Sick dog... ideas?

[Sublimewind]

Hi all,My little princess Penelope has been sorta sick for some time now... seems like months.. She vomits randomly, but somewhat frequently... She shows ZERO signs of being sick, she's not lethargic, she's got solid stool, no whines or wimpers.. But, often out of the blue, she vomits... And it's usually on a empty stomach.. there is usually a little bit of digested food, but very minimal.. She's been to the vet once for it and gave us some pills to help with the vomiting, but, it's not a fix to the problem... We've changed their (hers and Ruzz-t's) food as well, thinking that the last change we made from a senior food to a somewhat more "normal" food would change things.. We feed with Nutro foods... Something that does come to mind is our water, we have terrible water, it turns everything brown and smells like eggs... Ruzz-t doesn't have a problem one, though...? I'm getting stick of finding crusty carpet from time to time, or getting puked on in the car, or on the bed... It's so random... nothing seems to be a trigger.. Anyone have any thoughts?? We will be taking her to a different Vet here after the first of the year, but, I thought I might ask my peoples what they thought first.. Thanks,Aaron

[ou.grizzly]

Try bottled water and a bland diet of white rice for a few days; see if you notice a difference.Has she lost any weight or in pain in the abdominal area? Doubt it is a mal-rotation of the small intestines or an issue with a sphincter/valve , yet? Good idea to see another vet.

[Sublimewind]

Will do on the water and rice... But the funny thing is, she just got a xmas dinner of sorts (turkey, some stuffing and whatnot) and hasn't tossed it yet?No weight loss that we can tell, no pain... no ither issues at all as far as we can tell... that's what's bothering us... Thanks for the quick reply..

[drunkenmaxx]

check her food for red dye #40. most dog food has it. we had a problem with our shih tzu puking all the time and found out that many dogs are allergic to the red dye. we switched to a lamb and rice food that has no dye whatsoever and no more puke and she's not itchy all the time either.

[keithvibe]

It really could be anything from, something you puppy is stepping on then injesting by licking her paws, to down to the nutro food. Although nutro food is very good.Deff switch your puppy to a boiled chicken and rice diet for at least a week if not longer. As for your water, you can buy gallons of water for the week and use that in making the food to the water she drinks. See if it clears up. If it's a food allergy it could take as long as a month to get all the contaminates out of her system.How old is your doggy now? you said it's been random but try to keep a diary of sorts of her activity. It could be something she is doing threw out the day that is making her upset.As for other food allergys. My boy andrew has one as well but we never figured out what was causing it. It takes time to build up, if the ingredient is in small amounts.I could switch my boy to one food and he will be fine for a month, but after a month the levels of one ingredient has built up so much to start causing issues in his digestive track.Do you feed her soft of hard food?From your discription I would have to say it's hard. Try mixing half and half it could be her stomach can't handle all the hard food.It could be something the town is putting down on the roads or something you are using during the winter months that might be causing the issue as well

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx »check her food for red dye #40. most dog food has it. we had a problem with our shih tzu puking all the time and found out that many dogs are allergic to the red dye. we switched to a lamb and rice food that has no dye whatsoever and no more puke and she's not itchy all the time either.I will, thanks for the insight...!Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »It really could be anything from, something you puppy is stepping on then injesting by licking her paws, to down to the nutro food. Although nutro food is very good.Deff switch your puppy to a boiled chicken and rice diet for at least a week if not longer. As for your water, you can buy gallons of water for the week and use that in making the food to the water she drinks. See if it clears up. If it's a food allergy it could take as long as a month to get all the contaminates out of her system.How old is your doggy now? you said it's been random but try to keep a diary of sorts of her activity. It could be something she is doing threw out the day that is making her upset.As for other food allergys. My boy andrew has one as well but we never figured out what was causing it. It takes time to build up, if the ingredient is in small amounts.I could switch my boy to one food and he will be fine for a month, but after a month the levels of one ingredient has built up so much to start causing issues in his digestive track.Do you feed her soft of hard food?From your discription I would have to say it's hard. Try mixing half and half it could be her stomach can't handle all the hard food.It could be something the town is putting down on the roads or something you are using during the winter months that might be causing the issue as wellShe is 2yrs now (our years..lol) She's been eating hard food most all of that time and has never had a problem with it.. that's what's strange.. She's been drinking the water the whole time as well... She had a "hot spot" on her leg as well, now that I think about it.. I just checked and the hair is growing over, so that's done with... I've seen pet safe ice melter... any idea of what the active ingredient are? I'm using a Calcium chloride/Magnesium chloride mix IIRC thanks Keith

