[Dailydrool] Requesting advice on a foster basset and his peeing issues

[Sharon Novy]

I was hoping to acquire some helpful advice from the drool family.  Due to the recent puppy mill closing in Arizona last week, my husband told me I could temporarily help foster for Az Basset rescue.  So, we actually do not have one of the mill dogs.  We instead have an estimated 7 yr old big boy named Hendo.  He is overall very sweet and he clearly understands how to go outside and pee and poop and uses our doggie door wonderfully.  However, he has been peeing on the carpet downstairs and upstairs a few times a day (only when someone is home- he goes all day using the doggie door fine).  He doesn't pee when he is excited to see us come home.  If upstairs, he will just randomly go pee in the hall or in a bedroom; downstairs, he was randomly peeing in the living room but that has decreased.  I thought since he has arthritis in his rear legs that maybe he was peeing upstairs so as not to go outside and down the stairs.  But I don't think that is it because he insists on going up and down the stairs frequently following my kids.  

To confound this, my almost 12 year old basset still marks around the upstairs fairly regularly and has for years despite the fact that he is fixed.  He has no medical issue for it.  

THEN...last night, he climbed up the stairs to my bed (the stairs are for my 12 year old baby basset Bogart) for the first time.  I tried shoooing him off as my hubby doesn't care for one basset in the bed, I figured two would really push him over the edge.  After a back and forth of stubborn wills, I relented and he curled up at my feet.  Then at 2 am I woke up and mistakenly thought it was 5 am and thought I should help him off the bed so he didn't hurt himself.  I rolled him over and rubbed his belly and then struggled to get him to use the stairs to get off the bed and go downstairs- which he did, went outside and he peed.  Then I come back to bed only to find a huge wet spot on my side.  I don't know if he peed during the belly rub or the struggle to convince him to get off the bed.  

I just want to help him.  I am not sure if this a nervous thing.  His urine is very dilute- not smelly and I really don't think he has a urine infection.  He has been with us a week now and is clearly very comfortable with us so I would think that if it was nerves, it would be improving and its not. I hate to spend the rescue's money going to the vet unless it is absolutely necessary so I thought to start here first!

Sharon Novy
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