[Lisa C]

I’m sure this has been talked about numerous times on here, but there’s no search box to try and find answers in the forum. Sorry!

We have had our Chewy since December of last year. We got him at eight weeks. He is a Pekingese/Chihuahua/Cocker Spaniel/ mix (we did a DNA test!) So he’s not quite a year old yet, but later in the fall he will be. The first month or two we had Chewy, he had no problems. We fed him dry puppy Nutro (the pink bag) that was recommended by someone who claimed to have researched foods. after the first 1-2 months, he started vomiting EVERY day. At least once a day. It’s now mid-July, and yes, he still vomits EVERY single day! I think there’s maybe been six total days since Feb that he hasn’t puked at least once. We’ve had numerous tests done at the vet. Blood tests, X-rays, stool samples. Everything is negative. They have no answers for us! The next step would be putting a camera inside him — which I’m sure is an expensive procedure that I cannot afford. He acts normal – he still loves to go outside and play, gets excited when we come home, plays with toys. But he always acts so hungry. We’ve tried so many different kinds of foods, wet and dry. At the vet’s request, we tried two different brands of prescription food (dry only), (which is expensive) 🙁 first Hills and then the Purina RX. The vet also made me buy the $30 box of RX Purina probiotics. None of that fancy overpriced crap did anything but make him vomit even more, and even worse, all undigested.

This week I’ve started to keep a daily journal of everything he eats, and his daily puking habits. The vomiting occurs in the early mornings. Occasionally at night, but mostly mornings. He seems to do alright on the Nutro Puppy Chiot wet food, last week he went maybe 1-2 days without puking on that alone. But I know he can’t just live on wet food, at least from what I’ve read they also need dry food for their teeth. For a few weeks we tried feeding solely cooked chicken, which is LOVED, but still puked out that, too. The other problem is obviously is switching the foods so many times gives him baaaad diarrhea. Yesterday I decided to try yet another food, Solid Gold wet, and going from the Nutro can to that has made him diarrhea two days in a row. We have to keep him locked up in the kitchen the last two nights because he just won’t stop pooping. Of course most of the time his poops are normal, but every once in a while that one food will tip him off and it’s all downhill from there.

I’m so, SO tired of waking up early every morning to scrub vomit off of our apartment carpet. (It’s already ruined.) but most importantly, I just want Chewy to be a normal, healthy dog, and not have such horrible vomiting problems. and of course because of this, you can feel all his bones. We recently took him to get groomed and they said they noticed he was really skinny. He’s skinny because he vomits every day! My boyfriend says we should try him on a raw diet, but I don’t want to do something too drastic without help first. I guess our next step could be getting a second opinion at a different vet, but we’ve already spent a lot of money. I appreciate ALL comments and suggestions. Please help us and our Chewy 🙁

[DogFoodie]

Hi Lisa,

Chewy can survive on canned food alone. It’s far better for him than kibble is also. Kibble cleaning the teeth is a myth anyway. The best way to clean his teeth is with a toothbrush or by feeding raw, meaty bones or recreational bones.

I have a dog with some food intolerance issues and a bit of a sensitive stomach. He occasionally vomits bile when his tummy gets very empty. It sounds like your pup has the same problem. You could try adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, diluted 50/50 at a minimum to his food. ACV stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid and tells the spinchter at the bottom of the esophagus to close so the bile stays put.

You could also try three small meals per day or, if that’s not practical, give him a small snack a couple times per day to avoid his belly being empty for too long.

Oh, and if he has trouble with transition. Do it slowly. Only increase the amount of the new food and decrease the old when his stool is firm. A spoonful of plain, canned pumpkin will help regulate intestinal water and add bulk to the stool. It usually helps very quickly, and most dogs seem to really like it.

[Lisa C]

Thanks for letting me know about the dry! I will try the ACV. Do I just feed him with a spoon, and is it okay if I give it to him with cooked chicken?

[Susan]

Hi Lisa, Chewy reminds me of what my Patch was doing 1 year ago, vomiting early hours of the morning, having diarrhea, vet diagnosed him with Pancreatitis & IBD, he had to be put on a low low fat diet, nothing over 10% fat & a lower protein % so nothing over 24% protein, he was put on vet prescription Eukanuba Intestinal diet & a dog probiotic this helped with his pooing problems, he does perfect poos now but he still vomited maybe once a week or once every 2 weeks, so I started to cook him boiled chicken breast & 2 tablespoons of boiled pumkin for breakfast, this stopped his vomiting of a morning & his licking & licking his lips after eating but he was still having his pain on his right side under his rib cage, so I stopped the boiled chicken & now I give him tin tuna in spring water, I drain the small tin of tuna & mix with about 2 tablespoons of pumkin & I warm in micro wave the amount I need to use that morning & put rest in fridge for next morning, I then spread the tuna & pumkin on 1 piece of toast, there’s enough for 2 breakfast, I cut the toast (white bread no grains) into 9 squares & hand feed, so he doesnt gulp it all down too quick, the toast seems to keep everything down when he burps, he doesnt seem to have his pain like he did with the boiled chicken, all his vomiting has stopped too….
I’d see a new vet & start with a new low fat diet & see how things go, when I first started the pumkin Patch did have soft poos for 2 days know its perfect, Im also adding the Wellness Simple Duck & Oats to his Eukanuba Intestinal, the Wellness Simple has been good as it digest easily & isnt a hard hard kibble, I also add water to Patches kibble then drain, then add water again, then drain to wash off excess dust from kibble & to soften kibble, the Eukanuba Intestinal is a low residue kibble it breaks up real easily so its easier to digest there is a puppy formula awell, the Wellness Simple also soften real easliy when water is added, Patch was also vomiting up undigested kibble about 6-8 hours later 1 year ago, I forgot last year Patch when Patch was real sick he was put on Metronidazole for 2 weeks, its an antibiotic for their stomach & bowel its stops the diarrhea, ask ur new vet can you have a script & try the Metronidazole, I just go to my chemist & only pay $9.20 instead of the high vet charges, I wouldnt do raw as it high in fat & bacteria ur boy mighten be able to digest raw at this time until you work out whats wrong, something is wrong, alot of puppy foods are real high in fat, you mite need to try a low fat adult kibble just till you stop the pooing & vomiting..or get a vet precription diet just till u get everything under control as ur boy is probably starving with the vomiting & diarrhea…..Good-luck

[Melissaandcrew]

Why not try a small bag of a premade raw? You have nothing to lose at this point.

[DogFoodie]

You can just add it to his food, but make sure it’s diluted at least 100%.

You mentioned that he throws up usually early AM, and sometimes PM. Is it usually frothy, yellow bilel? And, is usually before a meal?

[DogFoodie]

And, I agree with Melissa. Raw might help also. Sometimes, higher carb foods contribute to the problem. If probably try a commercial raw that’s complete and balanced – not one that says it’s for supplemental feeding only.

[Susan]

Hi Lisa, please be careful with the ACV, this is a vinger & may cause more vomiting, I have stomach reflux & it made my stomach feel worst, it may work for some dogs that have stomach acid but the way ur boy is vomiting I wouldnt try it just yet ur better off trying slippery Elm Bark powder, you buy from health food store, mix some water to 1/2 teaspoon it becomes real thick paste so try adding more water then put some in a syringe & give him about 3mls or put some on a spoon & see if he eat, it this stops nuasea & vomiting, you can google, “Dosage for Slippery Elm bark powder for dogs”

[Lisa C]

Betsy, the vomit in the morning is before any meals. It’s usually chunky, and a short time later sometimes comes the bile – yellow and/or frothy. Does anyone have a suggestion of brand for raw?

and thank you, Sue!

[DogFoodie]

I’m using Stella & Chewy’s raw frozen right now. I’ve also use Darwin’s, which I think is great. Lots of folks use Primal and think highly of it. I’ve also used Nature’s Variety and liked that a lot.

[Lisa C]

Thank you, we will experiment with S&C after I spend a couple days giving him some cooked chicken 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Also grab a can of plain, canned pumpkin when you can. I always have some on hand. It really works wonders.

[Melissaandcrew]

What time of day do you feed him and how much at each meal?

