Hyperacidity?

[Mindy Miller]

Hello. I'm new to the neighborhood...and need some help.

I have an 8 month old Lhasa Apso. Basically, every now and then, she vomits yellow bile. The first time it happened, she was at the vet clinic for four days recovering. (That was costly. They did a lot of tests and came up with nothing) So the next time, the vet told me to give her pepto-bismol and pedialyte every 3 hours for 24 hours. The pedialite did not go over so well, but I followed the rest of the dr.s orders. We thought maybe she got into the cat food or something, so we put it out of her reach and thought we were in the clear. But this weekend, she started again. Since we got her, she has always made these weird burping sounds on a regular basis. If she does it in my face, it really stinks. She also has an appetite for grass. I've heard that means they might have a tummy ache. I searched around online and found one source that said hyperacidity might be the problem. But that's all it said. No treatment recommendations. If anybody has experience with this, please help! She doesn't eat anything but her dog food and the treats we give her for training. Is there, perhaps a more mild dogfood we should switch to (gradually of course)? The vet doesn't seem to be much help. (We live in a small town and the selection of veterinarians is limited.)

[filarotten]

What are you feeding her?

[Mordy]

also, how often are you feeding? some dogs throw up bile on an empty stomach and more frequent meals (or a bedtime snack) can make a huge difference.

[thewhitewitchone]

I had a Lhasa Apso that used to do that (vomit bile) and he would also eat grass a lot, which came up with the bile. Someone told me about these tablets made with Spirulina and Barley Grass (in fact, that's what they're called! :D ). I started giving them to him and voila! No more grass eating and no more barfing. I got them at a Pet Supply store. Give it a try. It worked with my dog.

[Mindy Miller]

I'm going to try that. I've never heard of it, but it's worth a shot. I feed her purina puppy chow and she eats in the morning and a little in the afternoon (3-ish)

[filarotten]

I would try feeding her a meal later in the day. I usually feed mine about 6-6:30. Mine are also feed 3 times per day. I believe I read somewhere on the forum that puppies blood sugar can get low if they dont eat enough throughout the day. Try several small meals and see if that helps. You may also try changing her to a better quality of food.

[Mindy Miller]

I started the shift to Science Diet today, also increased her feedings to morning, noon and 6. I found a multivitamin. She wasn't too excited about that. I'll probably have to crush it and put it in her food. She kept hiding it in her crate, lol.

[Whitedobelover]

very good choice science diet isnt the best but it is great when dogs have stomach issues... also my dobes. have sensitive stomach so they are fish and sweet potatoe... and it is working wonders... and you can or you can try to find some multivitamins like i did that taste like liver... they are pretty nice to have..

[Mordy]

i'd recommend a food that is made from good quality ingredients and doesn't contain a lot of fillers and byproducts.

http://www.ourdogsonline.com/index.php?section=27

[Mindy Miller]

I had no idea. What a rip off. I actually bought it because my vet recommended it, but that's been a few years ago. This is a small town. Here are my choices: Ol Roy (ha ha), purina, Iams, Eukanuba, and Science diet. I read on the dog food forum, and none of those brands are available here. I would have to drive 200 miles to get it. I would consider ordering it, but I can't begin to imagine what shipping charges on a 20 lb bag of dog food would be. What do you suggest? I could look at ingredients all day long and not have a clue what they mean. Obviously fillers, corn meal, and PEANUT SHELLS????? are bad.... So what's good? What dog foods have it? How much is it? And how do I get it? Oh, and are they gentle on the tummy?