“OMG.. this dog is dying!”, I thought to myself at 1 a.m. on a Monday night. When I picked Buffy up from the dog hotel earlier that evening, I’d noticed that her belly looked a bit swollen. She seemed otherwise fine at the time – energetic, interested in food, and excreting waste, as usual. I did some research anyways to inform myself about the possible health risks of canine bloating. Little did I know what hard-hitting insights were to come.
At bedtime, when she suddenly began panting and behaving in a subdued manner, I grew concerned. It seemed very possible she had GDV (the life-threatening type of canine bloat) and might not make it through the night without prompt medical attention. As I waited late in the night for the foster agency to approve my request to take her to the emergency room, I watched her closely, stroked her gently, and I’ll admit – got watery-eyed at one point.
Although she seemed to show only a couple key symptoms of GDV, I wasn’t about to let my first dog – foster or not – take her chances if I there was something I could do about it. And so, after a trip to the local animal ER in the wee hours, I learned what was wrong with her.
She was simply, and there isn’t really an elegant way to say this, full of sh*t and food.
**FACEPALM**
Initial Thoughts
Thinking back, I recalled that Buffy’s been pretty ready to go to the bathroom when I’ve picked her up the other few times she’s stayed at the dog hotel. I suspected she might be “holding it in”, though this wasn’t a particularly long stay, and I hadn’t observed any bloating after her previous stays. What concerned me, was that her belly distension didn’t seem to improve after a walk and a bowel movement, she didn’t seem to need to go again during our later pre-bedtime walk, and her condition appeared to take a distinct turn for the worse.
In summary, Buffy ended up having four sets of bowel movements in the sixteen hours since I picked her up from the dog hotel—once before our trip to the animal ER, once right after, and twice during our first walk the following day. These were four sizable droppings (yikes! poor thing), especially for a dog of her size. She’s a sweet little senior peanut of a chihuahua mix, about as large as a house cat.
Getting Schooled
As distressing and troublesome as the experience was for me – not to mention, majorly uncomfortable for Buffy, I’m so glad that I pursued the better-safe-than-sorry option AND that it turned out to be a best-case scenario.
In one sense, this “false alarm” was an exercise in practicing my observational skills, using my best judgement, and engaging in emergency protocols. The obvious lesson learned, was that my pooch is potty-trained to a fault, and that I would need to advise the dog hotel staff of her need for outdoor potty walks when boarding her. As I realized, the underlying lesson is:
Sometimes we are too well trained to “hold it in” and be polite, much to the detriment of our own health and wellness.
Bringing more awareness to our inclinations to “hold it in” – in doggo’s case, her biological needs; in my case, speaking my truth – can help prevent us from getting seriously backed up and ill, physically, emotionally, and beyond. As such, here are some questions to consider:
- When do you find yourself “holding it in”?
- What benefits & challenges do you experience as a result of this behavior?
- How might you like to respond instead of “holding it in”, and what would help you feel safe or empowered enough to do so?
Noticing an urge to “hold it in” is a potent place to start.
Please feel welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
Part II of this article to come…!