats and her favorite game...something to turn the bad thing into a good thing.

I have no experience with heart worm. It's sure a terrible thing. I think there are some people here who do though. I'm sorry she had that. Yes, it must cause some damage...poor little gal.

 

[maybe532]

I have been using Nature's Miracle but I haven't blocked access to the area so I think since it takes awhile to dry she can still smell it. I guess I should come up with a way to block of the area...hmmm...that might take a bit of thinking to figure that one out.
I have a strong suspicion that she is doing this at night because I have never actually seen her do it. She normally sleeps in the living room (her preference) but maybe I can start having her sleep with us and see if that helps.

 

[corky]

We're going through this with an 11 year old. He was soiling in the carpeted living room at night sometimes. He won't go on lino, though, so we keep him in the kitchen with a baby gate at night. We tried kenneling, but it really upset him. I usually have to "go" myself in the middle of the night, so I make sure he goes outside when I get up. I agree with the Nature's Miracle. After you've used it a few times and its thoroughly dried, then shampoo the spot. I like using TKO or another orange-based cleaner. It smells nice and the pets tend not to like citrus odors. If the wood underneith is holding urine, you'll need to lift the carpet and paint the spot. Kilz is good paint for this purpose, if you have that brand.

 

[maybe532]

I was thinking of putting Koda's kennel over the area Lucy has been peeing, after thoroughly drenching the carpet. Do you think this is a good idea? It's a metal kennel with a plastic insert floor so there is breathing room as long as Koda is not in there.

 

[Barb04]

Putting the kennel on top of the wet area won't let it dry. You need to let air get to the area to dry out. If you have a big fan, point it at that area of the carpeting to speed up the drying process.

 

[maybe532]

Good idea!

 

[colliewog]

Buy a dish drainer (the old time things we put dishes in to dry before we had dishwashers) then put something heavy on top of it. That will allow it to dry, but will also prevent access to the spot. I'd say treat it a couple of times (dry, repeat, dry, repeat).