7 month old GoldiexNewf with stool issue- stress?

Question
Hi there! I have a 7 month old, healthy, bouncing Goldie x Newfie boy. We took him to the kennel over the Christmas holiday- before we dropped him off he had been given a perfect bill of health by his vet, and when we picked him up he had ground his nails down, had a little cut on a paw, and had rubbed his lips from black to pink. Not to mention he was slightly headshy and altogether not his energetic self! That was Sunday 12/27, and he recovered nicely over the next two days (called the vet, she said he's just stressed and to include rice in his diet.) This past Friday we took him to a kennel he has been to before for doggy daycare. We told the owner about his "event" and she made sure to coddle him, give him a bath, etc. He had a blast! He was his usual self when we picked him up Friday 1/1 in the afternoon (dropped him off just that morning.) Saturday evening he started to have loose stool, and it's been very watery, extremely loose ever since. This morning there was a drop of blood in it. The vet said that she wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of blood, but is it normal this far after his bad experience? He doesn't have a temp, and is his mostly-normal self. Even went for a small jog yesterday!

Thank you in advance!

Answer

Hi Robyn,

I would agree with your vet, dogs can have reactions like you've described to stress, and staying at a kennel, followed by a stay at doggie day care would fit into that category.

If you're planning on leaving your dog at the doggie daycare often, maybe build up to whatever length of time you're intending to have him stay there, over a period of several days. Start out with something like an hour long stay, and build up to longer periods.

The holiday season can hard on pets, some dogs just don't do well at even the best of kennels (my own included). It might be helpful to have a dog sitter stay at your home the next time you need to go away. Just by being able to stay in his own home, your dog may not get as stressed out.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti