Holiday stress

Q: We are in California with our 9 month old puppy visiting family. We have been here 5 days now. We just noticed mucous in her stool and the last one was very mucousy. Should I be concerned? What would cause this?

A: If your puppy's attitude and appetite are good then this is something that you can handle yourself. The change in environment and routine that comes with holiday visits can upset the balance of bacteria in the GI tract leading to soft mucusy stools or diarrhea. Start by giving about 1 teaspoon of pepto bismol or kaopectacte per 5 lbs of body weight twice a day for 3 days. If you have access to live culture yogurt you can add about 1 teaspoon per 5lbs to each meal trying to restore a good balance of bacteria. If your puppy's attitude or appetite is not good or if the above measures don't resolve the problem you need to let me or veterinarian know.