[Lisa C]

I feed him once in the morning, and once around dinnertime. I don’t measure out how much I give him, but I try not to give too much or too little, if that makes any sense :/

[Susan]

Hi Lisa sounds like he has bad stomach acid, I give Patch 4 smaller meals a day & at night about 8.30pm before he goes to sleep I give him 1/2 a rice cracker biscuit just to line his stomach thru the night also Patch was put on 1/3 Zantac every 12 hours 1/2 hour before food for his yellow spew, this did stop the spewing yellow bile of a morning, I think you have Pepcid in America just google the dose for dogs, I’d give him some Pepcid before bed & before he eats of a morning & see if things get better, I also have tried the Nutro Chicken & rice as it was close to the Eukanuba Intestinal formula & it gave Patch Stomach acid, so I stopped with the Nutro his poos were ok but he kept swollowing & swollowing then would spew, I thought it was cause the fat was 13-15%.. Fat can cause acid reflux & make matters worst, when you try a new food do it so sooooo slowley, I take 2 -3 weeks when I introduce a new food to Patch, first you need to stabilize him on 1 food & let his tummy & bowel heal then go from there, Patch was just on his vet diet for 4-5months to settle everything down then I started to re-introduce him to new kibbles & finally we got the Wellness Simple range in Australia, Holistic Select which is also made by Wellpet make a Grainfree Puppy Health Salmon Anchovy & sardine meal recipe the fat is 13%..in Brown pink & white packet, its suppost to be good for their digestion & has pumkin..

[Lisa C]

I will take all of this into consideration! Thank you!

[Melissaandcrew]

Honestly since he is vomiting chunks I suspect he may be over fed on dry. Fill his bowl like you normally would then measure the amount. How much is it and how much does he weigh?

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Melissaandcrew.

[Anonymous]

Dear Lisa C.- I agree with Sue66b’s suggestion that this could be inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We went through a similar experience with our puppy starting when he was only about 4/5 months old. It began with chronic early morning vomit on an empty stomach and progressed to bloody vomit, pronounced borborygmi, vomiting of food, chronic loose stool with mucus, and recurrent hemmorhagic gastroenteritis. We tried various diets, even homemade, and different therapies but nothing seemed to really help long term. We finally saw an internal medicine veterinary specialist and our boy was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease of his small intestine and colon upon biopsy via endoscopy (the “camera”). The specialist explained that while the correct diet is very important, sometimes there is so much inflammation that the right food ALONE can’t eliminate that inflammation. Inflammation of the GI tract inhibits nutrient absorption, which is why these dogs can become thin. Knowing what my boy has and having the right support for him has made a world of difference in his quality of life. He is currently in remission and is doing great!

I really don’t know if Chewy has IBD or something else, and I know it’s expensive but I honestly think you should listen to your vet and pursue an accurate diagnosis. Biopsy of the GI mucosa is vital as IBD cannot be diagnosed by X-ray, blood tests, fecal tests, or even sometimes ultrasound. You need to do the right tests to get answers and neither your vet nor you can help Chewy unless you do those tests. Just my humble opinion. 🙂

[Lisa C]

I stopped feeding him a lot of dry maybe a month or so ago. He’s maybe 9lbs? I haven’t given him any dry the last two days, just cooked chicken to try and neutralize his stomach. A biopsy may be our next step. I also remembered that we never actually tried the RX WET, just dry. Not sure if that would make any difference.

[Susan]

Hi Lisa, for now just keep giving the boil chicken breast, nothing else, if he’s still not holding it down & still having diarrhea, go back to vets & see if he can be put on either Metronidazole or Prednisone medication to calm everything down & stop the vomiting & diarrhea, if you dont have enough money just explain to vet & they will treat the problem like I did with Patch, he didnt have a biopsy cause I didnt want him cut open, but the vet treated him for IBD & I had to just keep him on the 1 food (Eukanuba Intestinal) for 1 year so everything settled & healed but after Patch stayed well for 5months, I started adding new foods to his diet, 1 new food a month, if things were good, even if after 2 weeks, if he’s OK try a real little bit of pumkin 1 tablespoon or boiled oats or a boiled egg & mixed with the boiled chicken, make enough for a couple of days only as chicken goes off, I use to boil it all & freeze his meals..Patch couldnt have rice, it irritated his bowel more, he can have grounded rice in kibble but not whole cooked rice…keep us up dated what is happening..poor thing, he’d feel like crap…I hate watching my boy be sick, it breaks my heart…

[losul]

Sue66b, i don’t understand your pressing for using either metronidazole or prednisone. They have their uses in certain instances no doubt, but i would consider both of them dangerous drugs, and for me, a vet would have to provide very specific and justified reasons for wanting to ever give them to my dog.

Did you ever start Patch on Prednisone?

