Help! My anxious puppy gets diarrhea in crate when left alone.

Poor Brownie! You're right that this level of anxiety is not normal, and needs to be treated ASAP in order to improve his quality of life and prevent things from getting worse as he gets older. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Brownie in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his problem - this will likely include training exercises to help build his confidence with being alone, management suggestions to help him be more comfortable while you work on the problem, and anti-anxiety medication to make him feel better in the short term. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Crating actually helps with separation anxiety, as it gives a dog a safe place of their own. I wouldn't feel terrible for putting Duke in there, as it can be a fun place for a dog to be in, and it helps them feel secure. That being said, him pooping two nights in a row could actually be due to a medical illness as opposed to separation anxiety. He could be suffering from diarrhea, which would make him have to poop immediately. I would take him into the vet in the morning for an exam. Diarrhea in dogs can be caused by intestinal parasites, GI illness, a sudden change in diet. or a foreign body. The vet can diagnose if he does have a medical illness causing the pooping in the night, and can treat accordingly.

I agree that Hitch has separation anxiety, and it sounds severe if he's pooping in his crate. Usually, the crate helps deter pooping, as dogs do not like to lay down where they have defecated. I would get DAP, it's a plug in pheromone diffuser that fills the room with pheromones to help dogs with anxiety. You can also get him a DAP collar, which also releases the calming pheromones when in contact with his skin. Finally, I would have Hitch seen by a vet. He may benefit from anti-anxiety medications. It's also important to make sure Hitch's crate is only big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down. Too big a space may encourage him to poop in it.

We can have diarrhea due to stress (of a move to new home) or diet changes, however in young dogs we also worry about intestinal parasites (both worms and Protozoa that aren't killed by deworming) and in some cases depending on vaccine status parvovirus. For this reason it is best to have your pup checked at the vet and bring a stool sample for them to test. Until then you can pick up a probiotic for dogs at the vet or pet store and try feeding plain cooked white rice and boiled shredded chicken breast for a day or two.

Hello. I would start with an over the counter anxiety product like Zylkene. I would also start using a dog appeasing pheromone in the home ( room diffuser ) or it comes as a collar. The pheromone can calm an anxious dog without drugs. Adaptil is the name of this product. If this does not help over the course of a couple of weeks, you will need to talk to your vet about possible behavior modification therapy & the use of prescription medications like Trazodone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Peeing in the house, barking excessively, soft stool and drinking a lot could all be caused by stress/anxiety, for which non -prescription VetriScience daily Composure chews (available on chewy.com) may help, however a consult with your veterinarian re: Prozac (which takes 3 weeks to take effect) or an alternate anti-depressant /anti-anxiety medication or the help of a trainer may be needed. It would be safest however to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam, full screening bloodwork, a urinalysis and fecal exam to rule out parasites as the cause of the soft stool or renal disease/diabetes as the cause of the increased drinking. Your vet can also prescribe/send home metronidale which is an anti-inflammatory antibiotic to resolve the diarrhea +/- probiotics to help with the soft stool. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like Mocha has diarrhea. I recommend taking her and a fresh stool sample to the vet to check for microscopic parasites. They can get her the appropriate medications if needed. If it's not diarrhea, she is just not potty trained yet and you need to take her out more often. I hope this helps! Kisses to Mocha!