The Dog Diarrhea Chronicles
Without question the most common issue and stress for dogs, dog owners and boarding trainers is Diarrhea. Dog's digestive tracts are so sensitive to stress and change they will get diarrhea at the drop of a hat. If you are sending your dog for boarding anywhere (often including having a pet sitter at home) the chance that your dog will get diarrhea is very high. With boarding it's at least a 50% chance your dog will get diarrhea at some point during boarding or when he/she gets home.
What causes diarrhea is CHANGE. Change in environment, the stress of the car ride, different people, different dogs/sights/sounds, different potty patterns, different pollens and grasses, different chemical make-up of water, different eating times, the stress of learning new things.... or any of 100 other causes. Sometimes training involves TREATING. The treats we use might cause stomach upset because they are "new" to your dog. If you want to send your own training treats, please do.
The diarrhea could be as mild as soft stool or as extreme as bloody stool, watery stool or even vomiting. We are very aware, active and proactive when it comes to diarrhea. Some dogs get diarrhea on Day 1. Some get it half way through training. Some get it right before they go home or even once they get home. There is no guarantee your dog will get diarrhea from boarding, but it's more likely than not to happen AT LEAST MILDLY. The younger the dog the more likely it is. The more sheltered the dog has been the more likely it is. But there is no rhyme or reason to it. (Believe me, we've tried to find one.)
Below are some links to some articles written by independent third parties on the subject. But first, here are our practices when it comes to diarrhea.
1. We have a clean facility that is sanitized to the best of our ability. We use standard dog safe products to sanitize floors, crates (if your dog uses one), bowls, etc.
2. I only keep dogs in their personal bungalow with me, so they avoid the standard kennel stresses of being left alone and having strange dogs barking at them all night.
3. I watch when your dog poops to see if he is getting or has gotten diarrhea. If I think he needs care then I will let you know and do what I can to help him get over it quickly.
4. Treatments for diarrhea that we use on a regular basis are Pepto-Bismol, and/or a bland diet of rice/chicken. If we think your dog has a problem other than diarrhea or that the diarrhea has advanced to a point where he needs veterinarian treatment then WITH YOUR PERMISSION if we can get in contact with you or WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION if we think it is an emergency and we cannot get in contact with you, we will bring your dog to a local vet (during regular hours) or a 24 hour vet clinic (in an emergency after hours or on weekends). You will be responsible for the vet bills in this case. A dog needing a vet trip has only happened a few times in all the years we've been training, and so far always at the owner's request. Once was a Great Dane where the owner was scared of a flipped stomach, once was a dog who ate part of a rubber ball (he passed it), and once was a puppy with bloody stool. None of them needed any other care than what has been described.
5. Because we do open field training and have a large facility there is no way we can avoid things like open water (particularly if it has been raining), new plants, or exposure to interesting dirt and things the dog may want to put in his mouth. Even though we do not do a large volume of boarding there is still more of a "bacteria load" at any boarding facility than in the dog's home.
(What if my dog has to go the vet?) First know that it ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS! Occasionally we have brought a dog with diarrhea to the vet because the owner asked us to do so. 100% of the time the diagnosis has been simple irritable bowel issues - even with dogs with extreme symptoms like vomiting. The vet gave the dog who was vomiting a shot for the vomiting and said to give him Pepto-Bismol. It cleared up in 48 hours. A typical daytime vet visit of this type costs about $130 with our vet. A typical emergency visit is $230. IT IS VERY, VERY RARE FOR A DOG TO NEED TO GO TO THE VET FOR DIARRHEA... The instances that have occurred were either because the owner insisted or the dog had a genetic or underlying condition that had to be ruled out - such as a "twisted stomach" with a Great Dane puppy - which is a fatal condition in Great Danes. Again, that dog just had bowel irritation from stress.)
As stated before lots of dogs get diarrhea when they board (with anyone). Generally, if this happens, it will resolve itself before the dog comes home. Sometimes the excitement of the car ride home is what CAUSES the diarrhea (or the dog got diarrhea at the end of his visit). If that happens we recommend Pepto-Bismol and/or a bland diet. We are not veterinarians. Below is some more detail about diarrhea in dogs and boarding.
Final word from us: If your dog has diarrhea after he gets home and you take him to the vet and the issue was anything other than stress, please let us know. We do everything we can to have a safe, germ free environment for your dog. If he caught something here then we want to know so we can address it if possible.