[Bobby dog]

losul:
I agree. A diagnosis would have to be determined and “a vet would have to provide very specific and justified reasons for wanting to ever give them to my dog,” rather than just for treating a symptom. Drugs have their uses and I certainly have and more than likely will utilize them in the future, but one important thing to remember is the side effects that come with them. Certain side effects can further damage a pet’s health; all things must be considered.

[Holly C]

Just curious if the vet ruled out a Hiatal Hernia. My French Bulldog was diagnosed early on with one- she vomited just about every day. She’s on a daily dose of Prilosec and shes been fine for 14 years. Good luck.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Holly C.

[Bobby dog]

Holly C:
Now I am curious, other than vomiting what other symptoms did your dog display?

[Holly C]

That was basically it – just the daily vomiting. It wasn’t even always after she ate. Sometimes it was the frothy bile- like yellow stuff. The vet could see the hernia on an x-ray right at the bottom of her esophogus.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Holly C.

[Bobby dog]

Thanks! Did you have to change anything else in her diet such as the form of food you feed? For example, feed only canned food?

[Lisa C]

Our Chewy actually has an umbilical hernia that he will be getting removed sometime in the next week, but our vet told us that had nothing to do with the vomiting. I don’t know, maybe she’s wrong. Holly, our chewy has no other symptoms either. He acts totally normal! I’m writing this stuff down so I can talk to the vet about it. Prilosec sounds promising if things don’t get better.

[Holly C]

Sophie was fine except for the vomiting- happy, playful and always willing to eat anything in front of her. I cooked for her at the time – Her food mix was made by a local vet and very similar to the Honest Kitchen mix where you add your own meat. She was 2 and I never changed her diet at that time. For the past 4- 5 years she’s been on Royal Canin SO because she started having urinary issues and stones. Like I said, she’s 14 which is ancient for a Frenchie, but she’s doing well.

[losul]

I can remember when I was a young kid, in the middle of eating at the dinner table my father would often and suddenly begin coughing, choking and I’m pretty sure vomiting too (he would always go the bathroom when this happened.). It was always very scary for all of us. He was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. Eventually he finally had surgery which cured or at least mostly cured it for him. I don’t know or can’t remember whether he ever took antacids or anything.

Glad to hear your Frenchie girl is doing so well!!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by losul.

[Holly C]

Thanks! She a sweetie!!

[Melissaandcrew]

Lisa C-Before getting all crazy and doing cameras and biopsy, try a small bag of a premade raw such as Natures Variety. I do have a dog with food intolerance and IBD/SIBO and it was the very first food she could eat without issues. It may work for yours and what harm is done by trying it? My girl who had blow out diarrhea on other foods firmed up in 24 hrs.

[Melissaandcrew]

Sue-Prednisone/prednisolone is a very potent steroid, not to be given lightly. The reason one must taper it and can not stop giving it point blank is because it can stop/slow down the adrenal glands. No adrenal equals dead dog. Metronidazole works very well for bacterial overgrowth and diarrhea, however, one is not going to get meds to stay in when the dog is vomiting-and metronidazole is not to stop vomiting.

[Susan]

