Dog destroying marriage

[Anonymous]

Incontinent with mobility issues is not remarkably healthy. I recently went through the same thing with our dog and it caused strain on my marriage too, because I was constantly cleaning up accidents and my husband acted like it was no big deal.

[Anonymous]

The vet says she's not incontinent bc then she would just walk around and dribble. She knows she is going just needs to go a lot or she ends up going in the house. She's upstairs because that's our living level. Downstairs is just a foyer. She likes to be near us so I think keeping her downstairs would be cruel. The yard is just a tiny grass patch in the front of the house. It's our front lawn basically.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I am an animal lover big time. But no way could I take pee all over the house especially with little kids. Yuck. No.

I think that the dog needs to be contained to a specific area of the house and/or dog diapers sound like a good and needed plan too. The dog is 16 years old, it can't make it down steps, how fast could it be do you really need a fence? Can't you just walk outside with it, let it do it's business and then go back inside?

[Anonymous]

Pp what did you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I am an animal lover big time. But no way could I take pee all over the house especially with little kids. Yuck. No.

I think that the dog needs to be contained to a specific area of the house and/or dog diapers sound like a good and needed plan too. The dog is 16 years old, it can't make it down steps, how fast could it be do you really need a fence? Can't you just walk outside with it, let it do it's business and then go back inside?

Just saw Op's response that the lower level is a foyer and the yard is a small front lawn. Doggie diapers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vet says she's not incontinent bc then she would just walk around and dribble. She knows she is going just needs to go a lot or she ends up going in the house. She's upstairs because that's our living level. Downstairs is just a foyer. She likes to be near us so I think keeping her downstairs would be cruel. The yard is just a tiny grass patch in the front of the house. It's our front lawn basically.

A solution may be to keep a lead on her all the time, and when she asks, to immediately carry her downstairs to the yard. If she is peeing 8 times a day (which is a lot, is that more than before?), then you will be making 8 short trips away from your young children. If the house is reasonably child-proofed, possibly with baby gates or doorknob covers, the children can be left alone for 2 minutes while the dog goes pee. It sounds like you need to step it up, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp what did you do?

We put her to sleep. A dog who has frequent accidents and can't move on their own free will does not have a good quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vet says she's not incontinent bc then she would just walk around and dribble. She knows she is going just needs to go a lot or she ends up going in the house. She's upstairs because that's our living level. Downstairs is just a foyer. She likes to be near us so I think keeping her downstairs would be cruel. The yard is just a tiny grass patch in the front of the house. It's our front lawn basically.

A solution may be to keep a lead on her all the time, and when she asks, to immediately carry her downstairs to the yard. If she is peeing 8 times a day (which is a lot, is that more than before?), then you will be making 8 short trips away from your young children. If the house is reasonably child-proofed, possibly with baby gates or doorknob covers, the children can be left alone for 2 minutes while the dog goes pee. It sounds like you need to step it up, OP.

+1. Is your backyard a walk out or are there steps there too? Is this a townhouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vet says she's not incontinent bc then she would just walk around and dribble. She knows she is going just needs to go a lot or she ends up going in the house. She's upstairs because that's our living level. Downstairs is just a foyer. She likes to be near us so I think keeping her downstairs would be cruel. The yard is just a tiny grass patch in the front of the house. It's our front lawn basically.

I think it's time to recognize that you might be getting close to the end.

If the vet doesn't have any other treatment options or suggestions, do your DH the courtesy of sitting down and coming up with a plan together of how to handle the situation. And ask your vet for ideas too.

[Anonymous]

Good heavens, this dog is ANCIENT! She can't go pee at will, can't navigate stairs...sorry but that's not a good quality of life. Poor dog, do the humane thing. I don't understand why people drag out their pets lives endlessly.

[Anonymous]

Getting to pee 8 times a day is nice for a dog at ANY AGE. OMG. Anyone here care to limit peeing themselves to 4 times a day?

[Anonymous]

Have you tried crating her and letting her out when she needs to go pee? I suppose if you can just get her to the balcony pee pads every time that would be progress.

[Anonymous]

Wait, you are home all day and you force your dog to pee on the balcony or have pee accidents in the house?

Why can't you take the dog down to the foyer level and let him out with a retractable leash on him while you stand at the door, at least? If all he has to do is pee, that will take just a couple of minutes. You can keep an infant in a pack and play and take a toddler with you downstairs for a few minutes.

I would be livid if my spouse were letting an animal (however beloved) pee all over the house and balcony out of inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

This behavior is unacceptable. The DH must go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, you are home all day and you force your dog to pee on the balcony or have pee accidents in the house?

Why can't you take the dog down to the foyer level and let him out with a retractable leash on him while you stand at the door, at least? If all he has to do is pee, that will take just a couple of minutes. You can keep an infant in a pack and play and take a toddler with you downstairs for a few minutes.

I would be livid if my spouse were letting an animal (however beloved) pee all over the house and balcony out of inconvenience.

Not Op but I have a dog that is way too big to be carried down the steps. That may be the problem that Op is having with her dog.