You know that one of the proudest moments being a dog parent is when you have successfully potty trained your dog. But what if your canoe starts pooping multiple times in the house? This behavior would be abnormal and unacceptable for a house trained dog. If pooping in the house by your trained dog becomes a habit, they may have health issues, or there is a significant change in their diet, routine, or their environment that’s causing these accidents.
You don’t know why your puppy is pooping inside the house, but remember that punishing your innocent pup will not help resolve the issue. Inappropriate defecation can be troubling and add more work to your daily chores.
Still, yelling, spanking, and silent treatments are not the best ways to handle the issue. Schedule a vet’s appointment to discuss your canine’s pooping habit with the vet. Your vet might run some quick tests to get to the bottom of the matter.
Once the diagnosis is complete and the test results are out, your vet will suggest home remedies, therapies, behavioral training, medications, or other treatments depending on the cause of the pooping issue.
You don’t need to fret about unanticipated vet bills during times of illness and medical emergencies if you have pet insurance. Consider purchasing dog insurance as it helps relieve undue financial stress in times like these and many more.
In the meantime, read this article to learn a few common causes for your dog’s poop accidents inside the home and how to prevent them.
1. Health issues
Meet your vet to rule out potential medical conditions that can be causing poop accidents inside the house. For instance, intestinal parasites can cause diarrhea, so your canine friend must be kept on preventive medications if they are at a higher risk of exposure. Usually, a vet performs fecal testing to confirm the condition and treat the animal with deworming medications. Apart from parasite attacks, dogs can poop in inappropriate places if they suffer from food allergies. Your vet may suggest a prescription diet to observe your dog’s food tolerance over a period and change the dietary plan accordingly. Additionally, your vet may prescribe probiotics that enhance the balance of the intestinal microbiome.
2. Separation anxiety
Your vet might suggest behavioral modification therapy or desensitization sessions if it is a persistent behavioral problem. You must consult professional dog trainers or vet behaviorists who can help sort out your dog’s anxiety issues.
3. Age-related disorders
In case older pets show signs of moderate dementia, cognitive impairment, or dysfunction, schedule a health examination with your vet. Your vet can help your dog navigate through this challenging phase of life with the help of special diets, medications, or other solutions that help manage the issue. If it is a bone and joint issue or arthritis, your vet can recommend pain-killing medications or supplements to strengthen the weakened bones and joints.
4. Outdoor Phobia
There is a high possibility that your dog is pooping because it is scared of loud noises outdoors that makes them anxious. Some dogs are scared and nervous, loud sounds such as honking of vehicles, thunder, barking or other loud noises can trigger anxiety and fear. They may also feel threatened from possible predators, people running by, rain or wheeled objects, or bikes passing by. If they have a fearful experience outdoors they will not poop outdoors and prefer indoors as they feel safe.
5. Being Distracted
Some dogs may defecate in the house because they did not spend enough time outside to go to the bathroom. When dogs go outside, they usually want to sniff and explore their environment for new sights, smells, or sounds. So if your dog spends a lot of time exploring instead of urinating and defecating, they may not have had enough time to poop outdoors.
6. Potty schedule
It might be a long day staying away from your dog; when you return home, take your pup for a walk or let it out in the yard so they can pee and poop. After this routine, you can engage with your dog in a game or two, give some cuddles, praises, food, and treats, and retire to bed. So, by all means, stick to a schedule to avoid indoor poop accidents.
7. Diet changes
Monitor your dog’s health whenever you swap a pet food brand or type of food. Talk to your vet to know the ideal way to transition from one food type to the other, so you will deal with fewer adverse reactions like gastrointestinal upsets and accidental pooping inside the house.
Distractions, fears, noise phobia, outdoor stressors, and allergies are a few other things that can cause pooping in unexpected places. You have little to fear the unanticipated vet bills if you have pet insurance. Dog insurance costs can be much lower than hefty vet bills you might have to pay during unforeseen health situations. So, why not consider buying a policy?