We just received a call from a gentleman who had a problem. His dog was peeing in his house!
He saw the article I wrote in Northeast Ohio Parent Magazine August 2016 edition (page 59). In it, I mentioned that dogs peeing in the house could mean a health problem rather than a behavioral problem, and to seek help from a veterinarian. He called me at the office for more information.
Here's the story as he told it to me:
He got a dog he learned was available from Dick Goddard on TV. For those of you who don't live in the Cleveland area, he's a local TV celebrity weather man who adores animals. They even named a law after him; Goddard's Law. Great stuff!
In any event... He lets the dog outside for at least an hour, and within 20 minutes of coming inside, the dog pees in the house. Needless to say, that is a problem!
When I spoke to him, he was really hoping I could send him something in the mail to help him. While he was on the phone, he also mentioned that his dog kept scratching. Even before he mentioned the scratching issue, I knew this was not going to be a problem solved through a phone call or through any kind of mailed information. So I recommended that he make an appointment with his veterinarian to check out if his dog had a health problem causing him to pee indoors and for his excessive scratching. His veterinarian would probably need to run a few tests to determine what the problems were.
We're so glad he called to help him with a pet problem he had! We also hope he follows through to make an appointment with his veterinarian at The Family Pet Clinic like he promised. Though this veterinary clinic isn't currently a Veterinary Partner of One Health Organization, we learned from our caller that they work with local animal shelters to help provide veterinary care services for adopted pets. We love it when local area veterinary clinics work with animal shelters!
So if your dog is peeing in your house, call and make an appointment with your veterinarian. If you don't have a veterinarian and live in Northeast Ohio, consider making an appointment with one of our Veterinary Partners. And if you can't find one near you, try looking through the list of veterinarians on the Embrace Pet Insurance web page (they're a sponsor of One Health Organization). If you need help deciding how to choose a veterinarian, visit the American Veterinary Medical Association web page (I've been a member since 1993).
Thank you for reading, and have a great One Health day!
Dr. Anna M. van Heeckeren, MS, DVM
Founder, President & CEO, One Health Organization