On Vacation & Our Dog is Sick! Need Some Reassurance... UPDATE!

[Wendy31]

Some of you may remember I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago asking for some advice on boarding our dog while we're on vacation.

Well, we're on vacation now, & our dog is being boarded. When we left him, he bounded out of the car & acted like he'd be fine. We had introduced him to the kennel owners previously, so things wouldn't be totally new to him.

(Background - Our dog, Maks, is a little over a year old, & he's a Keeshond.)

I called today to check on him expecting to hear, "Oh, he's doing great!"

But he's not.

She told me he didn't eat until last night. (We left him on Friday afternoon.) And he's having diarrhea.

They've moved him inside w/ them. They called our vet, & they told him to give some Immodium. In 6-8 hours, if it hasn't cleared up, they can give him another dose. If it still hasn't cleared up, they are going to take him to our vet. She said she cleaned him up - washed his fur & put some conditioner on him. She's also boiling him a chicken breast & some white rice for him to eat tonight.

We took him to the vet the week before we left him to make sure he was healthy & he was. We also got him the kennel cough vaccine.

She says that, personality-wise, he is doing fine - he's very affectionate, hasn't tried to attack any of the other dogs, & is being very friendly.

She thinks he's just nervous, & that's she seen this before in dogs who have never been boarded. Especially in high strung breeds. Maks isn't really high strung, but he's very "family-oriented" - he likes to be w/ us. And he can be a little hyper sometimes too, I admit.

She told me not to let it ruin my vacation, & that we would talk again tomorrow.

However, I'm freaking out. And trying really hard not to show how worried I am because I don't want our kids to start worrying.

DH says he'll be fine.

But, still... I'm worried. He's there w/o us & he's sick & worried.

Should I call our vet? He's never been sick before, & our vet told her that Maks has never had this problem before. She's seems like she's doing exactly what she should to take care of him.

I guess I just need someone else to tell me he's gonna be okay.

 

[Hannathy]

It doesn't sound like he is acting ill -lethargic, dull, listless, whimpering, etc.

I am going along with the it is probably nerves and not eating anything solid for a couple days. As far as eating -or not eating- that isn't unusual a lot of animals don't eat for a few days. I know my cat doesn't and our dog ate very little when we boarded her.

As long as they are drinking and not acting listless I wouldn't worry -to much- I know you are going to worry.

They are taking care of him and have called and talked to the vet, if either professional (vet or kennel owner) were truly concerned the Dog would have been to the Vet.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

our dog was fine the first time we boarded him and got the runs the second time. He was ok when we came back (just very very hyper!)

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Just picked up our dog after a nine day trip. She's lost some weight; I suspect that she doesn't eat much when we are gone. She'll bounce back. And I'll bet Maks will be OK, too. Try to enjoy yourself.

 

[Magic Mom]

Some of you may remember I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago asking for some advice on boarding our dog while we're on vacation.

Well, we're on vacation now, & our dog is being boarded. When we left him, he bounded out of the car & acted like he'd be fine. We had introduced him to the kennel owners previously, so things wouldn't be totally new to him.

(Background - Our dog, Maks, is a little over a year old, & he's a Keeshond.)

I called today to check on him expecting to hear, "Oh, he's doing great!"

But he's not.

She told me he didn't eat until last night. (We left him on Friday afternoon.) And he's having diarrhea.

They've moved him inside w/ them. They called our vet, & they told him to give some Immodium. In 6-8 hours, if it hasn't cleared up, they can give him another dose. If it still hasn't cleared up, they are going to take him to our vet. She said she cleaned him up - washed his fur & put some conditioner on him. She's also boiling him a chicken breast & some white rice for him to eat tonight.

We took him to the vet the week before we left him to make sure he was healthy & he was. We also got him the kennel cough vaccine.

She says that, personality-wise, he is doing fine - he's very affectionate, hasn't tried to attack any of the other dogs, & is being very friendly.

She thinks he's just nervous, & that's she seen this before in dogs who have never been boarded. Especially in high strung breeds. Maks isn't really high strung, but he's very "family-oriented" - he likes to be w/ us. And he can be a little hyper sometimes too, I admit.

She told me not to let it ruin my vacation, & that we would talk again tomorrow.

However, I'm freaking out. And trying really hard not to show how worried I am because I don't want our kids to start worrying.

DH says he'll be fine.

But, still... I'm worried. He's there w/o us & he's sick & worried.

Should I call our vet? He's never been sick before, & our vet told her that Maks has never had this problem before. She's seems like she's doing exactly what she should to take care of him.

I guess I just need someone else to tell me he's gonna be okay.

He just has diarrhea. The kennel is on top of things and your vet is aware of the situation. Relax and enjoy your vacation. The kennel will take him to the vet if neccesary and then you can come home if you need to. He probably has an upset tummy from having his surroundings and his "pack" change suddenly.

