Geo

I was hoping Barefoot would come on last night, because she really does have excellent advise, better than I could do, but she didn't so I am going to respond and I hope I can do it in the most caring and gentle way.

I have had animals all my life. I would bring them home to nurse them to health and keep them if they were domestic or set them free if they were wild. I even rescued a baby deer once.

A 16 year old doxie is getting up there. You have obviously taken very very good care of that baby. I assume you have made an actual visit to the vet, for there are things that can be done about the dementia and even blindness as other posters have stated, but it could be expensive, and you have to of course consider the age.

As dogs age, and even mine is starting to show it, they start becoming more bonded to their humans. Especially, when they start having health problems. Your baby can't speak, so they are acting out to get your attention, saying, "hey something is wrong here!" They become filled with anxiety and you are their security blanket. They are scared.

Let's address the crate. It would be cruel to continue to crate your baby. I personally would not use baby diapers, but that is just my opinion...That is one of our worst fears as a human is it not? He is as disgusted as you would be sitting in his own mess and he doesn't have the option to clean himself up. If you are going to be gone, what I would suggest is a large refrigerator box, that has a nice length to it. Cut in some windows and cut off the top so they do not feel confined. Place a nice soft bed at one end, and line the entire bottom with puppy pads, which can be bought by the hundred at PetSmart. That way, if they have to go, they can leave the bed and do it on the other end of the box and makes cleanup easy for you and keeps them clean at the same time. Gives them some dignity.

Your baby is a Senior, they deserve tender loving care and unconditional love, especially at this juncture in their life. Start spoiling him some more, give him a few more treats and goodies, hug him like you never hugged him in your life, and have a very frank and honest discussion with your vet, and if you have already had one, reengage and go from there.

Extra Big Hug from me to you and your baby.

Katie

[blueash]

If this is some kind of severe separation anxiety, they do have doggie Prozac. I googled and interestingly vet Prozac is usually more $$$ than human generic. An option I wonder if a vet can write for stuff to pick up on the $10 for 90 days plan and you should even get multiple doses out of each capsule with a little dog. I see target has 4 dollar dog generics which I would think are formulations made especially for pets. Dose is 1/2 to 1 mg/pound/day
Here is the FDA approved study. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalV.../ucm062326.pdf
Inappropriate defecation is listed as a studied behavior. All dogs also were in a behavior modification group. Dogs in the placebo group improved but the medicated group was consistently more improved. Over the 8 weeks study period the improvement continued to increase.

[Patty55]

Have you thought about getting a second dog for companionship?

Originally Posted by Patty55

Have you thought about getting a second dog for companionship?

That is a very good idea!


Katie

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I am sorry to hear that you are having so many problems with your senior. We had a dog that was around 60 lbs that lived to be 17 that suffered from CGD, Caninne Cognitive Disorder, for many years and used to get very confused. We also had to find ways to accomodate his issues. We used to try to give him things to do while we were gone. Since he didn't see well we used his nose, which still worked. We put a tiny dad of peanut butter in a natural bone and left it where he could locate it. We had a toy that dropped tiny pieces of his regular dog food so we didn't have to introduce new food into his diet with treats- it was an oval, space saucer looking thing that you screwed together wtih dog food or treats inside and when he moved it a piece would fall out. We never made an issue of coming or going. Everything around our departure was VERY relaxed. We never said hello or goodbye to him. It eased him while I went to work and we kept him going til he was 17 and the end was more obvious to us. That's a long life for a dog his size.
Good luck to you. I hope it works with his anxiety. If it's medical, maybe your vet can help. And I have also used Rescue Remedy but i didn't do much for my dog. It is worth a shot; it's not expensive.

[Leisha2]

They have just discovered that cold pressed organic coconut oil is helping people with dementia and alzheimers to improve their cognitive function. I give my 13 yr. 20 lb. dog a little (about 1/2 teaspoon each time) on his food 2 times a day. It has helped his coat tremendously and although he doesn't have cognitive problems he uses it and LOVES the taste.