"Richard Evans" wrote in message
...
I have a 16-year-old neutered Chow mix who has suddenly abandoned his
housebreaking. He's not incontinent because he travels to specific
spots to let fly. The other night, we were having dinner, right next
to the door into the yard. He walked past the door and past us into
the corner and pissed in the corner. No attempt whatsoever to ask to
go out. Now he's crapping as well as pissing.

He has bad arthritis and the stairs into the yard are a problem, so I
thought he was just avoiding having to deal with the stairs, but we've
been putting him out the front door, where there are no stairs, and we
are still finding messes.

He's always been an indoor dog and I hate to banish him outside,
especially with cold weather coming on, but I can't keep cleaning up
after him either.

Suggestions?
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Wow, I can't believe your Chow has lived 16 years; that is great. My Chow
lived a long life also, but lived to be 13. At the end of his life he also
lost control, which he had never ever done before. He was extremely neat
and clean only going in one spot in the back yard all his life. I am
thinking, as are some of the other people here, that the medicine could be
affecting him. It could also be affecting his state of mind, since he is so
elderly. Call the vet and ask if you could try something else. It might
also have something to do with his hips; he must be in a lot of pain, and
there is might be a lot of pain involved in that area when he goes or when
he has to go down stairs to go. We used to wrap a towel around our Chow's
groin and gently lift it up when he had to walk, and he would walk on his
front feet. We also built a ramp for him, so he wouldn't have to jump into
the car. That was very near to the end of his life.
I feel bad for your dog. Chows are such proud dogs.