[808 Vibes]

I wish I knew, but my girl does that too, and I cook warm meals for her (holistic vet's suggestion) sometimes I come home from work and there's a small pile of diced carrots on the carpet But it *could* be from the cancer medicine, since we tapered off to every other day, using more of a Chinese herb instead, the barfing is a lot less than it used to be, though she still gets the occasional rumbly tummy. My boy eats the same thing and none of this happens to him. I hope your baby gets better soon!

[ColonelPanic]

Like what was said... Boil some chicken and mix some rice in, she'll love it and it's good for the tummy. But sadly that's about all the advice I can give!I hope that she gets feeling better soon!

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »She is 2yrs now (our years..lol) She's been eating hard food most all of that time and has never had a problem with it.. that's what's strange.. She's been drinking the water the whole time as well... She had a "hot spot" on her leg as well, now that I think about it.. I just checked and the hair is growing over, so that's done with... I've seen pet safe ice melter... any idea of what the active ingredient are? I'm using a Calcium chloride/Magnesium chloride mix IIRC thanks KeithI had my boy, Andrew on the same food since the day we adopted him then out of the blue he developed an allergy to one ingredient in that food. We spent the next 6months buying different foods and weening him off one, with boiled rice and chicken then on to another till we found one his tummy could handle. Our other pup, lilly hasn't had any issues, yet on any food.However, Lilly is alergic to our grass when it developes the fungus "rust" in late summer.Where as it doesn't effect Andrew.I would invest in to a petsafe ice melter if you really need to use it. It will help with cracking in their paws, and you can rest easy.I personally don't use any of that stuff that I know my dogs come in to contact with. If they do by chance i always wash off their paws the minute I get them in the house.It could be simply nerves. Does it happen usually when she is in an excited state? You really cant compare one dog to the other, in reguards to the water that they are drinking.It's like compairing one human to another. Everyone's body is different. Same thing with dogs.But it's a good start.Think hard about when this started. what changed, weather? new fabric softner that she comes in contact with when your holding her, could be something very simple. What did she get the hot spot from?

[Kevzaz]

Wow, I didn't get to read half of this. But I could deff tell that half of you know more about dogs than you do vibes. I wish I had you guys when my cat was sick. =[

[ramenboy...]

man. hope the pooch is ok. have you changed the diet lately? like new cereal or something? if you change the diet, you gotta do it slowly... like phase out the old stuff and phase in the new. also, +1 w the rice... even a little ground beef will help.good luck.

[Sublimewind]

Again, thanks everyone... This isn't like the problems some of you all are having with your 4 legged loved ones, it's more of an annoyance and a concern, not knowing... Like I had said, it's TOTALLY random, that's what so bothersome.. We had thought it was play induced as she almost always popped like clockwork after playing and then going to the water bowl for a drink... We got to the point that we wouldn't let her play after drinking, because we knew she would vomit... It's not easy to tell a Jack to STOP playing.. lol.. not fun either... I have noticed that her normal 10pm play time hasn't happened in a little while, but I've been sick, so maybe she's reacting to that.. ? Who knows... pAgain, thanks for the tips and insights, it really means a lot and it's why this is the only one of my forums i've mentioned this on... Cheers,Aaron

[keithvibe]

