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My senior dog shakes and has diarrhea after storms. Is it stress?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I have a senior shih tzu. It’s been raining the last 2 days, & she has panic attacks during thunderstorms & it was raining nonstop. The rain has stopped & all day today,she’s been shaking randomly & poops diarrhea. She eats fine & is completely normal besides sometimes she starts shaking randomly and poops diarrhea. is this due to stress from the thunderstorms? How can I help her?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 25th, 2020

Poor girl! Yes, this could be stress from the thunderstorms. Fireworks and loud noises can be really scary for dogs. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure her. We think we are comforting her when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling her it's ok to be scared. I recommend getting her a thundershirt to wear when there are fireworks or loud noises. These have been reported to help dogs with anxiety. At home, you can put her in a dark quiet room by herself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. Finally, you can consider get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety.

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