Diarrhea is a common ailment in dogs. Diarrhea can be caused by many things including parasites, stress, blockage, digestive problems, food allergies, and many others. Diarrhea is a symptom not a disease. If your dog has diarrhea for more than two days in a row I strongly suggest you get your dog into the Veterinarian. Diarrhea can quickly cause severe weight loss and electrolyte imbalance which cannot be cured without the assistance of your Veterinarian.

I am going to talk specifically about stress related diarrhea. Stress related diarrhea can be seen in working dogs during competition, confinement (familiar or unfamiliar kennel), too much stimulation, heat, over exertion, relocating, adding another dog to the family, having a baby, when we change jobs or have jobs or family life that causes stress and anxiousness, being uncertain, being jealous of another dog or human, feeling unwanted or unsure of what is expected. Stress related diarrhea can be aggravated by the dog food we feed.

Many of these things we as humans can relate too. And really this is what dogs experience as well.

So what do we do then?

Well first establish what is causing the diarrhea. Eliminate any chances of illness by checking with your vet. And make sure it’s not your dog’s diet that is causing the problem.

After you have checked all that you have to analyze the situation and yes take a look at what is going on in your house hold. Dogs just like kids need to have a routine. They need to feel safe and secure and know what is expected of them.

If you are stressed and tired your dog will pick up on that. If the routine has changed, most dogs could feel unsettled about it.

We have just recently moved and one of my dogs have been really stressed. So he started having diarrhea. I had to change his raw diet as it is to “rich” for his system to process to a cooked meal. And as he was also loosing a lot of weight in the process I had to feed him twice a day instead of once a day. Dogs are different from us. If you need your dog to put some weight on you can rather feed him twice a day even if it’s the same amount of food then once a day.

The regular cooked chicken breast without the skin and rice. A good friend Kirsten Frisch, Author of 101 Things Every Dog Wants You To Know, told me that I should give my dog, plain yogurt, scrambled eggs and Oats. This will settle their tummies and still give them the needed nutrients that they need.

Also insure that your dog gets in plenty of water, but only a little at a time. If your dog drinks to much water at once he could vomit easily. Make sure that your dog is not dehydrated by pulling lightly on the back skin. If it doesn’t go back instantly then your dogs needs an electrolyte immediately. So the best would be to get your dog to the vet as his kidneys can be in trouble very quickly. This would happen especially if your dog vomits as well as having diarrhea.

Then one more thing is to try and keep your dog in his normal routine as much as possible. If you have moved try and make things around him as it was before. If your family life has been disrupted. Walk your dog on routs that he knows and keep things as simple as possible.

Just thought I would share what we have been experiencing since our move. As this is a common situation.

On another note, dog care centre-day care and kennels will be opening soon. With the rain being like it is, it's taking longer then expected. But I will keep all informed of our opening day.

Louise and her furr balls