Thank you.
LINKS
WHAT CAUSES DIARRHEA IN DOGS WHEN BOARDING?
THE MECHANICS OF DIARRHEA IN DOGS
What causes diarrhea is CHANGE. Change in environment, the stress of the car ride, different people, different dogs/sights/sounds, different potty patterns, different pollens and grasses, different chemical make-up of water, different eating times, the stress of learning new things.... or any of 100 other causes. Sometimes training involves TREATING. The treats we use might cause stomach upset because they are "new" to your dog. If you want to send your own training treats, please do.
The diarrhea could be as mild as soft stool or as extreme as bloody stool, watery stool or even vomiting. We are very aware, active and proactive when it comes to diarrhea. Some dogs get diarrhea on Day 1. Some get it half way through training. Some get it right before they go home or even once they get home. There is no guarantee your dog will get diarrhea from boarding, but it's more likely than not to happen AT LEAST MILDLY. The younger the dog the more likely it is. The more sheltered the dog has been the more likely it is. But there is no rhyme or reason to it. (Believe me, we've tried to find one.)
Below are some links to some articles written by independent third parties on the subject. But first, here are our practices when it comes to diarrhea.
1. We have a clean facility that is sanitized to the best of our ability. We use standard dog safe products to sanitize floors, crates (if your dog uses one), bowls, etc.
2. I only keep dogs in their personal bungalow with me, so they avoid the standard kennel stresses of being left alone and having strange dogs barking at them all night.
3. I watch when your dog poops to see if he is getting or has gotten diarrhea. If I think he needs care then I will let you know and do what I can to help him get over it quickly.
4. Treatments for diarrhea that we use on a regular basis are Pepto-Bismol, and/or a bland diet of rice/chicken. If we think your dog has a problem other than diarrhea or that the diarrhea has advanced to a point where he needs veterinarian treatment then WITH YOUR PERMISSION if we can get in contact with you or WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION if we think it is an emergency and we cannot get in contact with you, we will bring your dog to a local vet (during regular hours) or a 24 hour vet clinic (in an emergency after hours or on weekends). You will be responsible for the vet bills in this case. A dog needing a vet trip has only happened a few times in all the years we've been training, and so far always at the owner's request. Once was a Great Dane where the owner was scared of a flipped stomach, once was a dog who ate part of a rubber ball (he passed it), and once was a puppy with bloody stool. None of them needed any other care than what has been described.
5. Because we do open field training and have a large facility there is no way we can avoid things like open water (particularly if it has been raining), new plants, or exposure to interesting dirt and things the dog may want to put in his mouth. Even though we do not do a large volume of boarding there is still more of a "bacteria load" at any boarding facility than in the dog's home.
(What if my dog has to go the vet?) First know that it ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS! Occasionally we have brought a dog with diarrhea to the vet because the owner asked us to do so. 100% of the time the diagnosis has been simple irritable bowel issues - even with dogs with extreme symptoms like vomiting. The vet gave the dog who was vomiting a shot for the vomiting and said to give him Pepto-Bismol. It cleared up in 48 hours. A typical daytime vet visit of this type costs about $130 with our vet. A typical emergency visit is $230. IT IS VERY, VERY RARE FOR A DOG TO NEED TO GO TO THE VET FOR DIARRHEA... The instances that have occurred were either because the owner insisted or the dog had a genetic or underlying condition that had to be ruled out - such as a "twisted stomach" with a Great Dane puppy - which is a fatal condition in Great Danes. Again, that dog just had bowel irritation from stress.)
As stated before lots of dogs get diarrhea when they board (with anyone). Generally, if this happens, it will resolve itself before the dog comes home. Sometimes the excitement of the car ride home is what CAUSES the diarrhea (or the dog got diarrhea at the end of his visit). If that happens we recommend Pepto-Bismol and/or a bland diet. We are not veterinarians. Below is some more detail about diarrhea in dogs and boarding.
Final word from us: If your dog has diarrhea after he gets home and you take him to the vet and the issue was anything other than stress, please let us know. We do everything we can to have a safe, germ free environment for your dog. If he caught something here then we want to know so we can address it if possible.
Thank you.
LINKS
WHAT CAUSES DIARRHEA IN DOGS WHEN BOARDING?
THE MECHANICS OF DIARRHEA IN DOGS