Puppy Forum and Dog Forums banner

My 2 year old chi is suddenly pooping in her crate :( Do I panic??

505 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Kathyy
I'm sorry, I didn't know if this a food/training/health question so I hope it's okay I posted it here.

This is a long story, and I'm so frantic, but my husband says I need to calm down and it's not a cause to rush to the vet just yet. Can you guys please tell me what you think?

My 2 year old chi has been crate trained for over a year now, she's only had an accident once since she's become accustomed to it. However, this entire week she's pooped (and today peed) every single day.

Backstory: A month ago we moved house, and realized the house had fleas. We took our dogs to live with my mom while we took care of the flea problem. They love my moms and weren't stressed out there, but their normal routine was way off. While they were there, they got into some old oranges in the backyard, and they both got a bit sick. I took them both to the vet, where my Chi got a shot (I think penicillan) and my other dog got some powdered medicine to mix with her food. The medicine seemed to help. The vet also suggested we put them on a bland diet of chicken and rice, so we did.

Last week we were able to move into our home. I was worried the dogs would be stressed, but they seemed to adjust fairly decent and the diarrhea and vomiting had stopped. We decided to keep feeding them the chicken at dinnertime, and normal kibble for breakfast/snacks. All last week they were completely fine, they got back into their normal routine like no time had even passed.

However, this whole week, my chi has been pooping every afternoon in her cage, and the poop is extremely soft. I don't know why this is happening and I'm very upset she might be sick again. We ran out of rice and for the past couple days we've only been feeding the chicken, I didn't think this would cause any harm but could this be it? Should we feed chicken/rice for both meals instead of one? We boil the chicken every Sunday, is that too long to wait? It used to be in the morning before breakfast I would take them out for potty, but now my chi refuses to go outside. I thought she might be too cold so I started putting her in her sweater, but it didn't help today.

Like I said, she's been crated trained over a year, so the fact this is happening out of the blue is really concerning to me. Overall her activity and energy levels have remained the same. I have noticed this week she's been very clingy to me and shivery, but again, she's a chihuahua and she might just be cold because of the changing weather.

I don't know, I could really use some advice. As I write this she's wrestling around with my other dog, so it's hard to believe she's sick. Oh, my husband also thinks there might be some cat poop or junk in the backyard she's eating and we're going to try to clean up this weekend. Another possible cause?

I know this is super rambly and all over the place. Does she need to go to the vet? Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?
See less See more
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
If it were me I would go ahead an make a vet appointment.

Until then put her back on the rice and chicken for each meal and see how she does. When you say you boil the chicken on Sunday does that mean for the entire week? If that's the case I think it's too long in the fridge. I wouldn't eat chicken that's been in the fridge more than 2-3 days so I wouldn't feed it to my dogs either.
Agree, cook the chicken more often or keep most in the freezer. I can now taste food that's going off and it takes 3 days for the most part.

No rice makes a difference. Chicken hasn't any bulk so stool will be soft. The tiny amount of fiber in white rice helps. You could use white potato or pasta if you don't keep rice on hand. And how much are you feeding her? Tiny dogs need tiny amounts of food. My littles are 13 pounds and get 4 ounces of raw food daily. Not per meal, per day. Too much food can cause soft stool as well. And a gut upset takes much longer to heal than one thinks. Take it easy for a good month before trying new treats and giving extra food.

Since you are frantic go to the vet. I make a couple non essential vet visits a year, it is worth the peace of mind! A shivery dog does sound worrying to me too.

If she isn't going outside in the morning then isn't that your answer? She needs to go. Put her on leash and walk her around the yard until she at least pretends to go. My dogs insist I suffer along with them if the weather is awful.
See less See more
I forgot to ask - have you tried canned pumpkin? Add a little to each meal to help firm up the stools. Make sure it's just plain pumpkin with no spices or anything (not pie filling).
I would make a vet appointment, as well. It's very possible that she's getting into something in your backyard, or its just some leftover effects of the oranges. Or it could be a parasite. So she simply can't hold it any longer, thus goes in her crate.

Is it possible for you to come home half way through the day to let her out for a break? If you can't get home from work, is there somebody else that could give her a break?
The one time Sassy and Max had an actual stomach bug [bad fast food hamburger] that had to be treated with a diet change Sassy's stool did not completely go back to normal until I added a bit of canned pumpkin. Yes go to the vet but today get a can of pumpkin and add about 1/2 teaspoon per meal. Inside a day Sassy's poop became normal [if a bit orange] and I started transitioning her from mushy rice and chicken plus pumpkin to kibble in a couple days.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top