Separation Anxiety?
so i either have a pair of protest pooping corgis or something else is going on.....i doubt it's the first.
we recently moved across country (from northern cali to Panama city florida), it was really a big change & we drove so it wasn't something that happen over night, more like 2 weeks. we have been here since late oct (25th or so). since we have gotten here we have had nothing but problems with diarrhea, vomiting, whining, & barking. i'm not sure what the cause is. here are the facts:
i had to put them on a new food (they were on instinct grain free & i had to switch them to taste of wild grain free). i have done everything i can think of to eliminate to food causing the problem. i have been very slowly easing them into it by combining their old food with the new food, bit by bit (haven't even come close to half & half). even so far as to giving them pumpkin & even taking away the new food. they still get diarrhea when they are off the new food. they have it mostly when i let them out after coming home, when i let them out for their first potty time in the morning. if for any reason they see me in the morning & i don't let them out within 15 minutes of seeing me, they poop all over in their kennel. seems like everyday these past couple of weeks i have been cleaning poop out of kennels when i get home. i could take them out to go potty (pee & poop), put them in their kennels, leave for even just an hour, & come back to dogs covered in diarrhea! what the heck. & now they have started this new thing of "when i whimper, bark, or whine, I WANT OUT NOW!" there is no 5 minutes, cause lord heaven forbid i have my hands full. before the move they gave me fair warning & i could get to a stopping point with whatever i was doing & let them out. on a day when i don't leave the house, the only poop that isn't solid is the morning one & then they are all solid after that. & i don't have to clean the kennel on those days. they also have been over excessive with their greetings & when they see me. unbelievable to some points, like they are jacked up on mountain dew & pixie sticks. it's 30 minutes before they will calm down. they follow me everywhere (i don't mind it to much till they refuse to leave my feet esp in the kitchen), they make a huge fuss when i take them out to potty one at a time (ex: leave torque inside & take lowlow out, torque goes crazy, she will bark & bark & bark & won't let up till i come back). if i take a bath & shut them out of the bathroom they whimper & won't leave the door. does this sound like they have separation anxiety? i don't know what else it could b. i really am at a loss & hate to see them suffer.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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They've had a hugely stressful change of everything: food, home, environment, climate, routine, water. I'd freak, too. It does sound like anxiety. Spend as much time with them as you can.
I'd explore the neighborhood as much as possible, in all directions, so they can get used to their new home and maybe find their way back if they escape. Have as much fun as you can. Don't expect them to settle in instantly.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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Have you tried bringing a stool sample to the vet just to make sure they don't have coccidia or giardia or anything like that?
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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I agree with John and Jane, have their stool checked to be sure they haven't picked anything up. Also, recognize that these changes can be highly stressful and stress induced colitis could be occurring. If it is, you will need to stop feeding for at least one meal maybe two and then resume feeding with a rice and boiled meat mixture for a couple days. Also, the anxiety most likely is due to the move and changes in environment so be patient and take plenty of walks and keep a very structured schedule to give them a sense of security. Corgis are very smart and along with that comes the ability to stress heavily. If all that doesn't ease the diarrhea I would change the food. Just because a food is good doesn't mean all dogs can digest it well.
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Permalink Reply by Becky S on
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Just to add quick, bananas and applesauce combined = natural kaopectate
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Permalink Reply by Robyn on
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o yes it is a really big change for them i agree. i hated changing their food but had no option at the time cause no one carried instinct :(. i used to talk them on walks around the neighborhood & through the woods in our backyard, but had to stop after my husband got his job, so for the moment i am the only one who is dealing witht he house, the unpacking, & running the errands. once i'm done unpacking it will b so much better. but i am going to make time now. it doesn't help that the neighbors dog runs loose, they refuse to lock her it the backyard. & 3 times now she has attacked my dogs in front of them, & once when they weren't there. i never let the girls go out alone so i was able to protect them from her. so i imagine that stresses them too. i'd b stressed too if someone jumped me every time i tried poop lol. i'll investigate their poop & see what i get. thanks for the natural kaopectate, i didn't know that one. thanks everyone, i will get to the bottom of this.
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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Poor pups. :( The suggestions so far have all been great and you should definitely have the Vet take a look at their stool to see if there's anything going on that can be fixed.
Don't forget about yourself, too, though. No doubt you, too, are feeling the stress of the move. New house, unfamiliar neighbors, the dog on the loose, the unpacking, being solely responsible for errands and upkeep of the new place at the moment. They're going to feel your stress and anxiety, too, and that could be adding onto what's already happening with them.
If taking them for a walk around the neighborhood isn't going to work well because of the loose dog, then go for a ride and find a nice park. It doesn't have to be a dog park, just someplace that's quiet and calm and the three of you can wander around and relax for a bit. :) There's nothing wrong with finding a little place for you guys to escape to and enjoy your new environment. Toss a ball around, swim, or even just walk. I'm sure that your pups (and you!) will soon be enjoying your new home. :)
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I agree the stress alone could cause it. But I also agree that many dogs harbor latent coccidia and while it rarely causes problems in adults, high stress can cause a "bloom" and make it symptomatic.
In the meantime, can you maybe use an ex-pen instead of crates? So that if they absolutely can't hold it, they are not stuck standing in it? That alone is probably keeping the stress levels high. One of mine gets frantic if he's sick and poops in the house. The other one isn't bothered so much.
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yes everyones suggestions r awesome! thank yall. well the good news about the walking is that i don't have to worry about our neighbors dog when on walks, she rarely goes out to the street (our houses sit a ways back of the road) unless a member of her family goes out to the street & lord have mercy if there are any joggers then.....she bites peoples feet as they run (she is pretty much a terror). the only time i have problems with her is when she bites my husbands feet in our own yard, charges me, & when she jumps my girls. & all of that happens in our yard behind the house. i was thinking that maybe if we fence in some of the yard just for them that maybe then they would feel a little more at peace with that problem. i'm sure the neighbor dog is amping up the stress too (the girls have never had an unfenced yard, so they have never had any dogs come into THEIR yard). last night i gave them rice & nothing else, they didn't poop this morn....odd esp here recently. usually it's a mad dash to diarrhea town. i just feed them again with some more rice (going to pick up some chicken for them tonight) & took them out. it wasn't normal poop but it wasn't diarrhea, more like pudding......it's a step up from the liquid poos we have had, now lets see if it holds..... i figure while i cook a brisket i'll take them out one at a time & throw the ball a little with them.....i'll clean house a little later, it's mommy daughter time haha
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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Rocky does this when stressed also. Feed the rice and chicken. I fix his chicken in a crock pot and use skinless chicken breasts and take all the fat off before I cook it. Several days of this will help. Try a Tums also with their meals. When the poop is better, ease into their regular food. Go slowly. Be sure they have plenty of water. Try to keep a schedule for them so they know what to expect--when to go out, when to eat, greet them calmly or ignore them til they calm down when you come home. Walks will help, burns energy also. They are probably convinced you will go off and never come back, leaving them in this strange place!!
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i went out with them one at a time in the front yard (they have never been to the front) played ball with them & then sat down on the front porch so they could investigate under supervision. they came to me back & forth on their own will but i think that is helping them understand that i'm not running off & leaving them. i'm not gonna lie, it was kinda nice not having the 2 of them under my feet while i cooked after our play time. they were to tired to care haha. it was actually a little odd cause i almost paniced a few times thinking that because they weren't with me they were getting into trouble, but then i remembered they r to tired to move haha.
a routine schedule wouldn't b a bad idea for me as well lol
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