[Dailydrool] Accidents in the house

[Pamela McQuade]

First, how often are the hounds going outside to do their business? As older dogs, they may need to go out more often.
 
Be sure the hounds have had a thorough vet checkup that includes bloodwork. Some illnesses may have peeing as a side effect, and the bloodwork may help find out what the problem is. Right now, the vet we are taking foster Holly to suspects that she has to go out so often because she may have early Cushing's disease--but there are other things that could cause such a problem too. 
 
Our Belvedere had continence problems from the time we got him, at age five. When he was young, it was probably separation-anxiety related. But as he aged, after much testing the vet figured out that he had arthritis in his spine, which can affect the bladder's nerves and cause incontinence. After our Abner had back surgery, it affected his continence, so be certain there are no back problems, which are so common in bassets.
 
If all else fails, you can get diapers for the dog. Usually the girl's kind are called bloomers. (Make sure you don't get the boy's kind, since they will not work on a girl!) Others can tell you how they work on girls, since I've only used the boy sort.
 
Oh, and the best pee remover is Kennel Odor Eliminator, available from:
www.calvetsupply.com
As other Droolers have previously commented, you only need to get the small bottle, because you will add water and eventually make up gallons and gallons of the stuff. I put it in a spray bottle and spray the affected area thoroughly (after mopping up the pee with newspaper or paper towels). KOE works really well, as long as you spray thoroughly. If you smell something, you probably didn't put enough down.
 
Other brands that I found that worked well are Get Serious! or Fresh 'n Clean. But KOE is a lot less expensive (Get Serious runs about $30 a gallon) and works just fine. I ordered the small bottle a long time ago and am only down about halfway. At this rate, I will probably get it about once every two or three years, maybe less, since Abner did rivers every day but the current hounds have accidents much less often.
 
I hope this helps. There are solutions to peeing problems. Don't give up!
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets