Sick dog- vomiting, lethargic, burping?

[Deana1003]

Ugh, Max (3 years old) started getting sick on Monday. When we came home from work, he had thrown up in the house as well as peed and pooped. This is not typical of him. We noticed that evening that he wasnt eating, wouldnt move around or anything. The next morning, he wouldnt leave my side while I got ready for work. We took him to the vet that morning. The vet took an xray and took blood tests and noticed nothing abnormal. Just said that he probably just has an upset stomach. Well now its Friday and he has only eaten once since Monday (bland chicken breast), he does drink water occassionally, he has still been throwing up this whole time (yellow watery substance) probably 3 or 4 times a day or so. Sometimes its just a few teaspoons, sometimes more. He seems to do this tiny burp thing. Maybe its just him almost vomiting? Not sure. Vet recommended giving him half a pepcid. Ill see how that goes now, but any other suggestions?

Also, he did actually start to play with our other Cairn for a few minutes yesterday but quickly stopped. And when I got home from work last night, he came to greet me at the door, but ended up throwing up a lil on the floor. I dont know if the excitement makes his belly worse?

[omahamom]

Every time I hear symptoms like this, it makes me think Addison's Disease...but I'm biased since Xena was diagnosed a year ago. However, the symptoms sound very similar. Xena didn't eat, vomited, and had trembling/shaking in her hind end. We went through several days of antibiotic treatment before we got a diagnosis.

You said the blood tests were not abnormal, so that is a good thing. There are two types of Addisons...one affects Potassium (makes it high) and Sodium (makes it low). However, it is possible to have the other type of Addisons that doesn't affect the bloodwork at all. The only definitive way to diagnose the disease is with something called an ACTH test. Requires a blood sample, followed by an injection, followed by a blood test in another hour or two.

It isn't a cheap test, but might be worth mentioning to your vet. Addison's is often not caught right away because it presents differently in each dog. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Rileymom27]

Hi! My cairn Riley had these symptoms but they presented themselves when he was just a puppy - - he was diagnosed with liver shunts (contantly throwing up bile and a white foam) would not eat and was very lethargic. He also lost a lot of weight - - - 5 pounds as a 4 month old puppy. When he finally had his surgery at 7 months he was only 7 pounds!! Don't know if there may be a problem with the liver but it may be worth checking out. Riley still has a few liver shunts that they weren't able to ligate and still vomits from time to time - - usually a yellow-colored bile - - - but he is as normal as he can be! Good Luck!

[shellj2323]

Mickey had those symptoms. He was VERY sick. We worried about pancreatitis. The vet didn't find anything the first trip. Second trip they tested his stool again and found Giardia. That little parasite can wreak a lot of havoc on their system.

[eastofeden]

You mentioned x-ray and blood test....but did the vet also do a fecal smear? Simple and inexpensive....just take a recent "sample" to the vet and ask that they look at it (it does not take much...so the next time Max goes just scoop a bit up with a plastic spoon and drop in a plastic zip top bag....should be relatively fresh when you drop off at the vet)

Could be parasites...it is that time of year when it is damp & things like Girardia and that ilk abound.

[Kramersmom]

Poor Max! I hope he is feeling better. What food does Max eat? (brand) I know Kramer can not have any sort of wheat. He once got an animal cracker that dropped and the next day he had an upset tummy. When they don't feel well they know not to eat. Not eating then causes the sugar level to go low and causes lethargy. Can Max hold down water? The fluid he is throwing up sounds like bile from his stomach being empty. What xray did the vet take? Stomach area? Can you press on his tummy? if you haven't checked just rub his tummy and press gently and see if it hurts him or not. If he isn't getting better I worry about pancreatitis. Has he eaten any people food (fatty) or got into anything?

Hope he is better.

[BetsyNoodle]

Is Max still having symptoms? If so, I would take him back in to the vet. Without knowing what is wrong we can only speculate. If your vet cannot pinpoint the problem I would ask for a referral to a specialist. When our black Lab, Gracie, had gastrointestinal symptoms, we had to take her in to a vet internal medicine specialist to finally get answers. They did an ultrasound, xrays, and bloodwork and were able to diagnose and treat her.

[sheila and Misty]

could be something hes eating in your yard that is popping through the ground for spring-Id scope out the yard for chewed plants.

