Vomiting. Please help.

[Kim]

Max has been vomiting at least 2 times a day for the past couple of days. On and off. His vomit is a yellow, frothy, liquid kind of vomit. I've read that it may be due to an upset stomach that is somewhat common in dogs.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had this experience and what did you do to fix it. They say to just give them 3-4 small meals a day and to give them Pepcid AC every 8-12 hours.

For those who have given their dogs Pepcid AC, how much should I give him? He's roughly 10 pounds.

Also, should I feed him right away or wait 24 hours?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[shorkiejem]

Jemma will get this when her stomach is empty.  It is usually a sure sign.  The yellow foam.   She did this just the other day, guess I didn't give her enough food.  I increased her food and she seems fine now.  It is usually the Yorkie side that as these digestive upsets.
Can you tell us about the time of day these occur?  Do they occur in the morning, night, afternoon? Change feeding habits?  Jemma is fed 2x a day.  Around 6 am then again about 4:30 -5.  I've never given Jemma any pepcid or anything.  When she does vomit I actually give her a little food right away and she is fine.  Now if you feed her something right away and she vomits that up, I'd say something else is going on.  But just try the above first.  Hope this helps.

[Mai Tai]

Shorkie, how much does Jemma weigh now?  If I remember, she was tiny.  I am wondering if I could decrease Mo's feeding now.  He gets fed 3 to 4 times a day, and weighs 3 lbs 13 oz.  I would like to decrease to 3, as he does not eat well anyway and it is such a struggle of coaxing him.  I wonder if I cut out a meal if he would be hungry enough to eat with gusto.
Kim, Mo and Mai Tai have both had this type of vomiting, usually in the morning if they are too hungry.  I have to make sure Mo has a late night snack so his stomach is not too empty by morning.  Once his stomach is upset, he does not want to eat and then he gets low blood sugar.  Always fun.  Good luck with Max. 

[Kim]

Last night around 12 a.m. to about 3 a.m. he vomited twice. I gave him a little egg white and he vomited a little about an hour later. He would vomit around evening time and early early morning. I usually feed him at 8a.m. and again at 6p.m.

Sometimes my bf's dad feeds him around noonish.

They say to give them small amounts of food 3-4 times a day but how small are we talking here?

[Kim]

So now, Max has decided to vomit his food. It's no longer the yellow liquid. So does this mean that I should stop feeding him for 24 hours? This is really becoming a bit much considering how I have a final coming up and work is becoming stressful. Not to mention how my bf and I are constantly arguing about how to treat him. I think it's also due to the lack of sleep we're getting. Apparently if I take him to the vet it will cost me $1,000 maybe more depending on how many tests they need to administer. He's not vomiting blood and he is eating so I'm thinking it's not that serious yet. But I could be wrong. Help!!!

Also, Max is 1 year 4 months old. Any chance it can be Parvo? They say the symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargic. He has pretty much 2 out of 3 but again his diarrhea has no blood in it.

[Mai Tai]

Kim, I know how stressful this can be so I feel for you.  It could be something he ate or a virus, or just an upset stomach.  I think I would try chicken and rice and make sure he is getting enough fluids.  The vet won't cost 1,000.  I have gone for this in the past, as Mai Tai ate the head off of a cat toy, but it only cost me about 50. If he had all his shots for Parvo, I doubt it is parvo.  If he stops pooping but keeps puking, it could be a blockage in the intestines if he got into something he should not eat, such as socks, string, etc.  When my dogs have puked, I give them chicken and rice in very small amounts at a tiime (2 tablespoons every few hours), and make sure they drink so they don't become dehydrated.  Keep us posted.  Hopefully, shorkie jem will post soon as she has much much much more experience with dogs than I do, as does Ann.  Let us know how Max is doing.  If he gets lethargic, don't hesitate to go to the vet.  Good luck, thinking of you.

[shorkiejem]

Hey Mai, this is only my opinion as I am not a vet.  I would try and find some stimulate to help your little guy eat more.  If you can get him to eat more of course you can reduce his meal.  Is his food dry or wet?  Sometimes with little ones, not always, the dry dog food is a chore for them.  And becomes boring.  Yup sometimes dogs like a change of food but it is something that needs to be done gradually because of their digestive systems.  Jemma is now 6 pounds or almost there.  She was 4 pounds when she was spayed.  I like her a little better now, meaning her weight.  I wish you would consider the raw diet it is so simple and not filled with all kinds of stuff like in dog food. When I buy Jemma's food, I buy a box of small freezer bags.  I will buy turkey legs, they are cheap and big.  I use scissors and cut the meat off the bone with them, so easy.  I do the same with chicken, pork or beef.  And once in a while lamb cause that stuff is expensive.  I cut it all up and then put a little of each meat in a freezer bag. This way she has a little variety in each bag with different tastes.  I do that till there is no meat left.  then I freeze them all. I have enough for almost a month.  It takes me 1 hour to cut everything up and store everything.  That's it, I'm done for almost a month.  It costs me between 20-25 dollars a month.  Jemma's dog food cost me more than that when she was on it.  And this is so much healthier Mai.  I buy green beans in the produce, they love raw green beans and easy on their stomachs.  I buy a sweet potato and cut pieces off and they love that too.  Sweet potatoes are also good for them.  Rice is so so, if you are gonna use it, make it brown rice not white. I take Jemma's food out of the freezer and put it in the Microwave for 30 seconds.  That just thaws it, doesn't cook it.  Knock on wood, Jemma has been so healthy.  Vets are pleased with her diet now. Before they were a little hmmm about it but not anymore.
Now if you want to stay with dry dog food, I would wet it with warm water.  They like warm, lol.  Add a little yogurt or cottage cheese just for the flavor, that's one of the  stimulates I was talking about above.  You can always try to get some clear chicken broth and add just a little.  We are looking to entice the appetite.  A little pumpkin, pure pumpkin, no sugar or pie filling, it will say pure on the can.  I haven't heard of a dog yet that has turned their nose up at pumpkin.
Let me know how it goes but if we can get him to eat more there is no reason why his feedings can't be reduced.  Jemma loves her raw so much that if I forget to feed her before 6 am, she sits at my feet making those sounds, hahaha.  And she sits by the microwave waiting the 30 seconds.  When the little bell goes off, if I don't get up she starts barking to let me know it's done.  Too funny.  Their little bodies acclimate to new diets.
Let me know how it goes, ok?

