Sorry to hear about your stripey wonderkid! I can't offer much help except, my elderly GSD has poor liver values and we give her Milk Thistle tablets every day. Even my conventional vet recommends Milk Thistle. As it is a natural remedy, I'm sure it can't do too much harm to try out. Hugs to you and Digital. 
Diggie sounds so much like my Spencer, who is a year younger. Spencer has been drinking and having to go out like crazy this summer. He does have Fanconi, but I think the increase is mostly the heat– even though he is in an air-conditioned house. How were Diggie's kidney values? Could he be starting an age-related decrease in kidney function and benefit from a different diet and perhaps supplements or meds? Kidney issues create that sense of urgency. Is Diggie peeing by the door?
BTW, Spencer drinks a lot more water when I'm home than when I'm gone, too. Hope your little guy feels better!
How old is Nicky? This started this summer and the urinalysis (when this first started) showed he did have a few cells in his urine at that time. That was the first time he was put on antibiotics. I doubt he currently has a UTI after 12 days of antibiotics. (He literally finished this course of metro last night.) Digital is the easiest basenji a person could hope for. Has always had full run of the house since 12 months and never peed inside nor torn up anything that was not a dog item. But this is the first time I've been lucky enough to have a dog of this ripe old age.
OJ at almost 15 started peeing in the house. It was most like "I forgot I had to go pee" much like a puppy. We had to start making sure that he was out every two to three hours. He would pee by the door (doggy door) or even sometimes on the back deck (something he never did until elder age). We just learned to deal with it, because he really had no idea he was even doing it. It was that way until we lost him at 17+
OJ at almost 15 started peeing in the house. It was most like "I forgot I had to go pee" much like a puppy. We had to start making sure that he was out every two to three hours. He would pee by the door (doggy door) or even sometimes on the back deck (something he never did until elder age). We just learned to deal with it, because he really had no idea he was even doing it. It was that way until we lost him at 17+
Okay, this sounds like what's going on at my house. Diggie will pee where ever he is. Usually in front of someone. I wouldn't say he forgot like a puppy does, more like he just doesn't have as much lead time in knowing he has to go. He just has to go NOW. I just need to know if this is how life is going to be as in a few months I will need to put a LOT of clothes on to go out. Last winter there were plenty of days it took longer to dress everybody to go out than it did the time we were outside. :rolleyes: I still remember those days where the windchill was in the negative double digits. 
In answer to other questions - kidneys were fine.
I did ask about milk thistle or SAMe, but was told not to do that at this time. If vets start talking about something other than these drugs for the liver, we'll head off to the holistic vet. But good thought!
Exactly Kim…. they have to pee NOW... and don't really have a clue they are inside or outside. We learned to deal with it... and just understand if is a fact of old age... While OJ would pee where ever he was if we were home that was clearly "I pee where I am"... but since we have a doggy door and we both work, the pee was very close to the door or on the deck... and I took that to be... "well I got close"..... It was also the time that I needed to make sure at night that I woke him up at 3 hours and took him out to pee... and when I learned about rubber fitted sheets for the bed. Small price to pay for the years that he gave us... but I can honestly say... I was pretty sleep deprived for quite a few years with 4 B's heading into their later elder years. I don't regret it.... not for a minute
For the experts here, what kind of changes occur to the bladder itself in older basenjis? And would some of these problems benefit from surgery?
It's just my head thinking….
Nicky is 13 1/2 years old and adding a couple of extra pee times to his routine has stopped recurrences. We will see how the winter goes when he is most resistant to going out.
For the experts here, what kind of changes occur to the bladder itself in older basenjis? And would some of these problems benefit from surgery?
It's just my head thinking….
Not that I ever heard of.. (surgery).
So Digital my brindlewonderkid has been peeing in the house lately. He will be 15 in December and has just finished a 12 day course of Metronidizole b/c of some reoccuring diarrhea. (all the dogs were on the Metro as it was not just Diggie with the diarrhea) I did have a urinalysis run on him several months ago and he was on a course of anitbiotics then. He also had a full bloodwork done a couple of weeks ago when he had the most recent course of diarrhea. He was slightly dehydrated (diarrhea) and his liver values were on the low side of normal but everything else was good. I am going to take him back to the vet in a week or two to recheck the liver values, but I'm wondering if there is something else I need to look for or if this is common in older pups.
He would prefer to pee outside, but his method of telling us he needs to go out, is just to sort of stare at us and he does not seem to have much warning. Of course his method for wanting on the sofa/food/etc is also just to stare at us. He's never needed anything else as he's always just gone with the schedule. I do not have the ability for a dog door currently. He also has never peed in the house while I'm at work, just when someone is home. It has been hot here (like everwhere else in the US of late) and my thought is maybe he's just drinking more and needs to go more. And he maybe doesn't drink as much when where not home and just sleeps. Ideas? Thoughts?
