Diarrhea is common in dogs, and, if it does not occur often, is not seen as much of a problem. Chronic diarrhea, however, where the dog has diarrhea for more than a couple of days or the diarrhea reoccurs every few days, can result in malnutrition and dehydration. This is when you need to speak with your vet about the diarrhea.
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Correlation
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Stress can cause large intestine diarrhea (as opposed to small intestine diarrhea) in dogs prone to anxiety because the digestive tract will speed up during the anxiety (think of how your stomach feels when you are nervous). Physical stress on a dog may also cause diarrhea, as the physical stress may kill off the bacteria responsible for good digestion or may also cause the digestive tract to speed up.
Large Intestine Diarrhea
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Large intestine diarrhea is usually characterized by straining to pass only a little loose stool that comes much more often than normal. There may be mucus or red blood in the stool. Rarely is vomiting or weight loss seen with large intestine diarrhea. If the stool is coming in larger amounts less often and your dog is not having difficulty passing the stool, it may be small intestine diarrhea instead, which is not caused by stress.
Diagnosis
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If your dog is having diarrhea regularly, bring it to your veterinarian to be certain the large intestine diarrhea is not caused by something other than stress, or that the stress is not exacerbating another problem. Your veterinarian will need to perform blood tests and a stool examination, and possibly a rectal exam. Be prepared to give as many details as possible about what your dog is eating, its routine and what the stool looks like. This is especially important if the diarrhea is caused by stress, as changes in routine and diet may be causing the diarrhea.
Treatment
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Unless a more serious problem is discovered, your veterinarian may put your dog on a high-fiber diet in order to relieve the amount of diarrhea caused by stress. Ask your veterinarian about how you can help your dog be less stressed in day-to-day activities, which may include giving your dog toys to keep it occupied and taking it on relaxing walks.
Physical Stress Solutions
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For a dog with physical stress-related diarrhea, you can choose easy-to-digest dry dog foods that contain a lot of plant-derived starches and fat that can be moistened a bit. Be careful not to add so much water that the food becomes liquefied, as this may cause the food to go through your dog̵7;s digestive tract too quickly, causing more diarrhea.
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