Emotional Diarrhea?

[Diana Erhart]

Charlie has always had a sensitive stomach.  He gets loose stools on a regular basis if he eats anything that is not his usual lamb lung treat or his usual food, and sometimes for reasons that I can't figure out.  The past week he has fluctuated between diarrhea and loose stools with just one or two normal poops.  We have had alot of thunderstorms this past week and he becomes anxioius and nervous during these times.  Today he had diarrhea in the house while we were gone.  He has only done this one time before when he was a puppy and was sick.  He is now six.  Even a few years ago when he had a multitide of bacterial infections in his digestive system at one time he never went in the house.  I made him some rice this evening but the only thing I had to put in it was some beef liver that I chopped very fine.  He has an intolerance to chicken.  I had given him some of this liver the other night.  I hope that isn't the cause.  Of course I am going to call the vet tomorrow, but tonight I was checking out some websites and several of them mentioned emotional diarrhea.  Has anyone ever heard of this before?  I guess it makes sense to a certain degree but how would you tell if that is the problem?  Just by process of elimination?  I feel bad for my poor, little boy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If the stool tests are normal and there are no parasites present, it could be IBS- Irritable Bowel Syndrome-( NOT to be confused with IBD, which is Inflammatory Bowel Disease and is a serious immune-mediated disease.) IBS is basically a sensitive stomach which is often exacerbated by stress or nervousness, and it's very common among smaller poodles and poodle mixes. Several DK members have dogs with IBS. It's mainly controlled with diet. Many dogs have had success with the dehydrated raw products like Honest Kitchen, Jane's Guinness for one. 

There are no definitive tests for IBS, but if you rule out other causes, and the dog responds to a restricted low fat diet, high fiber diet, usually homecooked or dehydrated raw, that's a usually a sign that you're dealing with IBS.

Here's some info: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_irritable_bowel_syndrome.html

Ignore the part at the end about Rx food, lol.

[Donna P.]

Years ago I had a bearded collie that suffered from stress colitis. Anything that upset her routine, upset her bowels. It was a couple of years before she was diagnosed, and she was prescribed flagyl. She had to take it daily for the rest of her life, as I recall, but as long as she was on the meds, she didn't have the diarrhea attacks. Hope you find a remedy for your pup. It's a painful situation for all concerned.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm not familiar with stress diarrhea but I can tell you that if Tara ate that much liver at one time she would most certainly have it! For some reason even a bite or two of liver gives her the runs!  So it is possible that it could be the liver.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

High fat foods can cause diarrhea, too. But it sounds like Charlie has an ongoing problem any time he eats something he isn't used to having.

[Anna Picco]

Our Molly tends to get loose stools when she has been in stressful situations. I think it's just her personality just like some people have the same problem. I keep some cooked rice in the freezer for these situations and add some warm beef broth (which I freeze in an ice cube tray). Have you tried plain REAL yogurt? The probiotics in it help to restore the balance in the stomach - same thing with any stinky cheese - Parmesan, aged cheddar, etc. Good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yogurt does help with diarrhea, because of the probiotics, but regular cheeses don't contain probiotics, at least not in amounts that would have a therapeutic effect.

[Diana Erhart]

I tried giving him some low-fat plain greek yogurt I had in the fridge last night but he wouldn't eat it.  I may try again today or mix a little in with his rice today.  I do put shaved parmesan cheese on his food as a topper every night.  He eats the NOW! brand food from petcurean.  This seems to be the only thing he will eat on a regular basis, which for him is not always every day.  Some days he has no interest in eating.  Now I am wondering if maybe that is because he has an upset tummy so much (that thought just popped into my head after 6 years).  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Diana, has your vet ever suggested doing blood work?

In dogs who do have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, inappetance is often the first sign of a problem. It was with my Jack. Bacterial infections in the GI tract are also common with IBD. BUT- and it's a big but- blood panels will usually show an elevated folate level and/or a B12 deficiency. Weight loss is common as well, since the dog isn't able to properly absorb nutrients. It doesn't sound as if Charlie has this kind of problem, but if it continues, you might ask your vet about doing bloodwork. Some dogs can have SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) without having full-blown IBD.

The association with the thunderstorms does point to it being stress-related, though.

[Diana Erhart]

Karen...thanks so much for your replies!  The vet has never done blood work for this.  I don't usually take him to the vet for this since it is so off and on unless there is some reason that I think it is very bad.  That has only been maybe 3 or 4 times in his 6 years.  I usually just let his tummy settle on its own.  He has had blood work done a few times in the last 2 years because he had a small seizure 2 years ago and had one time when he was acting very lethargic and not himself.  I'm not sure if that blood work would cover the same tests.  He is scheduled for his next set of vaccinations in mid-September so I may ask our vet about the bloodwork then.  She is a new vet for us since we moved to Pennsylvania last February.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

They probably wouldn't have tested for folate or B12 levels in the previous bloodwork; it also has to be sent out. But I honestly doubt that's the problem. I wouldn't consider it unless this continues or gets worse.

As the others have mentioned, beef liver is very high in fat and can cause tummy troubles, especially in a dog with a sensitive stomach, so that could have been part of the problem.

[Diana Erhart]

Well, I learned something today!  I did not know that beef liver was high in fat.  Are all organ meats high in fat?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Saturated fat, and the vitamin A levels in liver are so high that too much of it can actually be toxic. Plus one serving of most kinds of liver contains an entire day's worth of cholesterol.