I have a 9 year old wire-haired Dachshund that was successfully potty trained as a puppy and has not had any issues with that until recently. Last summer she started to behave strangely until in September she completely lost her eyesight and was diagnosed with SARDS.
After this the problems started. She has somewhat learned to move around the house again independently and has gained a lot of activeness back, but she has also started doing her business in the house when we are at work or during nighttime. We take her out in the morning before work and right after getting back and she eats one meal a day around 6pm. Then she gets out once or twice in the evening, at least right before we go to bed. She doesn't ask to be taken outside at all anymore like she used to before. Recently she has pooped inside a couple of times even when we are home. She doesn't seem to have trouble pooping and the poop looks normal to me. There have been no notable dietary changes either.
I'm out of ideas what to do with her and my husband is starting to get fed up with this and wants to get rid of the dog. Any tips or guesses what could be wrong would be really helpful!
By Hanna from Finland
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Try taking your dog out on leash walks around his own yard. Let him "mark" the boundaries of his own yard. Do this during a time when there is little traffic activity (not rush hour and no school buses) and nobody is using a snowblower.
Your dog is learning to "see" with his nose and ears. Dogs can learn to live quite happily this way. But he might be skittish at first, which is perfectly normal. It may seem to him easier to go in the house right now than to face the outdoors blind.
Whatever you do, don't "baby" him more than you did before he was sick. That will give him reason to believe something is really wrong. If you act like nothing is wrong, so will he. That means no picking him up and carrying him, even if he runs into things. He won't know where things are if you pick him up. He can sense your husband wants to get rid of him now, and it's just making the problem worse. I hope the two can make a truce.
Please take your dog to the vet to address the new problems. "Getting rid" of your dog just because he has a medical condition is irresponsible and sad.
I lived with an old blind dog for many years. He could see shadows but not much else. He learned to go outside by himself, but it took awhile. The cat would walk up and down the stairs with him until he was brave enough to go on his own. It is an adjustment and does require some patience. Imagine the patience your dog requires to make this adjustment. My dog lived to be 17 years old and truly enjoyed life. Good luck to you.
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