stressed puppy -> upset tummy?

[midori115]

Poor Oscar, my mutt who's a bit more than a year old, is having some tummy troubles. For the past day he's had pretty bad diahrrea, and he's been sleeping a bit more than usual.

Now we've had some big changes lately, and I wonder if this could be a result of him getting stressed out? In the past couple of weeks I kicked out my live in boyfriend, and then had to take Oscar to stay at my mom's for a week. While he was at my mom's she said he was fine and ran and played, but he came back on Friday, and I feel like he just hasn't been quite right. Can this be just because he misses the boyfriend and his schedule is changing? Any tips to help him adjust to the new schedule?

[xavierandrea]

Poor Oscar. When I went away for a business trip my Patti had a tummy bug just like Oscar. I have a question, was Oscar close to your ex?

[midori115]

He was very close to him. Zack, the ex, was home with him 3 days a week and lived with us since Oscar was a tiny baby, and now Oscar has to be alone while I work a 9-5. Although I do have my neighbor, who Oscar loves, taking him for a walk around lunch time until I can get the official dog walker lined up.

[xavierandrea]

It appears that Oscar is suffering from seperation from Zack and stress. The life that he is used to is no longer. He is confused. It will take a while for Oscar to feel better but he will feel better with time trust me. Give him extra love. To calm the diahrrea cook plain white rice and mix a cup with his food during every feeding. This will him bind him.

[imported_Cassie]

Oscar could be sufering from stress, or perhaps he got into some thing he shouldn't have...or perhaps he picked up some intestinal parasites. I would first take a stool sample to the vet to rule out parasites.

All of our dogs have suffered from diarrhea at one point in their life. With my dogs I have taken them off their food for 24 hours to let their gut rest. Then I have put them on a bland diet of boiled white rice and boiled and drained lean hamburg. I add Acidophilus to their food to replace the "friendly" bacteria in their gut...Acidophilus is a powdered form of a bacteria called 'lactobacillus.'It is used when the intestines have been compromised by illness, stress, or the use of medications like antibiotics. In these situations, the normal 'friendly' bacteria which help in digestion often die and are replaced by bacteria which tend to cause problems such as increased intestinal gas and diarrhea. The lactobacillus bacteria are used to help prevent overgrowth of these undesirable bacteria, and allow the 'friendly' bacteria to recover their normal numbers.

It sounds as though you are making wonderful arrangements for Oscar, a pet walker and friends dropping in during the day is a wonderful break in a long day without mom.
I also grow for my dogs wheat grass and barley grass which are wonderful digestive cleansers. You could also add stuff like granular greens or green alternative to your dogs food or nettle leaf, dandelion leaf (which gently strengthens liver and gallbladder function, thus improving digestion and serving as a functional aid in the systemic eliminaton pf toxins and waste products from the body-while increasing the production of bile and digestive enzymes), ground flaxseed (do not buy pre-ground flax seed, purchase a coffee grinder and do it your self...preground flax seed will go rancid very quickly) you can add ground pumpkin seed as well. I wouldn't give all these supplements at the same time :wink: but, with my dogs I give them a variety...perhaps ground pumpkin seeds a couple of meals a week...flax seeds a couple meals a week etc. This will help your dogs whole digestive system.

[TDG]

probiotics are an excellent everyday supplement but even more valuable at times of stress and illness. they have considerable health benefits in many areas.

for an overview, you can look here.

supplements come in various combinations of cultures and in different forms, dried, in capsules, or in liquid form. what' important is to check for a manufacturer guarantee of the content of "viable" (live) microbes and their guaranteed shelf life. without looking for this information it is possible to waste considerable amounts of money on useless products. also, if an ingredient is listed as "[name of bacteria] fermentation extract", thhey arnot live microbes, but only the product of their metabolic activity. these are beneficial too, but they do not have the health benefits of the live cultures.

here's a short list of the most common probiotics and their effects:

lactobacillus acidophilus - stimulates production of lactic acid, which changes the ph level of the intestines and creates a hostile environment for pathogenic bacteria.

lactobacillus casei - breaks down bile acids, stimulates enzyme production in the body, aids in fighting allergies.

lactobacillus plantarum - aids the body in fighting bacterial infections, prevents pathogenic bacteria from colonizing the intestinal walls.

bifidobacterium termophilum - stimulates lactic acid production and is a beneficial colonizer after the ph level has been adjusted to create a hostile environment for pathogenic bacteria.

bifidobacerium longum - aids absorption of nutrients and liquids through the intestinal walls, has tumor growth inhibiting properties.

enterococcus faecium - helps production of vitamin B (this is an entirely different strain than enterococcus faecalis, which is pathogenic, so don't confuse the two. :)).

bacillus subtilis - reduces nitrate levels in the body, stimulates production of the enzymes amylase (starch digestion), protease (protein digestion) and lipase (fat digestion), stimulates lymphatic and immune systems.

last but not least - they are just as beneficial for people as they are for dogs, so it''s overall a good idea to look for a human-grade supplement and share it with your dog. pet-grade products are often of a lot lower quality but more expensive.