did the vet run any blood work? Blood work to rule out any major issue would be a very good place to start.Lift up her lips and look at her gums? are they pink, white, pink but when you touch them dry, wet, sticky? meaning dehydration.a blood test forKidney diseaseLiver diseaseInflammatory Bowel DiseaseGastrointestinal Obstruction (foreign body, pyloric hypertrophy, intussusception)ParasitesEndocrine diseases (Addison's disease, diabetes, hypercalcemia)Central Nervous System Disease (brain tumors, infection, inflammation, head trauma)Pyometra (female dogs)GI UlcersNeoplasia (Cancer)As you can see, the list is really quite long. Chronic vomiting (2-3 weeks of regular vomiting) with or without other systemic signs usually requires a systematic and extensive diagnostic plan including a CBC, chemistry panel, heartworm test, urinalysis and abdominal radiographs. Some diseases can be diagnosed directly from the baseline bloodwork like diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease. Other problems require further blood tests for diagnosis (like Addison's disease). Depending on what the findings are from there, abdominal ultrasound and/or endoscopy (use of a long camera put inside the GI tract) can be used to further define what the problem is. Prognosis and treatment is really going to depend on what the ultimate definitive diagnosis is.It gets expensive.I know jacks are very high energy, so are my britts. They are on the go from the moment they are up. Does she like ice cubes?If so try replacing the water with icecubes. It will still quench her thirst but with a lot lets water intake.

[Sublimewind]

Thanks again Keith, I know how close to home this is for you... you really do great things, which is something I should mention.. No, the vet didn't do any blood work, which is part of the reason she's going to be going to a different vet.. Our vet is known to not be the one with the best "bedside manner" if you will... I mean I feel for the guy, cause he is so busy, but I think that really takes something away from the whole doctor things... He just doesn't care like he should, I think...

[keithvibe]

I spend most of my time doing two things with my free time. Researching things I can do to my car and learning all I can about my dogs.HAHABeing a busy vet dosen't excuse him from not doing a simple blood test.Start there

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »did the vet run any blood work? Blood work to rule out any major issue would be a very good place to start.Lift up her lips and look at her gums? are they pink, white, pink but when you touch them dry, wet, sticky? meaning dehydration.a blood test forKidney diseaseLiver diseaseInflammatory Bowel DiseaseGastrointestinal Obstruction (foreign body, pyloric hypertrophy, intussusception)ParasitesEndocrine diseases (Addison's disease, diabetes, hypercalcemia)Central Nervous System Disease (brain tumors, infection, inflammation, head trauma)Pyometra (female dogs)GI UlcersNeoplasia (Cancer)As you can see, the list is really quite long. Chronic vomiting (2-3 weeks of regular vomiting) with or without other systemic signs usually requires a systematic and extensive diagnostic plan including a CBC, chemistry panel, heartworm test, urinalysis and abdominal radiographs. Some diseases can be diagnosed directly from the baseline bloodwork like diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease. Other problems require further blood tests for diagnosis (like Addison's disease). Depending on what the findings are from there, abdominal ultrasound and/or endoscopy (use of a long camera put inside the GI tract) can be used to further define what the problem is. Prognosis and treatment is really going to depend on what the ultimate definitive diagnosis is.It gets expensive.I know jacks are very high energy, so are my britts. They are on the go from the moment they are up. Does she like ice cubes?If so try replacing the water with icecubes. It will still quench her thirst but with a lot lets water intake.There would be a lot of signs/symptoms that go along with a lot of those diseases. If the pup does not have then, then that is the reason the blood work may have not of been ordered (if the issue is not resolved with a different diet). That is why I asked if there was any weight lost or abdominal pain. If there was chronic vomiting or dehydration there would be WEIGHT LOSS and ABDOMINAL PAIN. If there was kidney disease, there would be frequency/urgency to go to the bathroom, weight gain, and a build up on fluid in the tissues.Inflammation of the bowels would more than likely cause diarrhea than vomiting. As for GI Obstruction, that is why I asked about a sphinter/valve isssue or mal-rotation of the small intestines; yet there would be abdominal pain, poor eating, and etc. Lets try a switch in diet 1st (water and rice) and see what happens. Rule of thumb is to try least invasive and go from there. Why put the little one through a needle (removed), anesthesia, or a sore throat so she can be scoped if changing things up helps. Your heart is in the right place Keithvibe due to the Brittney Rescue and have a lot of experience with nursing many of these little ones back to health.

[keithvibe]

that why I suggested the diet change first. Or simply her getting so worked up after playing that it caused the vomiting.I was simply suggesting, possible issues. Not that the dog has any. If they could talk it would make things easy. But they don't. I wasn't trying to be mr gloom and doom. Just possible issues. That should be looked in to if the diet change doesn't help clear it up.With a Jack though, they will be on the go even if they are in tremendous pain. So the typical signs seen in a breed such as a lab or golden may not present in such a high energy dog.I personally have seen my own dog running around with out the hint of pain. while he had just broken two nails down to the quick and they were bleeding quite a lot.