Hi Melissa & Iusol, Im not pushing no one to take Predinsone, I hate the drug..Its a band aid drug that covers the health problem, it just supresses ur immune system, puts you in remission but with IBD it does help with some dogs when the bowel is so badly inflamed…. as long as the dog is only on the steroid for 1-2 months, no longer… I have had so many arguements when I join a group called IBD about this drug these ladys dogs were dying from IBD & steroids were the only thing that helped save their dogs, well that’s what they told me & now Im starting to understand the drug a little bit more… like my vet says she hates the drug but it does save some dogs lives when nothing else has worked….I have Auto Immune Disease LUPUS & I was put on Predinsone in the begining of my illness when I was younger & it made me very ill…..If I was Lisa I would be asking my vet so many question & yes Iosul Patches vet 1-2 months ago wanted to put Patch on Prednisone, I said NO.. I even posted a post 1 month ago asking for help on forums, in the end I ended up doing my own research about IBD & I join a group that have dogs that have IBD & Im starting to undersatand this rotten disease a bit better now…a dog just doesnt get IBD & then you change its diets & oh he’s all better now, he can eat anything now…if that has happened with anyones dog (like I have read on this site a few times) then their dog has never really had IBD, it either had something else wrong (parasites) or he had IBS.. there’s a big difference between IBD & IBS, I think people get this mixed up as Im learning..also alot of dogs owners on this site are very blessed & have very healthy dogs & their dogs can eat a high protein diet or a high fat diet.. when I first join this site I’d read people were feeding their dogs this & that I thought WHY cant my boy eat that or eat this so I asked the vet about putting Patch on a raw diet, my vet nilly had a heart attack as Patch was very sick at the time & I didn’t understand that his bowel needed to heal & rest not put more fat into his diet… then I’d read on this site that vet diets aren’t good, so I tried changing Patches vet food, then Patch went back down hill again, that’s when the vets wanted to cut him open, I said NO….Finally I though stuff it, the vet prescription diet has helped my boy get better it may have corn in it but it has made him poo normal, he’s playing, he wants to go for his walks, he’s a happy 5 year old dog acting like a puppy & he’s not crying in pain….I still dont want him on his Eukanuba Intestinal but sometimes they do need the balanced vets diet just for a little while to get better, then you can slowey change their diets but on this site ur made to feel guilty cause ur dogs on a vet diet….sometimes there’s some people that come on this site so desparate for help they will do anything they read… giving vinegar to a sick dog is not a good idea, I google info on ACV its good for some dogs with minor problems but not real sick dogs..but until you have a really sick dog, I think no one should really being saying do this or do that, like I wrote ASK ur VET about Metronidazole or Prednisone the vet will either say, oh NO he doesnt need that or no we think chewy has this.. I always write what has happened with Patch & what did worked with Patch on post, if that person wants to try what made Patch better good-luck to them, I wish when I came on this site 1 year ago I got some good advise, I think a couple of ladys did help a little Paddy & Crazy for Cats had some real good advice but I couldnt get that kibble being in Australia.. When I read Chewy’s story it sounded just like what Patch & I was going thru last April 2013…sorry for the book

[Lisa C]

I am going to the vet tomorrow to have Chewy’s umbilical hernia removed. When I go, I will inquire about IBD, and hiatal hernia/prilosec. I also wouldn’t mind trying the nature’s variety premade raw. I just am not sure what exactly to look for. Does petsmart carry it?

[Melissaandcrew]

The problem is Sue, that unless you have had biopsies etc done to confirm IBD or IBS(and determine which it is) its just an educated guess. Therefore, all treatment afterward is based on that initial supposition. Before I would use a drug such as Pred long term, I personally would need a definite firm diagnosis, not a “best guess’. Yes, Pred does help many autoimmune diseases and diseases such as primary addisons REQUIRE it for the dog to survive, and I do think for many diseases its nothing short of “wonder drug”. But, it can bring with it serious side effects and should not be, in my opinion, used as a rule out drug.

[losul]

Hi Sue66b,

I know you are trying to be helpful, like everyone else, and I truly feel for you and Patch.

You might find it counterintuitive, but I actually thought Betsy’s suggestion for trying ACV was a reasonable and sensible one with little harm done if it didn’t work. It works or it doesn’t. I think there’s a decent chance it could’ve helped, and if it were me I would have been willing to give a try, if only for a short period. It’s inexpensive, non-toxic, and could actually have been a simple solution. It would have been much better if it had been tried sooner before Lisa’s pup’s situation became as dire, but at least it’s good that her pup is now going back to the vet today.

You actually said “ask ur new vet can you have a script & try the Metronidazole,” ( I’ve seen you say similar to others) Vets know all about metronidazole and prednisone without asking them or pressuring them to “try” it. Metronidazole is a very important antibiotic/drug, but can be dangerous and one that shouldn’t be taken indiscriminately, especially not to just to “try” it for diarrhea without knowing what may be causing it. It has some immuno-suppressive and anti-inflammatory effects in the digestive system, but how often is that temporary and not getting to the root problem? It’s a good thing human doctors don’t prescribe it as freely as some vets seem to, or at least I hope they don’t, and especially with repeated and/or higher dosage rounds. Ask any woman that had to take flagyl(metro) at high and/or repeated dosages for certain bacterial infections. Chances are they then expirienced serious yeast overgrowth, or a new yeast infection,- oral thrush, esophageal thrush, vaginal candida, etc., and then had to take fluconazole for the yeast infection. There’s also the issue of certain bacteria selectively building up resistance such as clostridium, staph species, etc. In some humans, sometimes even vancomycin is sometimes no longer very effective against serious c. difficile infections. Hopefully for those folks, whose benificial bacterial flora has been obliterated and can’t seem to ever get the upper hand, fecal matter transplants from healthy donors could hold the key. And maybe some day for dogs also….
__________________________________________________________________
My intent is NOT to scare folks from metronidazole altogether, just to make them more aware, not to take it’s usuage lightly. As I’ve said, it’s a VERY important drug when it’s really needed.
_____________________________________________________________________

