Dog pooping in the house

Question
Hello,
Background: I recently obtained a 4yr old spayed Cockapoo, Gabby, only to find out the information the former owner provided was totally false and Gabby required a lot of TLC. We are currently treating her for heartworms that we were not told she had. Question: Gabby can't hold her poop. She can be walking and it just pops out, no signs its coming. For the last 2 days, when I took her to the front door to go outside she pooped; the front door is appx. 25 steps from her crate. Can this be a health issue? We were told she was housetrained. I bought her as a companion for my current dog so I would like to keep her as an inside dog. Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi April,

It might be that Gabby's former owners may not have known she was infected with Heartworms, not that they were withholding the info from you.

When a dog can't seem to control it's bowels, and her bowel movements just "slip out" when she's walking without any efforts on her part, it's a pretty good guess that the dog is incontinent. There are many possible medical causes of bowel incontinence, so you shouldn't put off having Gabby examined by your veterinarian. You shouldn't punish your dog for this, she can't control it.

Until your dog can be diagnosed, give her more frequent opportunities to go outside to relieve herself, as you would with a untrained puppy.

Best of luck,

Patti