[mgaso]

First off, I want to say hi to everyone. I just joined the forums after seeing just how active this forum was.

I have a somewhat worrying question to ask. My maltese, a shelter adoptee, is about 12 weeks old now. He's been excreting way too often (I think) at a rate of anywhere between 8-12x a day for the past couple days. He was adopted by us two weeks ago. The poor guy will whimper to let you know, but I'm becoming worried. I had a lab growing up & he used to go 2x-3x a day. Is this normal? Since waking up about one hour ago, we've found his 'poop' in about 4 different places (2 in my bedroom & 2 in kitchen). Now, I doubt he 'went' 4 times, but does anyone have an idea as to if this might be an illness or is it just him 'carrying' it with him?

 

[EmmasMommy]

Welcome,

by excreting do you mean defecating ( poo)? or voiding(pee)? Does your pup have diarrhea? Diarrhea in young puppies can be very dangerous and the pup should be seen by a vet ASAP. If the poop is solid is it clinging to the butt fur? Sort of a dingle berry and fallin g off in different spots?

Let me back up. A 12 week old pup is too young to have the run of the house. A confined gated area or Xpen is in order. The pup needs to be in eye shot at all times when out of the pen. Read the sticky's on Potty training they are excellent.

My little girls ( a 2.5 lb- 6 month old and a 3.6 lb-10 month old) poo 2 x a day after the AM and PM meals. My 2 older dogs defecate 1 x a day.

Also the Premium Dog foods have less "fillers" and thus they have less fecal matter if they have great quality foods.

As for urine, if the dog has had a clean bill of health from a vet........its fairly normal for them to urinate every 2 hours while very young. Crating can help them learn to hold it.

My young girls urinate about every 3-4 hours and they have little bladders. Normal amount of urine production is 20-40mL per pound of dog per 24 hours ( 30mL = 1 oz) So a 6 lb Maltese should make 4-8 oz of urine a day and it should be straw colored and have a mild nutty odor...which smells more after its exposed to air.

 

[CeeCee's Mom]

Hi, Welcome to Spoiled Maltese!!! :Welcome 4:You will love it here.....

I would take your baby to the vet. Eight to 12 times a day is too many times for a maltese. Just have him checked out good and the vet will be able to tell you whether there is something wrong or if maybe he has worms. There could be a lot of possiblities........good luck with your new malt!!!!!

 

[mgaso]

Welcome,

by excreting do you mean defecating ( poo)? or voiding(pee)? Does your pup have diarrhea? Diarrhea in young puppies can be very dangerous and the pup should be seen by a vet ASAP. If the poop is solid is it clinging to the butt fur? Sort of a dingle berry and fallin g off in different spots?

I meant pooping. Sorry about the confusion. I don't think he's ever had diarrhea per se, but he's had some softer poop & the solid one. Yes, it clings to the butt fur & I clean it daily.

Let me back up. A 12 week old pup is too young to have the run of the house. A confined gated area or Xpen is in order. The pup needs to be in eye shot at all times when out of the pen. Read the sticky's on Potty training they are excellent.

Figured as much. We wanted to get him acclimated, but he's becoming 'house dominant' in the sense that if he doesn't get something, he whimpers/barks. He wakes me up every 2-3 hours through whimpering in the middle of the night so that I can put him up on the bed to sleep at my feet. Woke up today to find poop all over my bedsheets...that's the last time that ever happens! :HistericalSmiley:

My little girls ( a 2.5 lb- 6 month old and a 3.6 lb-10 month old) poo 2 x a day after the AM and PM meals. My 2 older dogs defecate 1 x a day.

Well, the thing is, he started off pretty normal (2-3x a day) but lately, it's progressing. Today, I've cleaned up poop so much it's hard to believe it's coming form a 2 pound pup.

Also the Premium Dog foods have less "fillers" and thus they have less fecal matter if they have great quality foods.

As for urine, if the dog has had a clean bill of health from a vet........its fairly normal for them to urinate every 2 hours while very young. Crating can help them learn to hold it.

My young girls urinate about every 3-4 hours and they have little bladders. Normal amount of urine production is 20-40mL per pound of dog per 24 hours ( 30mL = 1 oz) So a 6 lb Maltese should make 4-8 oz of urine a day and it should be straw colored and have a mild nutty odor...which smells more after its exposed to air.

