# Help! Needing to go out at night!



## Conoad (Dec 15, 2010)

Hi! I have a 15 month old golden who is constantly needing to go outside through the night. It's driving me crazy and no one in the house is getting any sleep!
He is on natural balance venison and sweet potato due to food allergies. (for 6+ months) He is also in Deramaxx and glucosamine since 6 months old for hip dysphasia. He is a great dog with no behavior issues. (well, other than being 15 months old  ) 
In the last 2 months he barks likes a madman to go out in the night. There is no rhyme or reason to the time. Sometimes 11pm, 1pm, 3pm...sometimes all 3!! Every time he's let out he immediately has a bowel movement. No playing, no funny business. He does not have diarrhea and has been checked by our vet. We let him back in and he settles and goes to bed. Never wants to play, not wild. 
What in the world is going on? It's driving us nuts! No one is getting any sleep. He used to sleep in our room but thought maybe he was disturbed and wanted to go out. Now he sleeps in the laundry room. We have tried ignoring him and telling him to go to bed but he had an accident. He truly needs to go! 
He never did this even as a little puppy. He should be able to sleep through the night. He's let out at 10pm for the last time and my husband is up at 4am for work and lets him out. (Always been the routine)
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!


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## Conoad (Dec 15, 2010)

Oh, I should mention I do not work outside the home. He is played with and exercised and has every opportunity to go out all day. His daytime bathroom habits haven't changed. He has a regular feeding schedule that has never changed.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Has your vet mentioned that this could be a side effect of the meds/supplements?

Is someone home during the day?
If so, it might be worth talking with your vet to see if a 1x a day feeding trial would be okay to try.
Thinking that if he is fed his full daily rations at 7am (for instance) he would have all day long to eliminate...


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> Sometimes 11pm, 1pm, 3pm...sometimes all 3!! Every time he's let out he immediately has a bowel movement.


I'm going to guess that's 1AM and 3AM.  

That does sound pretty crazy... 

If you don't mind me asking - is it loose stool? Huge mounds? Is he going that often throughout the day?

What changed in the past two months?


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

What is the timing of his feeding schedule now...?
He is clean during the day? No BM in the house?


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## Conoad (Dec 15, 2010)

Yes, all AM! It's the lack of sleep!  
Yes, I am home with him all day. Never any accidents in the house. It is not loose stool but is big mounds. 
Our vet said they haven't heard of this issue due to meds. He has been on the same meds since he was 6 months. (He is actually on a lower maintenance dose than when he originally started.)
I'm just at such a loss. 
Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming!


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## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

Well, at least he's waking you up!  My second golden had bathroom issues and wouldn't wake me up and I would find nice piles on the stairs in the morning! She was diagnosed with chronic colitis and the only thing that helped was Tylan Powder. It's expensive - I had to get it at a regular pharmacy - but it lasted a long time. I was told by the vet it tasted terrible so I would mix it in "human" food for her to eat, but after awhile she wouldn't eat it anymore so I ended up buying empty capsules on Amazon and would fill them with the powder. She was on 1/4 teaspoons twice daily and the early morning accidents stopped. (I did taste it one day to see how bad it really was. LOL! It was just like the vet said - terrible!)

I have no idea what is wrong with your boy, but chronic colitis could be something to consider!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> It is not loose stool but is big mounds.


Okay... 

If it wasn't for your dog being on the specific dog food for the past 6 months, I would have said that it was probably the food. The last time I saw something like this was when I transitioned my guy to a different dog food (it was because of his weight and some loose stool issues he was having) the first time... 

With the kibble he had while growing up, he would (like clockwork) go twice a day with small poops. 

One kibble we tried first (PPSS), I liked the fact that he had solid poop on this food. But he had a LOT of poop. And he was going a lot more often throughout the day. Like every time he went outside, he had to poop. It's why I kept looking rather than stick with that food. <- He never had to go in the middle of the night though. 

I know it's not that simple as switching to something different for you if your dog has allergies...


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

How often is he fed, how much and at what times? I feed my boy the Natural Balance as well and have found the recommended feeding proportions to be far more than he needs. They recommend four & one half cups a day for his weight and I have him on two & one half cups a day and he's doing great.

Possibly you could cut back on the amount he gets and feed earlier in the day?

Pete


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## sameli102 (Aug 23, 2009)

I had a spell when both of mine went through something similar but it only lasted a week or so and they went through it at different times so I assume they had giardia or something. Maybe have a stool checked.

My first dog went through it a few times too as an adult and stood at the back door and whined to go out around 2 am every night which was very unusual for him. The vet suspected he may have had a touch of pancreatitis.

In all cases they never had any other symptoms, the all ran out the door and did their business and right back to bed. I'd have him checked, it's frustrating not getting a good nights sleep.


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