 

[WDWBarb]

I'm sure he'll be fine. My GSD had this happen the last time we boarded her. She had been sick for days (which they never told me when I called to check on her) and bounced right back when we got home. In her case, I found they switched her food (I left them with a brand-new, never opened 35-lb bag of food which they told me they ran out of on the second day... hmmmm.... ) and it upset her tummy. That change on top of the stress of missing her family just made her sick to her stomach. I just made sure she drank lots of fluids and she got better really quick. Call your vet if it makes you feel better (and I'm sure it will!) but try to enjoy your vacation!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would not worry. Sounds like they are taking great care of him and he will bond with the kennel and get used to it.

It is true that dogs don't eat as much when they are boarded. I do bring their food from home.

 

[LuLuO]

I used to work in a kennel/grooming shop and this type of thing isn't out of the ordinary, especially the first couple of times the dog visits. He is out of his element and around a lot of barking dogs. The people you chose to leave him with seem to be very responsible, kind and attentive. Try not to worry and enjoy your vacation.

 

[CindyV]

our dog has been to a kennel several times while we have been on vacation. Last year when we went away we got a phone call saying he wasnt doing well, looked unwell, had diarrhea and had blood in it as well.
We had no one to go get him to take him to the vet, so many phone calls back and forth, they have him some meds they already had there to settle his stomach and they said it works in almost all the dogs they give it to.
After that one dose he was fine for the rest of the time (this was at the beginning of the week)
I am sure he was nervous, as im sure your dog is. They knew what they were doing and took good care of my dog.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

He'll be fine momma, lots of dogs get diarrhea from nervousness at times like that. My boy won't poop for 3 days after we get somewhere if he's feeling nervous, heck one time he didn't even pee for over 12 hours...his nickname is Ironbladder.

Our new kitten didn't pee all night and didn't poop for a day and a half when we first brought him home, but he came around too.

She sounds like she knows what she's doing.

 

[LBAK]

Try not to worry. My 10 year old does this every time I go away even when my DD is watching her. My vet says is due to the interruption of her routine and missing us. Sure enough, within 2 or 3 days of us coming home she's fine again.
I'm sure your pup will be fine when you get home.

 

[horseshowmom]

Not only do I think he'll be fine, but I'm very impressed with the level of care. I'm not just saying this because you're on vacation, but I've got a lot of experience with dogs (fostering four right now along with my own), and I have no doubt that your dog is going to be fine. Please enjoy your vacation with your family.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much because it sounds like the folks at the kennel are totally on top of it. It also sounds like they are exceptionally caring and attentive which is fantastic and something I always worry about when boarding.

I definitely understand your worry though. On our last WDW trip, we got a call from the kennel asking if our dog had any known allergies because they noticed that her mouth was swelling up. I was a wreck. They gave her a couple of doses of benadryl which didn't work and ended up taking her to their vet who determined she had probably tried to eat a bug or spider which had then bitten her and caused a reaction. He gave her some sort of shot to counter the reaction and she was fine.

While all of the phone calls back and forth and worrying were terrible that day (not to mention the guilt!), when we returned from vacation, I was actually almost a little glad it happened because I was SO impressed with how the kennel handled it. Now, every time I board her there, I know that I don;t need to worry about the standard of care she will receive. Plus they said she used the whole experience to get a whole lot of extra belly rubs and pats from the staff. LOL

 

[Wendy31]

Thank you, everyone!!

She called yesterday, & Maks is doing much better! He's eating the chicken & rice w/ no problems, & she's going to start slowly introducing his food back to him. (We left his food, so it's not a new food to him.)

He's being very lovable w/ both her & her husband (the kennel-owners).

I'm going to call again today to make sure he's still doing okay.

I was just feeling so guilty & worried since he was there w/o us, but I'm feeling better now.

Thanks again to everyone here who reassured me! After I first talked to the kennel owner, I was freaking out & DH kept telling me "He'll be fine". And I said, "I'm going to ask about it on the DIS!" LOL!

 

[horseshowmom]

Thanks again to everyone here who reassured me! After I first talked to the kennel owner, I was freaking out & DH kept telling me "He'll be fine". And I said, "I'm going to ask about it on the DIS!" LOL!

The Dis is one of my first go to places because you have such a wide variety of expertise. Apparently, it's filtering down because we were discussing something at home a few nights ago, and my husband said, "Why don't you ask on the Disboards and see what you can find out?"

Very glad Maks is better (I have a Max myself)!

 

[ols386]

We are on vacation right now too, and have our dog with us.

There was a really bad storm one night, he's in a new environment (rather than his own house), but still with us....and he threw up.

I think it was his nerves and his stomach was just unsettled. He's fine now.

From what you describe, op, it doesn't sound like anything serious with your pooch and it also sounds like he's in good hands.

I'm thinking he will be fine. He is probably nervous being away from you and in a different environment.

BTW, our dog didn't eat like he normally does, at the beginning of this week, but now he's eating normally. I think a lot has to do with a dog's nerves.

Hang in there.