Other info - His energy level is great and I do have to tackle him to prevent him from fence running with the neighbor's 4 year old dogs. I don't mind him doing a few runs when it's in the 70s, but I don't want him doing this when it is 90+ out. And yes, he would and has if I'm not quick enough to spot the neighbor dogs being out.
My lab mutt who is now 13 has had some peeing issues in the house. My question is he actively peeing?… meaning he'll stand and lift a leg or whatever he does when he goes outside? Or is it just a little piddle as if he's leaking? Our lab mutt does not pee as if she is outside and just kind of leaks a bit when she stands up from laying down. The vet gave us these pills called stilbestrol that we give twice a week and it's completely cleared it up. Of course you have to rule out all other possibilities... UTI, etc. Hope you figure out the cause.
My lab mutt who is now 13 has had some peeing issues in the house. My question is he actively peeing?… meaning he'll stand and lift a leg or whatever he does when he goes outside? Or is it just a little piddle as if he's leaking? Our lab mutt does not pee as if she is outside and just kind of leaks a bit when she stands up from laying down. The vet gave us these pills called stilbestrol that we give twice a week and it's completely cleared it up. Of course you have to rule out all other possibilities... UTI, etc. Hope you figure out the cause.
oh he pees like he pees outside. And I think we can rule out the UTI give he just finished 12 days of antibiotics. I think he just can't hold it as long as he used to, so I'll just plan to take him out more often and hope he doesn't have to go as much in the winter.
Jewel at 17 does have the occasional 'accident' but as Pat has said this is 'cured' by putting her out more often. She has always been clean and has always house trained puppies here so I make allowances for it. Spring at 14 needs to go out more often too and it's my fault if I forget and she can't hold it. They don't mean it and can't help it in old age. In my experience this is very common in old age but I would always check for infection which you've done, I see, just to make sure.
If the increased walks don't make improve the situation then you may still want to check for UTI, there are strains that are resistant to some antibiotics so being on them doesn't necessarily rule out the infection just makes it less likely. It is probably more likely he just needs more potty breaks.
I had an elderly BRAT rescue, Annie, who at 15/16 had accidents like that. She had a favorite sleep spot and as soon as I saw her getting up, I would pick her up and take her outside to do her business. She usually could not make it to the door without having an accident. Annie slept so soundly and for long periods of time that just getting up and moving made her need to go and wherever she was, she went!
Jennifer
I had an elderly BRAT rescue, Annie, who at 15/16 had accidents like that. She had a favorite sleep spot and as soon as I saw her getting up, I would pick her up and take her outside to do her business. She usually could not make it to the door without having an accident. Annie slept so soundly and for long periods of time that just getting up and moving made her need to go and wherever she was, she went!
Jennifer
I hear that about sleeping so soundly… I would wake and carry my elders out ever 4 hours at most to pee... or we would have a wet bed... save rubber sheets...gggg
It was not fun to sleep 3 to 4 hours... but in the end it was worth it for the elders that they didn't have to sleep in pee soaked sheets (and us too).... one of the price to pay for have our elders. I do not regret it for a minute!
Pat-
did you try pee pads? i'm just wondering if we get to the point you were, if pads would be an option. Winter here in colorado is a bit different from where you are.
Pat-
did you try pee pads? i'm just wondering if we get to the point you were, if pads would be an option. Winter here in colorado is a bit different from where you are.
I did, but OJ never could really figure them out… and the others just wanted to tear them up.... I used pee pads on the bed in case of accidents. That and the rubber backed sheets. OJ just never really knew that he was peeing it just happened....
thanks. Diggie doesn't pee in his sleep and so far, if I take him out every 2-3 hours we're fine. He doesn't pee in the house if nobody is home or at night. When we get to that point, I'll look into rubberized sheets and maybe try the pee pads. He does like to do the wondering pee, so pads may be difficult. I just remember this past winter when we had quite a few days in the negative numbers with the windchill factor. So, it takes several minutes to dress myself and the dog/s before going out.
Follow up-
Okay, I thought this might be useful for somebody. I took Digital to Dr Jim, our wonderful holistic vet, and Diggie is now on ginsing. Dr Jim was encouraging and thought this (or a different herb) would help. Otherwise, he couldn't find anything even remotely off with my brindlewonderkid. So, we'll see. I hope this helps b/c I really can't see Diggie going out every two hours when winter comes to Colorado.
Interesting - I have a senior fanconi dog that is peeing in the house as well. What is the Ginsing supposed to be for?
I'm not exactly sure as this was a while ago. And last July he was diagnosed as having kidney failure (nonFanconi).
