Dog at age 13 refuses to go outside

Question
Our Curly coated ret. Chelsea now refuses to go outside to relieve herself.  She will be 13 on Dec 3rd.  She is on a variety of Rx due to thryoid, heart, hormone, arthritis....  She started with just refusing to go outback- so my husbans has been walking her.  Now id is refusing to go out for the walks and going inside the house.  She is also afraid to come down the steps.  What can I do....

Answer
Dear Nadia,

It is really difficult to say exactly what is going on with your dog.  I would definitely start out with a thorough medical workup, including new blood analysis, and possibly a second opinion.  I can recommend a brilliant vet that can do a phone consulatation with you.  He will likely order certain tests that your vet may not be familiar with.  I put a lot of faith in Dr. Kruesi.  His website is: http://www.crvetcenter.com/drkruesi.htm/
You can get the phone number from his website.  

I am curious as to what arthritic medication your dog is on?  If it is Rimadyl or a similiar anti-inflamatory, this might be causing distress.  These drugs are known for causing liver damage and internal hemoraging.  It is far better to investigate acupuncture and turn to natural suppliments such as DLPA, DMSO and Glycine, as well as using SYN-FLEX in her daily food.

Your dog may be experiencing pain and is therefore afraid to take the steps.  She may be dizzy and unsure of her ability to keep her balance.  Her heart may be taxing her and causing distress when she climbs the steps.  Is it possible for your husband to lift her up and carry her back and forth?

My guess is that her fear is valid and must be respected.  Try to get at the root cause of the problem.  

I am very sorry that you and your dog are having this issue.  It is so terribly difficult for us when our dogs age.  We want to help them as much as possible because we love them so much.

Thank you for writing to me.  I hope that I have shed some light on the problem.  Please keep in touch and let me know what happens.

Regards,
Shelley Davis
www.bednbiscuit.com