Our Golden Oldie has begun to have a B.Motion occasionally during the night, sometimes while he sleeps, have tried to keep to the same daily regime although exercise is much reduced. Late evening taken out in the garden to be 'busy' & will urinate but won't or can't empty his bowels, tried walking him round & round on & off lead & even past a earlier B.M.. Realise likely age related (11 1/2), able to go all night without the need to urinate & is fine during the day. He's raw fed twice a day & I've upped the meat to bone ratio, he's on various meds including Rimadyl, cytotec for stomach issues (due to N.S.A.I.D.S over the years) & a Rennie after his evening meal to calm his stomach. This concoction has kept him comfortable for longer than I dared hope.

Any ideas to encourage or help him to go before bed?

Just a comment to perhaps bump this back up the board to be seen more. I have no wisdom to share. But hopefully someone else will have. Good luck with your old boy

Perhaps change from feeding main meal in evening to feeding in the morning.

It happened with my 15 year old Bearded Collie bitch.  I just rolled with it until I had to let her go last October.  She would be fast asleep and poo would be by her side when I came to let her out in the morning.  I never knew what caused it.  Not much help I'm sorry.

My friends elderly dobe bitch did this often just getting up, thankfully the nuggets were always dry so easy to pick up with tissue.

Thank goodness for raw feeding as we're sharing the same room, know when it's happened as he gets in with me, . Have always fed the same amount morning & evening, & reluctant to change due to his stomach problems.
Thank you, as things go it could be much worse.

What if you were to feed earlier and then give a snack at bedtime? So theoretically, feed early in the morning and then late afternoon, around 3pm? With a chicken wing or dried tripe stick last thing at night to tide him over.

It may just be age-related weakness causing it as the muscle tone back there does reduce in many dogs.  But perhaps something like acupuncture might help as well.  I had an oldie have a slipped disc, and with it came the same problem you're experiencing.  I didn't expect anything to help it but acupuncture stopped it after one session.

Not saying your lovely has a slipped disc, just that the effects can be surprising.

Think you're probably right Nikita,  it appears to take him by surprise, where as in the past he had a routine & could go on command.
This is OK during the day when he's either out or I remind him every couple of hours. Oddly his back (shouldn't be tempting fate), is one of the few parts of his body he hasn't had problems with! Will look into acupuncture, many thanks.

I meant the effects of the acupuncture can be surprising!  Poorly worded there, sorry.  Although yes, what you say is true - it was startling for Remy when it first happened and he messed himself in bed.  After that he became very distressed by it happening, so I was hugely relieved when the acupuncture stopped it.

> What if you were to feed earlier and then give a snack at bedtime? So theoretically, feed early in the morning and then late afternoon, around 3pm?

Which is what we do now with bilious Frankie - my two are fed around 4 pm and Franks has a very small amount of tinned Chappie just before bed which has stopped all the early morning bile upchucking.

If it was his only problem then I'd as you suggest bring forward his evening meal with a later bed time snack, but this is a dog with multiple problems & everything is a balance. He doesn't suffer sickness with bile in the mornings but at times excessive drooling (nausea) due to years of pain relief, intermittent early on but twice daily in recent years to assist with the arthritis he's suffered for at least 8/9 years. Meals are spaced out during the day, which helps with his meds & also with the drooling, he has a small amount of live yoghurt at lunch with stomach calming remedies & some biscuits before we settle down at night. He has defied everyone's expectations, & although has other problems still enjoying life, is regularly monitored by our vet & we live week/month to month. So don't want to change his meal timings as think it could have knock on effects?
Many thanks