Senior Brittany potty issues

[Bayleesmom]

Hello, I'm new to the site and this is my first post. Baylee is 14 1/2 and we have had her since she was 8 weeks old.. she is having some health issues. She has arthritis and on Gabapentin twice a day. She has a cancerous tumor under her tongue. It won't be removed (our vet doesn't want to put her through a surgery and neither do we). She is on Piroxicam to stop or slow the growth. It seems to be working and doesn't seem bothered by it at all. We can't see it and she won't let us look. She was recently diagnosed with possible early kidney failure and (her creatine level is 2.2 so just started on Azodyl. Our vet will check in a month to see if this is helping.

Her appetite is good and she is on Hills prescription diet kidney formula. Baylee is also showing signs of dementia. She barks and whines at us when we are eating, trying to get our food. Sometimes she paces especially in the evening before bed. When we let her out (the yard is large and fenced in) she wanders around then runs back onto the porch several times and barks and scratches at the door to be let in. Almost like she is afraid of something outside. She may not go potty outside but comes in and will pee or poop on my carpet. We've tried going out there with her, same reaction.any suggestions are welcome

Sorry for the long post. We love our girl so much and trying to cope with these aging issues. Thank you for reading and for your support.

[Cindy]

I've been through this issue several times with older dogs but only with the peeing part. You can buy (or make your own - much less expensive) doggie diapers and they totally work. Sure, it's a pain in the neck to put them on and take them off but it beats the alternative. You might try searching on this board for other suggestions too.

[gagesbarb]

haven't had any specific experience with this in a senior dog, but my dogs are notorious for getting spooked by something and then avoid the area...takes a long time for them to get over it...add an older dog's cognitive confusion and maybe that's part of what's going on...maybe try walking on a leash out to the front yard, especially if your dog is used to going for walks and pottying...certainly walking stimulates intestinal activity and would encourage going potty...
Cindy's idea of using the "search" (upper right side on board) is a good one...wealth of knowledge and experience there...
Let us know what happens...we all learn from each other's experiences and even more, we all sympathize...even if we haven't had your specific situation, we have all gone through things with older dogs and understand how hard it is on many levels...
thanks for hanging in there with her!!!

[Barb Wright]

So sad to hear about Baylee.....getting old is no fun for man nor beast. With all her health problems I wonder if you are not also seeing some hearing loss and deteriorating vision issues. These, along with her other cognitive decline and health issues, may be contributing to her anxiety and stress. Not much you can do about it, but knowing if hearing and vision loss are part of the mix may make figuring out a way to deal with easier. Just a thought.

Keeping an older dog comfortable and happy is a tough road to travel, an especially hard journey for our hearts.