This is it. My dog, Natasha, is just getting way too hard to handle. She is nearing 14, is partially blind and partially deaf, and makes horrid messes almost nightly. I love her, but she's so hard to deal with.


Tonight, she dug up my beautiful Doc's grave. I don't know what to do- I'm sobbing, can't tell if I should bring him in until we can get him into a new box, or if I should even let my dog outside. I want to hold one of my other guinea pigs, but it will make me more upset.

What should I do?

Doc- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/amy0204/Docpostbath.jpg

:hug:

Natasha didn't know what she was doing digging up Doc's grave, she didn't mean to upset you. It's so hard when you lose a friend, and Doc was a beautiful guniea pig. I would go ahead and hold one of your other guinea pigs and have a good cry about Doc.
You should rebury Doc somewhere where Natasha can't get to the grave. Is there somewhere on your property where she doesn't go, or isn't left unsupervised?
You could bring Doc's body inside until you get a new box, or you could wrap him in a towel or pillowcase and rebury him.

I don't know what you could do about Natasha's overnight behaviour, maybe confine her to one room where she can't make such a mess. I'm sure this will also seem like a much smaller problem once you've reburied Doc.

I'm so sorry for you, good luck.

about the messes, is it something that can be treated? have you tried?
what exactly is she doing? sometimes older dogs, like people, have less control of their bladders. try restricting her water intake, take her waterbowl away after a certain point in the night, take her outside right before bedtime, and see if that helps or at least cuts down on the messes. confining her to a small room might be a good idea. a bathroom or laundry room or whatever. put down newspapers so if she messes it's easier to clean up.

if she's still otherwise healthy, it's really a very minor problem. some people would euthanize their pet at this point but if she's still healthy and happy i think it's a pretty selfish reason to do so.

as for Doc, i agree she didn't dig him up to be malicious or anything. if you don't have an area to rebury him where the dog can't dig him up, find a big rock to put on the grave that is too heavy for her to move. and make sure you dig the hole deep enough that she won't be able to smell what's in there to tempt her.

This is it. My dog, Natasha, is just getting way too hard to handle. She is nearing 14, is partially blind and partially deaf, and makes horrid messes almost nightly. I love her, but she's so hard to deal with.


Tonight, she dug up my beautiful Doc's grave. I don't know what to do- I'm sobbing, can't tell if I should bring him in until we can get him into a new box, or if I should even let my dog outside. I want to hold one of my other guinea pigs, but it will make me more upset.

What should I do?

Doc- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/amy0204/Docpostbath.jpg
First of all I'm sorry about your loss. And I'm sorry to hear that Natasha dug up her grave. Please understand though the dog has no idea what you are upset about or what you are grieving for. The dirt was recently unearthed, so it made sense to dig in that spot. Whatever emotional issues you may be going through right now, you can't take them out on your dog. Especially now that she is 14 years old and needs your help. I understand your frustrations and the difficulties and stress that come with dealing with a high-needs dog, but you have to think of her needs now. It's hard to do, but it's part of being a pet owner. Don't do stuff now that you'll regret for the rest of your life. Don't focus on the negatives, instead cherish each moment you still have with her.

:hug:

If you take your dog to the vet,be sure to take a urine and stool sample.

Is your dog drinking more water and that's the reason for the accidents? If so, the vet can check the urine for diabetes. Make sure she doesn't eat before she goes just in case the vet wants to check the blood's glucose level. Has his/her weight changed at all? Have you seen a recent drop in weight? This is also an indication of the body not creating enough insulin.

If your dog is having that kind of trouble then I wouldn't recommend withholding water. It could also simply be a matter of the dog marking his spots due to the loss of sight. Are the accidents in proximity to the food/water bowl? Or a favorite sleeping spot?

As they age, animals become more needed and more dependent. They also rely heavily moreso on our patience, understanding, and gentle compassionate ways. Just like people. :)

My 14 year old female dog, Ashley, had urinary incontinence for the last few years of her life. My vet put her on Pruin which helped but didn't eliminate the problem. When she was diagnosed with a tumor in her spleen, I chose to take her off all meds as it was a battle to make her take it and with her life coming to a close, I didn't want her to have any aggravation. Needless to say we had accidents all the time. Older females do start losing control over their muscles and just can't control it. My choice was to clean a lot and rinse her off a lot because I didn't want to disrupt her life any more than it had been by age.

Also, dementia starts affecting older dogs. It's just a symptom of age. You can't blame her for personality changes.

I wouldn't withhold her water until I made sure she didn't have any other underlying problems. Ashley had Cushings which made her drink a lot of water, and it doesn't seem fair to withhold water for a thirsty dog.

I don't mean to be insensitive, I know how it feels to lose a companion - I lost Ashley and her brother Hobie a week from eachother and was devastated. I couldn't even look at my other dogs for a while. But Doc is gone, and his body is just a shell. You respect it but understand that his soul is gone. So you shouldn't take out your dogs digging up the box on your dog, or lose your love for her. You probably don't have much time left with Natasha, so treasure each day with her as a gift.

And by all means, hug your other guinea pig! Being upset is part of the natural grieving process - it's okay to take as much time as you need and to cry whenever you need to.

yeah sorry i should have said check with a vet before with holding water. but if her health checks out and it's just her bladder and the vet ok's it, it might cut down on some of the overnight messes.
but yeah definately have her checked out first. if she's drinking and urinating a lot more than seems normal have her kidneys checked as well.

Never withhold water from a geriatric dog without vet supervision.

She needs to see a vet. There are many treatments available to help with incontinence. Many blind/deaf/senile old dogs can still lead happy lives, provided their owners are willing to put in the extra effort.

Don't blame her for digging up your guinea pig's grave. Digging is just a part of dog behaviour. She didn't know what she was doing was wrong, or would cause you pain. When I was growing up, my cat killed my budgie. I didn't get mad at her, because she was just being a cat.

Rebury your guinea pig. Or contact a vet. They can have him cremated, and the ashes returned to you, if you like. Or they can tell you about local pet cemetaries.