Is it stress? or something else?

my chewbacca has been out of sorts since we had a basement flood last thursday.  when i pick him up if I touch his stomach area he will yelp.  he is eating and drinking water.  we checked for his stool and he has had a stool movement, it was slightly soft but not runny or anything unusual.  he will jump off beds or couches as normal but he seems as though he is uncomfortable.  he will walk and then suddenly stop and just stand there.  he wants to be held and he has been laying on his blanket sleeping more than ususal.  he was happy going for a walk and then when he got close to the house he suddenly stopped and would not walk any further.  he also began drooling this morning, something we have not noticed in him before.  We have another shitzu and she seems to be fine.  if he is not constipated, and we see no other outward signs of illness what should we look for?  our vet is aware and had given us some pointers yesterday, but she is not in today and we are concerned.

[Krista L Gibson, D.V.M.]

Hi there,

I'm so sorry to hear that your Chewbacca isn't feeling well.  It sounds like you have had some stressful times in the last few days!  I know it's been a few days since your post, and I hope you've gotten the help you need and that Chewy is feeling better, but I'll go ahead here anyway just in case...

We certainly can see stress-related upset stomach in dogs.  They may or may not have vomiting and/or diarrhea, and they generally do seem to feel ok.  Sometimes they'll just get gassy and crampy and uncomfortable, which is similar to what you're describing, and not unlike how we feel when we have an upset stomach.  If it hasn't cleared up by now, I'd certainly have your veterinarian check him out with some bloodwork, xrays, and urinalysis (it looks like you already did a stool sample, right?) to see if there's anything else going on such as a foreign body or metabolic disease.  

The drooling could be a few things.  Some dogs will drool when they feel nauseus, and sometimes it comes from a foreign body in the mouth, oral cavity or throat area.  I've also seen that associated with irritation of the oral cavity or esophagus.  Again, if that hasn't resolved, I recommend seeing your vet for that as well.

Once more, I'm sorry for the slow response, but I do hope this helps!  

Regards,

Dr. Krista