Diarrhea in a Newly Adopted Dog

Newly adopted dogs are often anxious and nervous, which can cause diarrhea.

Imagine someone taking you away from where you call home and making you live in a new, unfamiliar place with a bunch of strangers. This is how a newly adopted dog must feel when introduced to its new home and family. Dogs take time to settle into their new homes, and can have issues along the way that include diarrhea.

Causes

According to Robin Tierney from the Partnership for Animal Welfare, diarrhea and other gastric problems are common in newly adopted dogs due to the stress that comes with a new environment. When a dog enters a new home, it endures unsettling excitement and anxiety. Sarah Wilson from the American Lhasa Apso Club adds that a sudden change in the dog's diet could cause an upset stomach and diarrhea.

Identification

Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue lists several anxiety and nervousness symptoms in newly adopted dogs. These include panting, pacing, lack of eye contact, excessive chewing on household items or even on their bodies, whining, jumpiness, barking and housebreaking accidents. These symptoms should decrease as the dog settles into its new home, and with obedience training practice.

Treatment

The best way to help a newly adopted dog settle in is to remain calm and reassure the dog. To help an upset stomach and diarrhea, Sarah Wilson recommends feeding the dog the same diet it had at the shelter, breeder or foster home from which it came. Alternatively, Wilson explains that mixing a name-brand dog food with the same amount of cooked white rice should help the dog's stomach. Boxer Rescue L.A. adds that adding canned pumpkin or cottage cheese to a dog's food can help firm its stool, as can feeding two teaspoons of bismuth subsalicylate every four hours. Check with a vet before giving any medicine to your dog.

Considerations

Tierney explains that a newly adopted dog should settle into its new home more quickly if the owner establishes a schedule, because dogs thrive on routine. Wilson recommends limiting stress by letting the dog have a quiet first week or two, rather than immediately introducing it to extended family and friends, or enrolling it in a training class too soon.

Warning

According to dog trainer and enthusiast Norma Bennett Woolf, diarrhea is sometimes a symptom of medical conditions such as distemper, parvovirus, parasites, giardia, inflammatory bowel disease and enzyme deficiency. Diseases such as parvovirus and distemper can become fatal if left untreated. If the newly adopted dog's diarrhea does not go away within a day or two, or if it worsens, she recommends a vet checkup.

References

• Sarah Wilson: Help for the Newly Adopted Dog
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue: Bringing Home Your Rescue Dog
• Robin Tierney: Bringing Your New Dog Home
• Boxer Rescue L.A.: Common Health Issues for Rescue Dogs
• Norma Bennett Woolf: Intestinal Upsets