I need some advice.

I don't post too often about our family dog, Moses, but I need some advice. I'll add in a bit of context first though.

Moses is twelve, going on thirteen, and although he'd like to think he's about two years old... he's not. He's starting to act his age, so to speak, and is having trouble going up/down stairs and sometimes holding his bladder until he is let out. My mom figured we could try crating him. It worked for a couple days but I came home one day to find his paws and nose covered in blood. So, needless to say, we are not crating him anymore.

That leaves us with two options:

1) He can go live with my dad, who works from home so Moses would get to go out more frequently during the day. My dad's home also doesn't have stairs aside from a small flight of stairs at the entryway. He'd continue getting attention and daily walks as well.

2) Hire a dog sitter who comes and takes him to the bathroom about halfway through the day.

I know my mom is leaning towards the first option. Moses absolutely loves my dad and is always super excited to go visit when we go somewhere for a weekend, but I'm worried as to how he'd adapt. Plus I know I'd miss him as well.

I understand that maybe there's a third option, but aside from those two issues, he acts like he always has. He still runs circles around us when we get home and he still loves going for walks. I just feel like it'd be horrible of us if we sent him to live with my dad, even if it may be beneficial for him... he's just lived here his whole life so I don't know how he'd handle living somewhere else in a completely different environment.

Buzz didn't show many outward symptoms, but we battled kidney/bladder infection with him as the cause of not being able to "hold it" as long anymore for months. It appears that we've finally gotten rid of it as he's able to hold it for 8-9 hours again instead of 4-5.

If that's able to be ruled out, it sounds like either option is a good one.

That could be a possibility, although he also has trouble not pooping on the floor on occasion. I don't think it's his food, as I convinced my mom to pick up a decent brand and his poop is normal in appearance. It's just frequent, and if he isn't confined or let out right before we leave, there's a good possibility that we will come home to a mess.

I'm just hoping either a) there's a treatable cause for it or b) whatever we decide on works out. I'm just hesitant about him going to live with my dad because of Dooly, who is just an oversized Cali. They're not fond of each other but I'm sure they'd learn to peacefully co-exist.

Would a pee pad or litter box be an option?

If he hasn't had recent bloodwork done, I would highly recommend doing so. So many times people think their pet is just "starting to act their age" when there is an underlying issue going on.

Otherwise, I think whatever you do, be it hiring a dog sitter or having him go and live with your dad, Moses will be well taken care of and well loved.

I'll have to ask my mom about getting him in for some bloodwork.

I appreciate all the comments though, as I've been feeling guilty about even the possibility of him having to go live with my dad. But if we can't find a way to get the frequent accidents to stop, it's only fair to him for him to go somewhere where he doesn't have to be uncomfortable all day trying to hold it in... because the crate just isn't an option.

The one positive of him being in the crate for the day was the discovery that Cali is capable of not using the bathroom when she is out of the crate for eight solid hours. I just wish I could trust her not to annoy the living daylights out of him if we just confined them together in the kitchen/dining room area.

This. A lot of things people put to just being "old age" is more than that.


I know a crate is out, but woukd he do the same in an expen, with a bed amd puppy pads in there while people are gone?

An ex-pen is a great idea!

We don't have one currently but I'll bring that up as an idea because I think that it could work... it'd be a bit bigger than the crate and not as claustrophobic. The crate is plenty big for him, but since he's gotten so used to having free range of the house, I think it was too much too soon. Ideally, I'd like to get one big enough to put a little sleep area/chew area and then a pee pad area, or something similar.

Are there any good sites for ex-pens? I'm thinking amazon or eBay probably.