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »It's not easy to tell a Jack to STOP playing.. lol.. not fun either... LOL! It is impossible to get my dog to stop playing. She is half Jack, half Beagle. I'm sorry you are having so much trouble. I hope she gets well soon.

[03vibedriver]

My Shetland Sheep Dog had the exact same problems for two years, I could not figure what was going on. Then I switched From Nutro to Biljac and the vomiting stopped.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by 03vibedriver »My Shetland Sheep Dog had the exact same problems for two years, I could not figure what was going on. Then I switched From Nutro to Biljack and the vomiting stopped. Really..?!That's interesting... We recently ran out of the Nutro and had to do a quick switch to a new food by Rachel Ray... I haven't noticed the vomiting, but, sometimes i'm just not there when it happens... (I know, quick switch on food not good, it's a 40mi drive each way to the nearest Nutro distributor)Thanks for everything everyone, good, bad or otherwise..

[ColonelPanic]

Food allergies are crazy... Our Cocoa was itching so bad she was scratching her fur off and her belly began turning black... she was on Natural Balance ultra premium formula stuff. we put her on the fish and sweet potato limited ingredient formula and she's just fine now,,, hair growing back and even her belly returned to its normal color. We had the dogs on Nutro lamb & rice before taht until hearing reports of dogs dying from it so we switched to Natural Balance. A limited ingredient food may be worth considering. Not sure if it will solve the problem but taking lots of other junk out of the diet that they may or may not tolerate well can't hurt.

[Kari]

If it usually happens on an empty stomach and she just throws up bile, try feeding her smaller amounts at shorter intervals. It could just be "empty tummy barfies" as it's referred to on a dachshund board I post on. Cocoa will throw up if she doesn't have at least a little something in the morning...and it's just because she's hungry and the acid in her stomach makes it upset.

[808 Vibes]

What does she eat for snacks?

[tribalman]

if you suspect the water(as i saw in the first few posts) i would say either bottled water or invest in a water purifier. when i was having bad stomach troubles i couldn't drink any tap water, it really aggravated the condition. we ended up getting a purifier and it was enough to help get the condition under control. i never realized how bad lake michigan water was before. hopefully you can find out what's wrong and it isn't anything too serious.

[nygiantzz1]

It sounds like everyone put you in the right direction with the bottled water and diet changes. I hope it helps. We recently adopted another dog who had food issues. The previous owner was feeding him the most expensive stuff that Hill's Science Diet makes($50.00/bag) because he was diagnosed with food allergies. I could not afford $50.00/week for dog food and searched for an alternative. I found Purina One natural blends http://www.purinaone.com/Produ...14BA8It costs much less than Hills and seems to be working. No more itching or upset stomach at all. It seemed to help an eye drainage issue we were having with another dog too. All 3 dogs seem to like it, it's all natural, inexpensive and available at Wally World. I don't know if it would help in your case, just wanted you to have another option. I hope she gets better.

[Sublimewind]

Sorry folks, lost track of this one... The P-dog seems to be doing better, we haven't noticed any vomiting lately, we are both back at work now, so we have to keep an eye out for "crusty carpet" (which we just did a full carpet cleaning)Tribal: The water might be a possibility, but they've both been drinking it ever since.. I personally don't drink our water, but dogs, they drink from old tires and mud puddles, so i'm not to worried about them on that front... I'm sorry, but the day I have to start buying my dogs bottled water, is the day I start looking for them a new home... lol... that may sound harsh, but how many thousands of years have dogs been on the planet drinking from mud puddles.. lol.. (consider me a 'realist')NY: I will look at that Purina and see how it compairs, they seem to enjoy this Rachael Ray stuff I got them, but I only got a small bag... I usually buy food about once a month, in the 35lb bag, and I can't imagine yet, what that bag would cost.. Food is one thing, i'll pay for good food, i'll be damed if I buy bottled water for'em though.... They just aren't that "posh" lol... Lover: we usually don't give snacks, we have some treats and try to keep them as natural as possible, but we also try not to give a lot of treats..