Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 6.5 year old dachshund has started having accidental poops. They seem to mostly occur at night, but also sometimes during the day. They are very small, but they keep happening. She had an infected anal gland a few months ago, and after expressing the fluid, the doctor treated it with a topical anti-biotic that I had to apply twice daily. The accidents started around that time, but the doctor said it was because of the inflammation. The vet said that she was probably bothering her rear end because of the inflammation, and that it was stimulating her to have a little accident. This got better for about 3 months, and then it started again.

This time she has not had any infection. It seems to happen without her even being aware of it. I have had her sitting in a chair with me, and suddenly she was look back and there will be just a little piece of poop. It seems to happen when she is having gas. She has been having a lot of really bad gas lately. She is already on a raw diet. I have given her dietary supplements and simethicone. The simethicone seems to have helped some, but she still occasionally has another accident. I have had the vet check her over several times. The vet confirmed that she does not have worms, she does not have any neurological problems (i.e. her back is fine), and she does not have an infected anal gland. I can't figure out what is going on. She gets very upset when it happens, as she knows she is not supposed to potty in the house. The only guess I have is that she may be eating cat or raccoon poop in the back yard, but I have not caught her doing it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

The diet may be the problem. I would investigate that and carefully consider it. Also, I would give the dog Multidophilus Plus, from the refrigerated section of the human health food store--and keep it in your own refrigerator.

For a dog that size, probably one capsule once per day. The contents of the capsule tastes good. You can open it and dump it right on her food, and soon she will probably happily eat it whole (the gelatin capsule itself has no flavor, and the contents taste like cream).

Multidophilus Plus provides the friendly bacteria that a dog needs for the intestines to work right. My dogs have ALWAYS needed it when they take antibiotics, and my Standard Poodle gets it all the time. Standard Poodles have an unusually short gastro-intestinal tract, and are prone to burping and having gas. The Multidophilus Plus DRAMATICALLY improves that in my dog Worthy.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47