I think he's peeing okay according to that. Every time he pisses, he drinks plenty of water to refill.

I replied in bold to make it easier to know what response belongs where. Also, is a crate necessary? We love our pup & it would make us feel sad if we 'crated' him.

 

[EmmasMommy]

I truly believe dogs that are crate trained early love their crates. Its becomes their den ( not a prison) My Mimi absolutely LOVES her crate and Twinkle likes hers. Emma( not so much) but she didn't have one as a baby........

Mimi and Twinkle take their toys into their crates ( with the door open) and take naps in them and hang out in them......

Since your pup is so young he will get to love it and it will become his little house.

 

[poochie2]

Wow that's alot of poop. :OMG!: I would suggest making a vet appointment to discuss your concerns. Pooping 8-12 times a day is not normal. Are you giving him a good quality food? Maybe he's nervous and needs time to adjust but I would still visit a vet.

 

[poochie2]

I truly believe dogs that are crate trained early love their crates. Its becomes their den ( not a prison) My Mimi absolutely LOVES her crate and Twinkle likes hers. Emma( not so much) but she didn't have one as a baby........

Mimi and Twinkle take their toys into their crates ( with the door open) and take naps in them and hang out in them......

Since your pup is so young he will get to love it and it will become his little house.

I absolutely agree with this comment. My little one loves her crate and will walk freely into it to nap and just relax. I hate it when people comment about how "crates' are cruel and they would never "cage" a dog. I leave the door open to hers and she loves it. It is her little home. It really helps with the potty training and I find that dogs are much more comfortable having a place they can call there own !

 

[EmmasMommy]

2 other things that might help you are ( trim a circle of butt fur around the anus( maybe about 1 inch across) get help to hold him firmly.
You may want to buy one of these:

NAVY 21"TALL SOFT-SIDE DOG PLAY LITTER BOX CRATE X-PEN - eBay (item 130354655633 end time Apr-24-10 22:25:08 PDT)

I have 2 and they are AWESOME! The medium is the right size for 1 puppy. They come in 3-4 sizes and 2 heights, many colors. They have 2 zip open doors and the medium has a built in floor, the large is a separate floor that velcros.

These are perfect for containment, are light and they fold flat in under 2 minutes

 

[luvmyfurbaby]

I would take him into the vet he seems to have an issue with his anal sphincter muscle. What rescue did you get him from? In what state?

 

[mgaso]

I would take him into the vet he seems to have an issue with his anal sphincter muscle. What rescue did you get him from? In what state?

Flawdogs in Arnold, Missouri

 

[maltlovereileen]

I agree with taking him to the vet ASAP...coming from the shelter, he could have picked up something. I am guessing they will have you bring in a stool sample to check. Please keep us posted

 

[MalteseJane]

That's a lot of poop ! that's not normal. Some foods make them poop more but it could also be something else. Have him checked out by a vet.

 

[mgaso]

That's a lot of poop ! that's not normal. Some foods make them poop more but it could also be something else. Have him checked out by a vet.

Regarding worms, I don't know how he could have gotten them. The day we adopted him, the people from Flawdogs gave us some 'medication' to prevent worms from building up. We gave it every single day for 6 days straight. He only goes outside with me around our apartment building (50 yards around).

 

[jmm]

My first guess would be intestinal parasites. A single deworming does not always take care of it (may reduce the load) which is why it is usually recommended to repeat in 3 weeks. In some areas, they are in the ground and you need to deworm regularly. A vet visit is in order.

Be sure you are feeding meals. 3-4 meals daily will help make it more predictable when he needs to defecate.

 

[maltlovereileen]

Regarding worms, I don't know how he could have gotten them. The day we adopted him, the people from Flawdogs gave us some 'medication' to prevent worms from building up. We gave it every single day for 6 days straight. He only goes outside with me around our apartment building (50 yards around).

It's not always just worms...could be giardia or other internal parasites...that's why they'd need a stool sample to check. The amount of pooping is not at all normal. When I did a stool sample check on the pups, it was under $20...best to catch/treat something early before it becomes life threatening (small pups dehydrate quickly)