4 yr old male cocker spaniel

Question
Hi..I have a 4 yr old cocker that is crate trained. He is in his crate only when I am gone and at night. I am retired so, he's not in his crate for long periods of time. He does also go in the crate by himself during the day to take a nap. I have had him 9 mos. He was housebroken when I got him but, he did have an occasional accident in the house when he first came that I attributed to anxiety/change. After a short time, the accidents decreased. He has been very good about alerting to go outside. During the past couple of weeks he has started defecating in his crate. There are no specific times he does it. He will do it during the day, if I am gone and he sometimes does it at night. He always goes outside just before I leave and just before bed. I have not changed foods or routines for him. I intend to take a stool sample to the vet to make sure he doesn't have giardia or some other parasite because the stools are soft but, not runny. I'm wondering if this could be anxiety and what I can do to help him if it isn't a medical problem?

Thank you
Pam  

Answer
Pam -

Rule out medical problems before you begin to search for other reasons why he is soiling his crate.  Food allergy, irritable bowel disease. are both plausible reasons why your dog may be soiling his crate.

Take the dog to the vet instead of the stool sample.  It is better for the doctor to be able to examine the dog along with a fresh stool sample. It will be easier to determine why he is soiling the crate if the dog is there for a physical exam and evaluation.


Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM