HandicappedPets.Net

Hello, my 11 month old doxie, who was born with a curved spine, seems to have random urination and sometimes bowel movements. The vets he has seen has said they don't think he has much feeling in his back end, but he can sometimes wag his tail and does go to the bathroom outside and knows when you touch his tail or back legs. However, a lot of times when anyone picks him up, he will urinate and also when he's playing and occassionally just randomly. He will come in from outside and poo on the floor 5 minutes later. Sometimes I think it's excited urination and maybe even submissive urination. But I wonder if he has any control of it. Vet says they don't see a lot of dogs with curved spines this old as they are usually put down as babies. He's only 11 months old, and that may have a lot to do with it. I just hate the thought of putting him through the stress of working on housebreaking if it doesn't matter. I can't even correct him sternly when he does it, because of that part of me that doesn't know if he can control it. Does anyone have any thought, suggestions or advice for me?

Thank you.

It doesn't sound like he can- but one thing you might check is whether or not you can express him. If you can, he isn't controlling it himself, at least, not completely. Belly bands would make life easier for both of you, and if you can express, especially if anything is left after he urinates outside, that will help to avoid UTIs.

I agree, based on your other description of him in your other post, I doubt he has good control, and your instinct about not correcting him too sternly was probably exactly right. I agree on malewraps.

I also agree on expressing. There is a chance he is not emptying completely even when he goes. That can set him up for bladder infections and/or crystals.
Here is some information on expressing the bladder, with lots of videos at the end.

http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ ... =5&t=16027

Here is information on bowel management (also with video demonstrations at the end).

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

Thank you both! I am reading up on expressing now. I do have belly bands, but I haven't been using them. I was told by his first foster home that he was housebroken completely, and by the last one that he was not at all, so I suspected that maybe he was just in the belly band so much he went backwards in his training.

Again, thank you! I'll do whatever is necessary to keep him being the happy puppy that he is!