<p>We have a 13 year old toy poodle who has always gone to the home of a couple each time we have gone away. He has been allowed to sleep in their bed with them and has always come home fine.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the wife has passed away and the husband will no longer be “babysitting.”</p>
<p>This summer we have been in search of a new “babysitter.” We left our dog for one afternoon with one sitter, and then again for 3 days with another sitter. Each person was highly recommended.</p>
<p>Yet each time our dog has come home with watery stool (stress colitis). </p>
<p>Does anyone have any ideas of ways to prevent stress colitis in an older dog? </p>
<p>that is the issue. two different sitters, one time experience each. Your doggie didnt understand what was going on…didnt know who these folks were and didnt know if he was being abandoned there.</p>
<p>Pay for a few (un-needed if necessary) one day or half-days stays at one place, so poochie learns to love them and knows you are coming back soon. And if possible, spend some time there with your pooch, before you leave. </p>
<p>Of course, include some usuals…their bed, blankie, toys, and maybe an old Tshirt that you wore.</p>
<p>I actually DID visit with my dog to each of these people…he seemed to like each one. I ALSO brought his bed. blanket, and left my T shirt with him…But he still came home with loose stools each time. </p>
<p>I feel so badly because he has been so comfortable staying at the same babysitter for his whole life and now we are forced to make a change.</p>
<p>Would it be less stressful to let the pooch stay in his comfy home environment and just have a dog sitter stop by a few times a day or even sleep over?</p>
<p>Oh, I know you did. I know that you didnt just do a drive-by drop off … ;)</p>
<p>I read somewhere that if you arrange to leave the dog, then come back maybe a half hour later, then leave again, then come back, and repeat…it helps the dog adjust. </p>
<p>I also agree with MommaJ…can someone babysit at your home for short visits? Then, for longer visits, the dog wont mind staying with that person at his/her home at other times.</p>
We’ve done this … some options … nieces and nephews … even young colleagues from work who’s like so spend a weekend in the city. We’ve also found pretty cushy kennels (room not a gage, lots of time outside, etc)… so we paid off our guilt</p>
<p>Did you bring the dog’s water from home? My dogs (standard poodles) have occasionally had problems with “other” water–I think it’s the change of minerals (Portland’s water is unfluoridated). </p>
<p>I would consider preventive probiotics and possibly a small spoonful of pectin in the dog’s food when he needs to go the sitter. </p>
<p>Oh dmd77 your poodles are beautiful! I have a chocolate brown toy. He is otherwise healthy but I am concerned about these loose stools he is having ever since we came home from the sitter. He is already on proviable probiotics on a routine basis. Can you tell me a little bit more about the role of pectin (I have never heard about it).</p>
<p>Right now I am witholding food for 36 hours and have encouraged him to drink fat free chicken broth diluted with equal amounts of water (it gets him to drink lots of water, otherwise he would not drink too much plain water and I want to prevent dehydration)…I am also giving him proviable paste which contains kaopectate for dogs from the vet.</p>
<p>Any other suggestions are much appreciated.</p>
<p>Pectin is the stuff used to thicken grape jelly–you can buy powdered pectin at the grocery store. It is found in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables; pumpkin, apples, and carrots are especially high in pectin (so are tomato skins). It’s a food product, in other words. Research on dog nutrition done during the 1930s (Clive McCay) found that the amount of pectin in the diet helps to control the firmness of the stool. If you read kibble ingredient lists, you’ll sometimes find pectin added, sometimes it’s just the actual vegetable. I know lots of people who add pumpkin to their dog’s diet when there’s a digestive upset–it’s the pectin that helps. Me, I’m too lazy to cook pumpkin for the dog, so I use cooked carrots and applesauce ;-)</p>
<p>We thought of an in home pet sitter, but because our dog is on 3 times a day feedings it would cost us about $80 to $100/day because they charge per visit.</p>
<p>Speaking of things to add to food … canned pumpkin is good for the owie tummy. You buy it canned in the grocery store, but this fall will be available in smaller pouches at the pet store from a great company that makes canned and pouched foods for dogs and cats.</p>
<p>I have a 14 mo old Standard Poodle and can sympathize (my first beloved 13 1/2 yr old Standard died quite suddenly (blessing for all) of cancer 1 1/2 yrs ago). Fine on Monday; lay down for good on Wed and had to be put down that evening. All of these suggestions are excellent,but your dog is old and nothing can replace your company, though these suggestions can ameliorate your dog’s distress. Some people swear by the “thunder shirt” one poster mentioned. But unless your values speak to you otherwise, don’t hesitate to talk to your vet about tranquizes for your dog. Just be careful because of age and weight. But you may not be able to fully rectify the problem and may end up, like me, staying home a lot just to not stress out the dog. Oh, I almost forgot my point of making this post. There is a forum called Poodleforum.com which I enjoy. One of the popular sub-forums is Poodle Health and if you post your query there, you are sure to get a lot of suggestions. </p>