Kim when you just stated the times your little guy vomits, those are the times most will vomit when their stomach s empty.  Morning because their stomachs are empty and they haven't eaten.  And late evening.  I would not fast your little one for 24 hours.  It still sounds like a empty stomach.  24 hours with no food can be harmful for our little ones.  Empty stomach will only cause more vomiting. They are vomiting bile acid.  So it would be counter productive to do so.   What does he eat?  I would  go easy on the eggs.
Now when you talk about him vomiting food, are you talking after he eats in the am or pm.  Our fur babies are like kids, they don't schedule around our exams, lol.  I can see why this could be getting to ya though.  Also could Max be sensing the tension between you and your boyfriend in regards to how he should be handled?  It's important that you both raise and treat him the same way or a dog will get mixed messages.  I just saw that Max also has diarrhea?  If that is the case then a vet visit is a must.  You will end up with dehydration.  Sounds like something else is cooking if he has both.  But again, what are you feeding him?  And what about parasites?  With diarrhea, bring a stool sample with you.
Let us know what's going on.

[Mai Tai]

See, I told you shorkie would know what to say...LOL.

Shorkie, Mo eats cooked chicken and a variety of veggies.  He gets bloody diarrhea if I feed him dog food.  I sometimes change it up with pork, or chop meat (boiled).  His favorite thing of all is cat food (wet or dry), but I rarely give it to him as I know it is too high in protein.  I sometimes add a little to his food when he is being finicky to get him to eat the whole bowl.  The vet says this is ok, as long as it is very little.  I should try raw, but am afraid he might develop salmonella or e-coli.  I know dogs have a much higher tolerance  for that than humans,  but Mo is not the healthiest of dogs, so I am a little concerned.  Do you know anything about whether dogs even contract food poisoning like this?  I am so glad shorkie is doing well with the diet.  I think 6 lbs is much better than four pounds.  I know a lot of people like tiny dogs but they can really be difficult, sickly, and get hypoglycemia.  Also, I am always afraid I am going to step on him.

Kim, I hope Max is feeling better.  Shorkie is right, vomiting and diarrhea is a recipe for dehydration.  Mai Tai was sick recently with some respiratory virus, and he dehydrated a little. He became lethargic, and lost his appetite.  As soon as the vet gave him a travelling IV (a bolus of water shot under the skin or into the muscle), he perked up and started eating again.  I did not even know he was dehydrated before that as he was not vomiting.  I guess it can happen quickly.
THat travelling IV only cost me 10.  I think I have a pretty cheap vet as far as vets go out here in NJ.  Let us knwo how Max is doing.

[Mai Tai]

oops, I meant Jemma in the above post not shorkie...LOL

[shorkiejem]

Hey Mai, read this and the many other myths on raw diet.  Hope this helps.

http://rawfed.com/myths/toybreeds.html


http://rawfed.com/myths/bacteria.html

[TravisKR]

If your dog is throwing up, you should really bringn him/her to get checked by the vet.  Meika use to be like it if she didnt eat throughout the night so i usually leave a dish of hard food in her cage and now shes perfect

[Kim]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I apologize I didn't get back to you guys sooner. Lack of sleep.

So Max has stopped having diarrhea. And he is not dehydrated. We had 1 good day where he didn't vomit. But the next day he vomited once.

Right now I'm feeding him a bit of organic baby food (chicken, rice, and carrots), yams, and egg whites. Not all at once of course. The egg whites and yams is only for his breakfast. Pumpkin is out of season  Max has no problems eating he actually can't wait to be feed and he is not showing signs of being lethargic.

I am also giving him some Pepcid AC which seems to be working. I think once he can go a week without any problems I am going to be putting apple cider vinegar into his diet again.

Karen unfortunately here in San Jose all the vets say it will prob. be around $600 if not more to run tests on him. Even the places that advertise "free check ups" will still charge you an arm and a leg if you wanted to do blood test, stool test, and any other tests they feel is necessary for medications. 

[Mai Tai]

Wow Kim, I can't believe the prices out there.  How hard for you.  Keep us posted as to how he does.  Thinking of youguys.

[shorkiejem]

Hey Kim, glad things are looking a little better.  The pure canned pumpkin is sold in grocery stores year round hun.  Sounds like things are starting to look up!!  Kim, a thought.  Could the little vinegar be a culprit?  Maybe too strong on his little stomach? 

[shorkiejem]

Mai, I never heard of a travelling IV.  Really.  They put a IV in the dog and you can take him around?  That's great.  I remember if I had a Golden puppy that missed a meal and started to fade I use to have to inject sterile water under the skin until there was a nice size lump.  The body would then absorb the water.  Was a great thing. And saved a pup too!!