[jimnconnie]

If Max has only eaten once since Monday, and is still throwing up after 5 days, I think you should take him back to the vet for further testing. Intestinal parasites can cause the symptoms you describe. Did the vet do a fecal exam? Does Max also have diarrhea? If he's not showing improvement by Saturday a.m., I'd call the vet again. Good Luck!

Jim

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

I'd go back. And ask about Giardia too. I'm with everyone else on taking in a poo sample, the vet will likely ask for one anyway. Let us know how he's doing. Hopefully all's better soon!

[cairnrescueleague]

They might also want to test for pancreatitis.

[maggie]

Like Omahamom my first thought is also Addison's Disease. Here's a link you might want to check out.

http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/whatis.html

I would be heading back to the vet. I hope you get answers soon.

[Deana1003]

On Friday, we called the vet again and we took Max back in for another xray to compare to the first. The vet said that the xrays were not different, indicating that nothing was moving through his intestinal tract. Max had not had a bowel movement in days, so te Dr. gave him something to try to make him go that evening and we were to call back in the morning. Well, there was very little success. He did go a little bit, but very little and strained. The Dr. recommended that we take him to the animal hospital for exploratory surgery which we immediately did Saturday morning. Max has been known to swallow ridiculus things, but somehow he has always managed to throw them all back up. But knowing this, I am always super cautious to close bathroom doors, never leave anything in trash cans at cairn level, etc. But he always still seems to get an occassional tissue. Max was out of surgery by 2:30 on Saturday afternoon and the Dr did find something in his intestine. He has no idea what it is and we have yet to look at it to see if we can match it up with anything. He did term it as "gross" though...(so embarassing!) We were hoping to be able to bring him home today but he is still regurgitating. They think its because his esophagus is agitated and inflammed. So they gave him medicine to coat it, but want him to stay there so they can watch him and to be sure that he does not become dehydrated.

I have absolutely no idea so far of what he may have eaten. The boys are never outside without one of us. Our house is always in order for the most part. I have considered that its jacks fur since Max is always licking his ears. The vet asked if we had a cat and that it looked fibrous ?????? No cat, just another cairn. Possible maybe. Maybe we will be able to tell when we see it.

So,as of now, we are hoping to be able to bring him home tomorrow. Hopefully there is nothing else wrong with him causing the vomitting. We just really want him home! Im going to call soon to get an update.

[bradl]

Maybe it's a sock? It's amazing what dogs will eat. I'm glad Max is recovering. Intestinal blockages are very serious, so thank heavens you got him to a vet and the vet found the blockage.

[cairnrescueleague]

Deana, and anyone else, any time a dog is vomiting and not pooping, there is a very good chance that there is a blockage. This is an immediate veterinary emergency, a dog can die in as little as a couple of days from this, and their intestine can start to die off. I'm assuming this wasn't the case with Max because you don't mention them having to remove any of his bowel, but if your vet knew that he hadn't pooped in days and only now referred you to emergency, you need to find a new vet. You are very lucky that he's OK.

He should bounce back fairly quickly though, if he seems lethargic for more than a couple of days, please take him in for a recheck. They may want to do a blood count to make sure he's not bleeding internally, which can sometimes happen after this sort of surgery. Also keep an eye on his gums. They should be nice and pink. If they're pale, again, get him to a vet without delay.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience. I have a permanent foster who was deprived of food and water, so he tends to ingest things. When he first came into rescue, he ingested part of a Nylabone where he was being boarded temporarily, and he almost died. My vet showed me a scar that was probably from a previous surgery for the same thing. My apartment is as Larry proof as I can get it, and I watch him like a hawk, but this is a compulsive behavior, so it could happen again. Good luck with little Max, and please keep us posted.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

What a terrible experience! I know how you feel wanting him home as soon as possible, but it's good that he's where they can keep an eye on him. Tuk was unexpectedly hopsitalized when he was 1 1/2 y/o and it was the worst being without him. I'll keep my fingers crossed you can bring him home tomorrow.

[BetsyNoodle]

Just wanted you to know I am thinking about you and your sweet Max and wishing him a very speedy recovery. Thank God they removed the object that was causing the obstruction. Please keep us posted on how's he doing.