Nothing to do with you Sue, but for others-I’m a firm believer that it should not be used as a first line defense for giardia, when there is a safer, cheaper, usually more effective, non antibiotic alternative-fenbendazole (panacur).

Here’s what CAPC Companion Animals Parasite Council says;

No drugs are approved for treatment of giardiasis in dogs and cats in the United States.

Metronidazole is the most commonly used extra-label therapy; however, efficacies as low as 50% to 60% are reported. Safety concerns also limit the use of metronidazole in dogs and cats.

Albendazole is effective against Giardia but is not safe in dogs and cats and should not be used.

Fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID for 3 to 5 days) is effective in eliminating Giardia infection in dogs. Fenbendazole is approved for Giardia treatment in dogs in Europe, and available experimental evidence suggests that it is more effective than metronidazole in treating Giardia in dogs.

and their reccomendations;

CAPC recommendations for treatment of dogs

Administer fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID) for 5 days.

Alternatively, fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID) may be administered in combination with metronidazole (25 mg/kg BID) for 5 days. This combination therapy may result in better resolution of clinical disease and cyst shedding.

If treatment combined with bathing (see Control and Prevention) does not eliminate infection (as evidenced by testing feces for persistence of cysts), treatment with either fenbendazole alone or in combination with metronidazole may be extended for another 10 days.

http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/giardia/

—————-

Metronidazole is known to cause cancer in mice and rats, it’s not proven to do so in humans or dogs, but here’s what the U.S. National

Toxicology Program (NTP) says;

“Metronidazole is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals”

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/metronidazole.pdf

————————

[Susan]

Iosul, next time you have stomach acid or your vomiting, take 1 teaspoon of AGV & you will see what Im talking about, if your stomach acid is serve & bubbling into your throat like I offen have, the AGV makes it worse, burning your throat & your oesophagus, where the acid is, even when dilated, the AGV makes stomach acid worse…well it made mine worse & my pregnant daughters acid & vomiting worse as she cant take her stomach acid meds until she is 6 months into her pregnancy, we both suffer from G.E.R.Ds
AGV is good for 1 thing & thats to clean the vomit & diarrhea off Lisa carpets, it works a treat, even bleaching the carpet when left on, so imagine what the AGV does to a poor dogs throat & stomach if he’s been ill from excess vomiting, it would make matter worse… Like I wrote, I think that the Slippery Elm bark powder is much milder & would have been better for vomiting then vinegar..

[Lisa C]

update: today we took Chewy to the vet to get his umbilical hernia removed, but the doc wouldn’t work on him when i told her he was still vomiting. The BF and I want to get a new vet. They did some MORE blood work (seems useless anymore) that we will get the results for tomorrow. Today was the first day in a long time that we gave him A LOT of dry food. My vet said he was so skinny he looked like he was in a concentration camp. Those were her words. Made me feel awful, like I don’t care about my dog. when he’s vomiting every day, of course he’s not going to gain weight! sigh! Now that he ate so much today, his stomach looks big. Will be interesting to see how much he vomits in the morning.

[Melissaandcrew]

Lisa C-

Rule number one when a dog is vomiting is to avoid large meals. He will probably vomit like hell given that he is already doing so, and if you fed him enough volume to distend his stomach, it will expand further and the poor thing may vomit it all before morning. MANY small meals throughout the day works best for “re feeding” a dog in his condition. Kudos to the vet for refusing to put an emaciated sick dog under anesthesia. Truth be told, I was shocked when you said he was having surgery in that condition. Chances are he may not have woken up from anesthesia, and/or vomited while under and aspirated.

You already know that he is not digesting dry and canned, so I reiterate-why not try some premade raw?? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain if it works, including your dogs life. The description the vet gave means he is emaciated, not thin or skinny and his body will start breaking down muscle tissue. IF something simply like raw does not work, then you need to discuss running malabsoption testing( I know that is misspelled but in a hurry, lol) $30 for raw versus several hundred in testing. Try the raw! It may not work, but its easier/cheaper/faster to check then running more bloodwork.

