Dog Depressed by Owner's Absence

From LoveToKnow Dogs

A pet sitter is worried about a dog depressed by its owner's absence. Share her story.

German Shepherd

Lonely Dog Depressed by Owner's Absence

Hi,

I am house sitting with two German Shepherds, a mother and daughter, and have been here for two weeks now. I came around to hang out with the dogs about five times before their owner left.

Since their owner has been gone, the mother dog has gone gray around her mouth, and has lost a lot of weight. She looks sad, but totally perks up on her runs every day. She will not eat much of her food, and lets her daughter have it. If I feed her in a separate location she will just sit down and ignore the food!

Please help me. I'm worried, but I don't know if she needs to go to the vet. She looks so sad, and appears to look at me and sigh!

Help please~~ Dianna

Expert Reply

Hi Dianna,

When you say the dog went gray around the mouth, do you mean the fur, or her gums and tongue? Grayish, pale gums and tongue can be an indicator of illness.

Have you been able to reach the owner to let him/her know that there's a problem? If the owner left you contact info for the vet, then I think you really should call and tell him/her what is going on. It does sound like the dog is depressed over her owner's absence, but it's the weight loss that truly worries me.

In the meantime, I suggest that you try cooking for her to get her to eat. I'd recommend cooking some ground beef and boiling some rice, then mixing it all together. This will provide her with protein, carbs and fat, and she should find it too tempting to resist. If she does pass it up, there may be something medically wrong.

Hopefully the dogs' owner is scheduled to return soon.

~~ Kelly

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Comments

Hi Srikanth,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, dogs react to a divorce in much the same way that children do. They need stability to help them feel secure. All you can do is really think about what's best for your dog and try to follow through on that. I hope you and your wife can work things out with everyone's benefit in mind. Good luck.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my wife and i got into a domestic dispute and she left with our dog. after 4 months of courts and lawyers we got 1 week each. he came home for the first time in 129 days and he seems depressed. he is a 8 yr old lax/chow mix and 129 days ago was as happy as a 8 mth old puppy. HELP ME GET MY PUPPY BACK TO NORMAL

-- Contributed by: srikanth

Hi Kayla,

I think your best course of action is to have your vet examine your dog. This is quite a sudden change, and it could be linked to something that might have happened during the trip to the groomers. It might also be the onset of something age-related that was triggered by the stress of the grooming session. Hopefully your vet will be able to get to the bottom of the situation and help your pet.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope your dog is back to normal soon.

-- Contributed by: Kelly
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