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Upset Stomach & Grief

6K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  ncdogstar 
#1 ·
I know I've talked about JoJo being tentatively diagnosed with stress colitis...her episodes seem to come once a month - 6 weeks.

Our cat passed away Monday morning. JoJo was witness to the pain over the weekend that he went through and was there when he passed. Within minutes of his passing, she vomitted. It was a yellowish liquid. (never seen that color before!)
I know she's grieving over the loss of Garfield (we all are), but I've never dealt with a grieving pet before. Her colitis seems to be acting up. She's been vomitting that yellow liquid (again this morning), and has had bloody/mucusy diarrhea in the house. She's house trained and hasn't had an accident for many many months.

We've been giving her plenty of love, playing more with her, and getting her out more - all in an effort to help us all recover.
She just seems SO sad. She's fine once we get her up and playing or out for a run or walk. But it's when she's at home and there's not much going on that she just seems so depressed. She has such a sad look in her eyes and seems very insecure.

Is an upset stomach normal for grieving animals?? Is there anything I can do for her?
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
Originally Posted By: judymaggieI am so sorry to read about Garfield. If JoJo already has stress colitis, then I am not surprised it was aggravated by Garfield's passing. Our pets grieve over the loss of their family members just like we do. Stress hits the weakest spot in our systems and, for JoJo, that would be her stomach. The yellowish liquid you are seeing is most likely bile. If she throws up and has no undigested food, then bile is what comes up. It is usually nasty smelling and stains carpets terribly. I would suggest you keep doing what you are doing -- spend time with JoJo, doing the things she likes best. Time will help make her feel better as well as the comfort of you being with her. I assume (would have to go back and read prior posts) your vet has given you a food regimen to follow when the colitis kicks up. If not, I would suggest you give him/her a call. If the vet doesn't have any specific suggestions, I would suggest some plain white rice with plain poached chicken and a little chicken broth until her stomach quiets down -- you want to feed something that is easily digestible. Another suggestion is Royal Canin L/D or H/D -- sold by vets. My Maggie was always given that she had stomach or diarrhea issues. It is very easily digestible canned food (also comes in dry).

Our vet has told us to do the chicken/rice/broth diet if she's like this for longer than 24 hours. Right now, she's just eating small amounts of dry food. But it's not a bad idea to switch her for a day or so until she starts perking up more.

Bile...It does stain the carpet!


Thank you everyone for your responses. We've only had her for about 5 months, and I think I just didn't realize how close she was to the cat. They chased each other all over the house ALL the time...and she often would just leave the cat alone. But, it is a big change in the house. I don't think I ever imagined it'd hit her as hard as it did. It's tough to grieve and have to help a dog grieve, too. I know it'll take time, I just feel so bad for her. I'll keep you updated as she gets better.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Thanks again, everyone! She's actually doing MUCH better.
She's taken over the cat's former spot on our ottoman, and has turned herself into a lap dog. Extra comfort...nothing wrong with that!

You can tell she misses him (as do the rest of us), but she's doing so much better and actually eating.
 
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