Dog is excessively sleeping after being boarded?

Question

I had to board my 2 year old english bulldog for a week, and I picked her up on Wednesday (today is Saturday). Since then, she has pretty much been asleep. When I picked her up, I noticed a green discharge from her eyes, and I took her to the vet. She was given a cream, which cleared it up pretty quickly.

The problem now is that she seems tired all the time. While awake, she doesn't seem lethargic or sick, but it's not long before she is lying down. Usually, she sleeps from 7pm to 9am, lounges around til noon, and acts like a bat out of he*l until 7. For example, yesterday she slept until about 9, stayed awake until 2:30, slept from 2:30 until 9, woke up for a half-hour, then slept until 9am. She's not showing changes today.
She's also been unbelievably flatulent, which may be a result of food she was given when what I provided ran out.

Should I be worried or was she just overly stressed and stimulated? THANKS!

Answer 1

It depends on what type of place she was boarded at. We used to watch dogs are our house, and they would get so wrapped up in playing with my 7 dogs that they would go home exhausted. it usually took them about a week to really get rested up.

So if the dog was boarded at a place where the dogs could play and socialize, then he had more activity during a short time than he is accustomed to and will just need some time to recoup.

Answer 2

There isn't a vaccine for Heartworms, it's a monthly "pill" that has to be taken monthly. If he was kept in a cage the whole time then that explains why he is doing the doo all over your house, he needs to be retrained to go out. A good kennel will walk your dog atleast 2x maybe 3x a day. Bad kennels just clean out the cages after they(dogs) have done their business. You have a pom. so he probably was left in there the whole time, unless you know otherwise. Another reason could be nerves, it's terrible leaving your pet alone with other animals and no owner loving. I would look for a better kennel and research the ones you think are good. Some kennels keep the dogs in cages 24 hrs, other kennels have mini rooms with tv's and toys, dog runs, and the dogs get walked or get to run around with their own sizes, little dogs with little dogs, med with med, large with large. You could always find a pet sitter service that is bonded and they come to your house 2x a day or stay there or you could just leave him with a friend that will love him like you do!

Answer 3

Well, she could have been sooo busy at the boarding kennel that she is sleeping it all off! I would wait a couple of days and see if she is still like this. If so, perhaps take her back to the vet as it might be a problem.

Sometimes, a dog will play these weird games with their owners as a way of getting you back for leaving them. We had a dog once that cried and wouldn't get up at all after she got spayed. THis went on for a few months...however, whenever the door bell rang, she RAN to the door and felt no pain! So...she was getting back at us. Believe it or not..dogs know what revenge is!!

Regardless, good luck!

Answer 4

Dogs can sleep an awful lot after being exposed to a particularly stressful situation, it is their own way of "coping" with what has happened, give her a few weeks and im sure she will be back to her normal self, just remember, she didnt know where she was, who was looking after her, where u were, who all the dogs in the surrounding kennels were or if she would ever see u again, dogs relate to familiar smells and surroundings, everything at the kennel was different to what she has been used to, just give her time, let her sleep, she will be fine, honest, good luck and i hope she is back to normal soon

Answer 5

at the kennel i work at we tell owners to expect their dog to sleep more than usual for 2-3 days, maybe more for dogs who have never been boarded with us. the reason? they are out playing all day with one naptime in the middle. every owner has told us how knocked out they are once they are home. if the kennel was a place like this (you didnt really mention any info about the kennel), then this is completely normal. the gas is completely normal for a dog who has had an extreme diet change. my guess is she will slowly return tmrw by tmrw or monday.

the only thing wrong with the kennel, it seems, is that they didnt just get a new bag of food for your dog and charge you for it. this is what we do, b/c most owners do not pack enough and we know better than to switch the dogs food like that. if you use this kennel again, tell them you would like them in the future to do that if you ever do run out of food.

Answer 6

I think the kennel situation was incredibly stressful for her. Try giving her some unflavored yogurt or digestive enzymes for dogs and get her out for a good walk everyday. She'll build up her strength again. It probably feels so god and safe to be home. Sleeping peacefully is probably a luxury she'll never take for granted again!

My Jack Russell came home from being boarded not able to bark for a while. He had barked so much there that he lost his voice. He was exhausted,too, and so relieved to be home.

Answer 7

Your dog may be tired from either stress or playing with other dogs (if this was allowed). I would watch her for a couple days, and if she doesn’t seem to be getting better…call the vet.

Good luck!

Nicki

Answer 8

The dog may have picked up a bug in the kennel. It's not unusual, but it might be wise to not use that kennel, again (of course, you neglected to say whether she was "fine" when she was boarded!).

Regardless, if your pet doesn't return to "normal" within a week or so, return to the vet.

Answer 9

I would just give it a couple more days she probaly didnt sleep much while at the kennels. so just watch her for any new changes and make sure she continues to eat and drink.

Answer 10

Thank you all