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Discussion starter · #103 ·
I just saw this post. I feel so bad about Peggy. Hopefully she recovers without any long-term effect. Our first standard poodle, at ~ 2yrs. old, went into the back yard after the yard was sprayed. We waited few hours longer than the company rep. stated it was safe to allow our dog to go into the yard. By next day, she developed diarrhea and began omitting. We ran to the vet. Vet asked about eating anything or walking anywhere, then performed some blood work, and put our fur baby on IV fluids. After that she explained that dogs absorb pesticides through their paw pads rapidly. Depending on the chemical, how hot it was, length of the time the dog walked on the sprayed grass, the condition of the dog worsens. We got lucky, we came for help just fast enough, before her systems began shutting down.
If the cause of Peggy’s diarrhea is a pesticide, the trainer should pay for more than just sample of Peggy’s poop. Trainer should know better than allowing a class to be held on the grass that was sprayed. FYI, after grass/weeds get sprayed with pesticide(s), both grass & weeds turn yellow to brown and look like that patch is dying out.
I’m not trying to scare you, just sharing our experience.
I really appreciate you sharing your experience. Thank you.

Our trainer has offered to pay for whatever we need. I don't think she's been able to get any answers about possible spraying, but it totally makes sense that's why the whole stretch of grass was dead. I usually steer clear of overly green, manicured lawns, but this is in an industrial park, and I can imagine them eradicating weeds in the cheapest, fastest way. It was also unusually hot during our last class, which may explain why she got so much sicker than the week before.

I'm hoping we're out of the woods now. Just one normal poop today, normal appetite, and very enthusiastic play. She was literally begging me for a training session, pressing her nose into my thigh and then carefully positioning herself in my line of sight when I tried to ignore her. When she saw the clicker come out, she raced to the door and then snapped into "wait" position. Gotta love that poodle spirit.
 
If I see lush grass with no weeds I take my dog far out into the street to bypass the area. I will not even walk on the nearby sidewalks as many spray right across them as they aim for the other side.

People have no clue how they are poisoning their own dogs, and even themselves, by walking on or by these hazardous chemicals. For places to let my dog run I look for fields with the most weeds, the least maintenance..... Or even better, go to the woods and mountains
 
Hoping someone might help me troubleshoot.

Peggy has an ironclad stomach. It's her super power. We go to training classes on Thursdays, and last Friday-Sunday she had uncharacteristically horrid gas and diarrhea. She was otherwise okay, so we assumed it was something she ate. By Monday she was totally fine.

Then again today (the day after class) she's sick, but this time much worse. She woke me up crying in her crate and literally attempting to dig her way out. She NEVER has done that before. When I unlatched the door, she raced to the front door and then the back door, absolutely frantic, and barely made it to the lawn before the diarrhea started. She was so upset, she was begging to be let out of the backyard so she could poop further from the house.

This lasted an hour and now she's sleeping.

It seems like too much of a coincidence that this has happened twice now, the day after class, and I'm worried that it's more severe this time around.

I'm wondering: Could it be floor cleaner?

Our trainer has strict covid guidelines that she has to follow, which includes a lot of deep cleaning. Part of class is often scattering treats on the floor, or tossing a single treat, so Peggy absolutely licks the floor multiple times.

Another possibility: The last two weeks we've had a covid puppy join our class. This is an under-socialized adolescent who barks A LOT. And piercingly. It takes a toll on us humans, and Peggy's ears spend a lot of time in a funny "back" position, even as she's trying to focus on us. Could stress cause next-day tummy upset? Or is that a stretch?

For the first time ever, I'm scared to take her to class next week.

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Poor baby,I hope she’s OK. It could be the cleaner, I would definitely bring it up with the trainer and inquire if any other dogs had similar symptoms. It can also be nerves. Martini is only 3 yrs old and I’m her third owner. When I adopted her she was on Hills digestive care prescription food. She had every test under the sun and was perfectly healthy. From the rescue society I was told her first home had Other dogs. The second home she was terrorized by 3 kids under the age of five. She was constantly throwing up and diarrhea. I have her 2 months now and has never thrown up or had any digestive issues and no longer on prescription food. she just gets very nervous around other dogs and unruly children. He came to me already housebroken and new most commands but was inconsistent if ther was distractions, so bringing her to a class was not an option. So I work with her at home. I just put in an invisable fence and after two sessions she was so stressed she didn’t even want to go out. otherwise she is just the sweetest, well behaved rescue I’ve ever had.
 
We were actually thinking it might be the water at class, as we fill up her bowl from the sink there. But I think bacteria would cause much longer illness.

Even though the diarrhea was more urgent this time around, and there was a LOT in a short amount of time, it was over faster. After last class, she actually leaked a bit in the house a few days later. This time around, she already seems back to her old self, 24 hours from onset.

So mysterious.

I keep coming back to the volume of training treats, as this seems like the simplest explanation. But if it were the treats, I feel like she'd have gotten sick right away. Or at least that night. I'm not sure why it would take until the next day.

