Got my girl back after being apart for 2 months, is her diet affecting her behaviour?

[deka]

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Adding onto old theories and experience of mine her overall behaviour has greatly improved and can go 3-4 hours without wanting out. Relatives who cared for her gave her a supplement for digestion and that ran out 10 days ago and during the period where she was with them and until a few days after the supplement ran out she was at her best for toilet habits she only had 1 accident in 2 months after they gave her a cooked pork sausage.

Since supplement ran out she has been getting a bit hyper at times i.e biting lead again and pulling and tonight wanted out a little more though my flat is so hot tonight, 24 degrees with no heating on and she was panting for hours, earlier today she chewed my slippers which she hasn't done for a long time and chewed the edge of my leather sofa and after she came back in from her toilet she did a full on zoomie and for the first time I have seen her, she has laid down in the hall maybe as its far cooler.

 

[JudyN]

What is the supplement? Why not give it to her again and see how she is?

 

[excuseme]

What difference is there between your home and the home where she has lived for the past 2 months. House with garden, flat with no outside access. What type of food and brand do you feed her, and what was she being fed while away. What about the ages of her carers, Does she notice any tension from yourself, have her part time carers been less excitable and more laid back. Maybe home life in general, cage, shut in another room, how much social activity before and after.
And yes, even diet can influence temperament.
There are so many if, and or but reasons.

 

[deka]

Well shes a runner, relatives have their own back garden which they took her in and they stay in a village so a walk was a calm walk down to community centre a few minutes walk away and around the grass around it then back,

I have a cottage flat so I have to take her downstairs and into side of property, relatives are pensioners in their 70's.

Not sure about tension except when she looks out of window

One of the relatives was strict but also gave her a lot of affection i.e he told her to back off when she went into kitchen and calm when she was hyper and she wanted a lot of affection from him like cuddles and always listened to him, if he left room she slept in his chair etc.

They just fed her cheap supermarket own brand food, Asda I think I settled on Aldi own brand but they also topped it up with things like leftover veg and meat in small quantities.

 

[Sus]

I wish I was a bit more like your strict relative but am too soft and my dog walks all over me
Regarding the toilet issues, my girl was overweight, traumatised with lots of health issues when I rescued her. Short story, owner died and wife ended up in hospital
She has had issues with her anal glands (one of the health problems) loose poo and going several time a day. I have had endless vet visits and tried many supplements but after advice from this site she is now on a raw diet, her anal glands problem are no longer a problem and when she was on a diet she was only going once a day now that she has lost the excess weight and I have increased her food she goes twice a day.
The only downside is that it is expensive but there are cheaper companies out there and you could do it yourself which would reduce the cost enormously
I am no expert and all dogs are different but you will get the very best advice from this site. I do not know how I would have managed without the help from here and other dog owners and walkers. Vets are not always the best place to go for advice.
Good luck and I hope you get it sorted

 

[deka]

I wish I was a bit more like your strict relative but am too soft and my dog walks all over me
Regarding the toilet issues, my girl was overweight, traumatised with lots of health issues when I rescued her. Short story, owner died and wife ended up in hospital
She has had issues with her anal glands (one of the health problems) loose poo and going several time a day. I have had endless vet visits and tried many supplements but after advice from this site she is now on a raw diet, her anal glands problem are no longer a problem and when she was on a diet she was only going once a day now that she has lost the excess weight and I have increased her food she goes twice a day.
The only downside is that it is expensive but there are cheaper companies out there and you could do it yourself which would reduce the cost enormously
I am no expert and all dogs are different but you will get the very best advice from this site. I do not know how I would have managed without the help from here and other dog owners and walkers. Vets are not always the best place to go for advice.
Good luck and I hope you get it sorted

My girl was at her best when I was feeding her cooked chicken breast or beef mince every day, like 2/3 small poops a day only wanted out every few hours it got worse when I put her on chicken mince for dogs, she also drank little too rather than a lot now.

 

[deka]

Shes actually been acting strange for days and eating grass, wanting out a lot again, pulling on lead so it could be stomach related and/or the fact my flat has been 23/24 degrees so shes drinking a lot, I still am spacing out her outside visits best I can so around 2 hours even if she wants but today she has had 2 poop accidents despite taking her out, but she has been pooping less overall for about 5 days.

To think this may be as simple as a sensitive tummy is crazy or it could just be a coincidence.

She was also restless for last few days and this evening I said her name as she was having a nightmare and she instantly woke up and barked at me, when I took her out 30 minutes later she did a pee and didn't seem interested in pooping then came in and went into hall and pooped then had a zoomie and started scratching up my sofa, then I told her off and she laid down a second, then she started again then I told her of again and she got off the sofa went into corner and started looking at things.

What I am worried about is she got off the lead 2 weeks ago and ran into the bushes and since then she was scratching until about 4 days ago basically the same time as she got cranky.

 

[deka]

Spoke to PDSA vet as she got worse over past few days and wanting out during night around 1.30am and had at least 2 accidents during night and one when I went out for a few hours (after taking her outside right before I left and she pooped)

She has gone back to her old routine plus ignoring me when I tell her something, vet said its likely she does have a sensitive stomach and since probiotics seem to work put her back on and she may be that way for life.

 

[Flobo]

I'm glad you spoke to the vet, hopefully the probiotics will help. (was this the supplement your relatives gave her too?)
Also stress and anxiety can affect the whole digestive system(not just diet). I wonder if she got stressed leaving you, then settling with your family for 2 months and then back to you. Maybe through the process of re adjusting again and having the accidents indoors things have compounded her worrying and she's kind of got into a cycle... just throwing ideas out there, I am not a behaviourist or vet! I do think it's good to look at the bigger picture sometimes though - What's she like when you take her out for a walk, out of interest? Does she toilet whilst out, does she seem relaxed and enjoy her walks etc..

I would definitely speak to the vet again if she doesn't improve.