How do you handle setbacks - house training and medical?

[Cammy Todd]

Hi everyone - I haven't been on here in a while.  Hope everyone is doing well with their doodles!

Well . . . things have been going pretty well with Izzy - she is 9 months old and I thought she was housebroken - even went to an in-home boarder for 4 days last month and had zero accidents.  She had been accident free in our home for 6 months! (Her last accident was right before I found out she had a UTI at 3 months). 

On Sunday, she was playing hard in the basement and just stopped and peed right on the carpet.  I was in shock.  No warning . . .had been out about 2 1/2 hours earlier.  I chalked it up to being cooped up most of Thanksgiving weekend due to a nasty ice storm and the fact she isn't in the basement much at all (and we had just brought in a real Christmas tree which made it smell like the outdoors).  My tendency is to over-analyze everything so I tried not to.

Then, yesterday at the office (she comes to work with me a couple days a week) she was just wondering around the office (supervised by me) and as soon as she got on carpet, she squatted to pee.  I startled her, she stopped, and I took her outside to finish.

I immediately called the vet and brought her in.  Turns out she does have a UTI -  high levels of WBC and Bacteria in the sample. 

How would you handle this?  I would think at 9 months she would at least somehow signal me that she needs to go out even if it came on quickly.    But we do take her out regularly enough and know her schedule so she typically doesn't need to signal us. 

She potties on command outside (I still go with her) - I stopped treating a while ago. 

Also, while doing the exam, the vet found viral papilloma on her gums.  She can't go back to daycare for 2 weeks or until they are resolved.  I think this stressed me out more than the UTI!  She and I NEED daycare to help her burn off her puppy energy - especially during this crazy busy holiday season. 

I admit I'm not handling this all very well.  Do I need to start over with housetraining?  Or do you think the UTI were the cause of these accidents?  Start treating outside again when she goes?  Work on a signal?  We do have the bells by the door at home as well as the office.  I just figured by 9 months she would have picked up how to use them! 

You all are so wonderful and I always appreciate your advice.

Thank you!

[Ally Harney]

It has been so long since I've had a puppy, I really do not have a solution. My question to you is how do you get the puppy to start using the bell? I get my puppy on Sunday and it is so excited.

[Cammy Todd]

I taught her the touch command and have her touch it every time we go out - and I say "outside."  This method hasn't worked too well for us.  Maybe someone else has a better method??

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Personally, I would chalk up the accidents to the UTI. UTI's in humans and animals can cause a lot of "urgency"- the need to "go RIGHT NOW." It's not unusual for children (and actually some adults, too) to not be able to get to the bathroom in time. I've had human patients mortified that they wet themselves or the bed when they've had UTI's. So, it stands to reason that the same would be true for Izzy. 

I wouldn't stress out about it at this point. Get her infection cleared up, and then if she still has problems after that, start over with the house training.

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

The training group might have more advice, but if it isn't just the infection (it may well be) then maybe it could be a marking issue? I'd enforce the leadership, and stay close to the door where she leaves to potty, treating intermittently or high praise for outside pottying at least for a little while. Clean with Natures Miracle and to drain energy play lots of fetch, give appropriate chew toys, and do mental stimulation/training games! Good luck! :-)

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

I would attribute it to the UTI.  The exact same thing happened with Beasley around the same age.  She was in the basement playing like crazy, and suddenly just stopped and peed right on the carpet.  I almost fell over!  She'd been fully potty trained for months. At the time, I chalked it up to being so caught up in playing that she missed any warning sensation (and still being pretty puppy-ish).  However, looking back, she probably also had an undetected UTI at the time.  She had a series of them during her first year, and since it was such a fluke thing, I think it had to play a role.  I also think carpets tend to trigger the potty sensation - kind of like a grass feeling.  So right after this, I limited her time in the basement with the carpet as I was concerned she might have just regressed in the potty training. 

The good news is that I didn't have to retrain her.  I've never used potty bells, and like you, I also take her out regularly enough that she doesn't really need to ever signal.  But early on (I think during one of the UTIs), I discovered she does know how - she'll either stare at me and make it clear she's trying to get my attention, and if that doesn't work, she barks then heads to the back door...turning back and watching for me the whole time, lol. 

For now, I'd just take her out much more frequently - she's likely going to have to go more with the UTI anyway, but the antibiotics usually start to work quickly and hopefully she'll get some relief.  It always seemed like Beasley drank lots more water during her UTIs - I think they know what their bodies need to help flush it out, so I took her out much more than normal.  If she's not signaling you, I would take her out probably every hour or two until she feels better.  (Though, somehow my girl was always able to sleep through the night with hers, so we never had middle of the night trips outside to pee - just lots of potty breaks during the day.) 

Oh - and I'm sure you've read this on here a ton of times, but I recommend using Proviable DC so she's less likely to develop tummy issues from the antibiotics. :) Good luck, and I hope she's feeling better quickly! 

[Cammy Todd]

Julie - Thank you so much for taking the time to write out such detailed advice.  Izzy too holds it all night even with a UTI so the symptoms are a little hard to catch. 

Have you ever used a cranberry supplement to help prevent the UTI's?  Do you have a brand that you recommend?

Thanks again!

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

You're welcome.  I remember how freaked out I was when Beasley did it, so I hope it was helpful in some way!

I've not used an cranberry supplement with her yet.  I planned to look into it, but she has some recessed anatomy down there that was contributing to the issue - our vet wanted to send her for a surgical consult if there was another recurrence but [knock on wood] she hasn't had another since she turned one in April.  I know I've read about other members here using them, so you might find some in other discussions with a search for them.  Hope Izzy's gum issues get better quickly too - that's a lot to deal with all at once! :)

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Gracie had a few accidents while playing hard in the house after I thought she was house broken. I was just as perplexed and worried about it, but it was because she was playing and apparently in a different state of mind.

I agree with the others about the uti causing her to have accidents and once it's cleared up, I bet she will be back to normal.