Peggy says, "Thanks everyone for helping us try and figure this out! Now can someone please fill up this pool for me?"

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What beautiful pics, I hope Peggy is feeling better 💕🐾
 
My tpoo had pancreatitis. It’s sometimes the result of eating highly fatty foods. In my tpoo’s case I was ignorant and the internet didn’t exist back then. I had kibble down for my cats to eat and the dog helped herself to treats regularly which were too high in fat and protein.

If you were using highly fatty treats like greasy meatballs then I would consider pancreatitis as a potential diagnosis which your vet could run blood work to confirm (when Peggy is ill). Otherwise it’s more likely something else.
 
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Discussion starter · #108 ·
I agree that poodles can be exquisitely sensitive. Our last dog (half minipoo) felt everything in her gut. I can actually relate!

Peggy so far hasn't been like that, but we've also made every effort to keep her world happy and kind. It's possible that a stressed, barking classmate, two weeks in a row, took a toll. Maybe it was a combination of things. I suspect we'll never know.

As for electric fences....

Our trainer has said the only way to train them humanely is with flags along the fence line and the actual fence turned off until they've learned. As you're seeing firsthand, this especially applies to sensitive poodles.

Even then, she encourages extreme caution. I don't want to be a downer, but she's seen dogs ruined by them. And we had someone here tell us about her dog being attacked through one.

It sounds like you're making really good progress with your girl, so don't let the fence derail you. :)

Poor baby,I hope she’s OK. It could be the cleaner, I would definitely bring it up with the trainer and inquire if any other dogs had similar symptoms. It can also be nerves. Martini is only 3 yrs old and I’m her third owner. When I adopted her she was on Hills digestive care prescription food. She had every test under the sun and was perfectly healthy. From the rescue society I was told her first home had Other dogs. The second home she was terrorized by 3 kids under the age of five. She was constantly throwing up and diarrhea. I have her 2 months now and has never thrown up or had any digestive issues and no longer on prescription food. she just gets very nervous around other dogs and unruly children. He came to me already housebroken and new most commands but was inconsistent if ther was distractions, so bringing her to a class was not an option. So I work with her at home. I just put in an invisable fence and after two sessions she was so stressed she didn’t even want to go out. otherwise she is just the sweetest, well behaved rescue I’ve ever had.
 
Discussion starter · #110 ·
My tpoo had pancreatitis. It’s sometimes the result of eating highly fatty foods. In my tpoo’s case I was ignorant and the internet didn’t exist back then. I had kibble down for my cats to eat and the dog helped herself to treats regularly which were too high in fat and protein.

If you were using highly fatty treats like greasy meatballs then I would consider pancreatitis as a potential diagnosis which your vet could run blood work to confirm (when Peggy is ill). Otherwise it’s more likely something else.
I experienced suspected pancreatitis once, and it was hell on earth. I am feeling the pain again just typing this! If it manifests similarly in dogs, that's definitely not what she had. But the yellow diarrhea does still concern me.

We recently started a new bag of puppy kibble, which I'd stocked up on at the start of quarantine. She doesn't eat a ton of it, but I think I'll switch her over to adult formula over the next couple of weeks to be safe.
 
I’m so happy Peggy’s poops and appetite are on the right track! I hope she likes the adult formula kibble when you transition over.

It sucks that your training class got derailed but of course Peggy’s health and mental state needs to be preserved. Your trainer sound so awesome. Eventually I’ll be getting Lacey back to training classes at a new location and I hope to find one half as good as yours!
 
Discussion starter · #114 ·
Just wanted to check in and see how Peggy is doing? I hope the zoomies pics you posted are a good indication that she’s feeling good.
I was literally just typing when your comment appeared! Thank you so much for checking in.

Four perfect days and suddenly it's back. :( She's been totally normal—eating normal, pooping normal, playing normal—then she nudged me just now to go out and it went from a normal well-formed (big!) poop to a whoosh of liquid.
 
Discussion starter · #120 ·
Oh, no. :( Has she seen any other dogs, other than the one on your street? Or maybe she ate too much?
(💗Hugs and good vibes coming to Peggy, you, and your husband💗) How is she doing other wise? Is she drinking like she should? Maybe she needs some doggy electrolyte solution. How have the other dogs in class been doing? Keep us posted.
We're here for you guys!
Thank you. What would I do without Poodle Forum??

She's doing totally fine otherwise. Definitely still on edge—barking at any dogs that pass by the house, growling at noises, that sort of thing—but she's an adolescent, so I'm not especially surprised. And she stops quickly as long as I acknowledge the scary thing and thank her for alerting me.

She's eating and drinking normally. Training is going great. She's sleeping fine.

She's not played with any dogs or even been close to any dogs since her last class on the 16th.

I've not received any updates on her classmates that got sick. Our trainer did check in yesterday, though, to see how Peggy was doing. I assume she'd let me know if there was anything noteworthy.

With this flaring up again after exactly 4 days of perfect health (just like last time), it's seeming less likely to me that it's class related.
 
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