[Melissaandcrew]

Sue-I agree on the acv..acid burns irritated tissue going down, and sure as heck feels worse bubbling up.

[losul]

Oh jeez, the advice was only a single teaspoon of ACV, diluted at least 100% with water and mixed into the dog’s food.

[DogFoodie]

Thank you, Losul.

[Lisa C]

About the raw diet – vet also said no way. She highly does not recommend it, saying it isn’t FDA regulated and all this other honkey. I was still fuming from driving him all the way there, driving home, and then her calling and telling me they weren’t doing the surgery (couldn’t she tell us that while we were there?) so my head is a little foggy, but yeah she definitely said no. So far this AM he hasn’t puked, but he did poop a lot. Fingers crossed he makes it through the day without puking.

[Melissaandcrew]

Lisa- Well, lets review here-All the foods she has recc have not worked. In addition, your dog is now skeletal on the verge of staving to death from lack of nutrition. Since there are plenty of raw, freeze dried and dehydrated foods on the market that do in fact meet AAFCO regs etc, it seems to me she is just against anything other than the old kibble foods. I am not recc that you go against vet advice, as that of course would not be appropriate. I can tell you however, that if it were my dog, I would have already tried it. Its sure as heck better and more nutritious than boiled chicken long term.

[DogFoodie]

Lisa,

I can tell you this, I use the services of several vets; one of whom is my “primary care” vet and who practices integrative medicine. The other is a holistic vet that I see for chiropractic, etc. Both of them recommend raw and when I visit my primary care vet and tell her I’m not using raw at the time, I can tell she gets a little disgusted with me. Both of these vets are highly trained and aren’t afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to believing that food can be medicine.

Most vets who practice traditional Western veterinary medicine, tend to follow whatever the FDA and AAFCO (etc.) recommend. They’re also the same vets who say, just pick “whatever” food and that as long as it meets AAFCO guidelines, your dog should be fine. I use those vets also, we just don’t talk about food.

I wouldn’t try to encourage you to do something you aren’t comfortable with, but am saying that there are some vets who do encourage and support raw feeding. Just like a teaspoon of ACV, feeding a bit of raw won’t hurt and it actually just might help.

I’ve used the food Melissa has mentioned, Nature’s Variety. I found it very easy to serve, very clean and both of my dogs love it and did very well on it.

[Lisa C]

I am definitely going to try it. Our vet has made us so mad, that at this point everything she says my boyfriend and I agree they’re price gauging us. Even for shots they way overcharge. They have not been helpful at all. She still wants to do the $1200 endoscopy. It’s not going to happen until we’ve exhausted everything else, and at that point we won’t be using that vet anyways. He’s less than a year old. why does he need super expensive exploratory surgery? we stopped the chicken a few days ago and today I’m just giving him the canned nutro, because it’s the only thing in recent memory that seems to work best. After this can, I will try the raw. I just need to make sure I buy the right stuff. Thank you all.

[Melissaandcrew]

Well, the need for exploratory surgery has nothing to do with age. Its the fact that the vet has been unable to diagnose the problem that makes them want to do it-in hopes of finding an answer. However, if it were my dog, I would have started with basic blood work, tried different types of food9\(including the raw) and if food fails, I would move on to having malabsorption blood work done. For me, an exploratory would be a last hail mary play.

[Lisa C]

I know what you mean, it’s just disheartening to know we’ve already spent a lot of money on him and usually when someone has to spend a lot on their pet regarding surgeries, they aren’t >1yr old. They’ve done two separate blood tests, two stool tests. I plan on trying the raw very soon. If anyone has brands/types they recommend, I’d love to try the same. Thank you.

[Lisa C]

he also had xrays, can’t remember if I wrote that in the OG post. Everything is negative.

[Melissaandcrew]

Well, vet bills sometimes is simply the luck of the genetic draw 😉 I have a three year old that has been seeing a cardiologist since just shy of 1 yr, and her visit yesterday was not good news. In addition to her original heart condition, she has now developed mitral value regurgitation(leaky valve) with slight prolapse. In a nutshell that simply equates to a cardio bill every 6mths for the rest of her life, as if 2 yrs has not been enough. It truly sucks as you don’t expect those type of bills until much later in life.

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