Sick puppy with upset stomach

[brem]

My pup puked before going to bed last night. I was petting him, and giving him tummy caresses when I heard gurgling noises, like a plunger, and he puked... :-(

This morning, he barked very early, his stomach is making gurgling sounds. I went outside, and he would not pee nor poo nor anything, he would just explore around. We went back inside and he is very different than usual, he will lay down and keep his energy level low. His stomach is still making gurgly sounds.

Is it just an upset stomach or should I really be worried?

He wasn't fed anything unusual as fas as I know.

brem, worried.

 

[Boxer*Mom]

Go to your veterinarian! If a dog cannot urinate or deficate, is vomitting, and has loud tummy noises it's time to get off line and in the car.

 

[brem]

Actually, he did pee and poop later this morning. And the stomach noises have diminished if not stopped. I'm not feeding the dog right now, only water... I guess he over ate or something... I'll keep a close eye on this one.

 

[Gempress]

I'd keep a close eye on him, but don't panic yet. Despite our best efforts, puppies always seem to find and eat something that upsets their tummies. If he doesn't get better by this afternoon, I'd take him to the vet.

 

[makenzie71]

Dogs are prone to food poisoning...comes with the territory of eating anything they find. Luckily they're far more capable of handling it.

The lack of defication and urination in the monring isn't important...if you think about it, he tossed his cookies the night before; what was there to pass? Just provide him with plenty of fresh food and water and he'll recover by this evening. If the process repeats then see your vet the first possible opportunity.

Also, if you were playing with him before bed and shortly after he'd eaten, an overly excited dog can vomit to settle they're upset stomachs.

 

[brem]

nope, it wasn't shortly after he had eaten (that I know of... he could have eaten something I didn't see... I only have two eyes). He wasn't excited at all, in fact, I was trying to make him sleep... I guess me fondling his tummy wasn't the good thing to do. It would probably have happened anyway, but I guess I started the reaction. Or it might just be a coincidence. Who knows.

He's better now... chewing on his chewie.

 

[Mordy]

I would fast the dog for another 24 hours or so, then start with small amounts of a bland diet.

Just going on feeding as usual isn't a good idea anytime there's a stomach/intestinal upset. The the body needs all its resources to heal and shouldn't have to dedicate them to digesting food. Second, the capability to digest food is diminished in such a situation anyway, so food sitting in the digestive tract will only make things worse.

Withholding food and offering plenty of fresh water is better. What you can do is buy some slippery elm bark and brew some tea from that, it will help to soothe the mucous membranes of the intestine.

 

[makenzie71]

Fasting a dog isn't very wise...have you ever gone an entire day without food? Think about how you would feel if you tossed yesterdays food, spent today without any food at all, then had it reintroduced to you tomorrow...makes my stomach churn just thinking about it.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

makenzie, you really do need another hobby.

Dogs are not prone to food poisoning.

Fasting is almost ALWAYS recommended when dogs have an upset system.

My dogs fast one day a week every week.

It might be a good idea for you to do more reading and less typing.

 

[makenzie71]

makenzie, you really do need another hobby.

Dogs are not prone to food poisoning.

Fasting is almost ALWAYS recommended when dogs have an upset system.

My dogs fast one day a week every week.

It might be a good idea for you to do more reading and less typing.

You should speak to your vet about dogs and food poisoning...and no intellegent person would EVER suggest fasting ANY animal without sustenance. Living bodies have daily nutritional needs and they are damaged when denied those needs.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Fasting is a normal part of the diet cycle for canids.

Wild canids evolved on a feast/famine cycle. They still operate best fed that way.

My dogs eat bones and nothing else once a week.

Fasting allows a dog's gut to rest, and the body to do "housecleaning" if need be.

Many religions include fasting as part of their cleansing and worshipping rituals.

You should not speak about things that you clearly do not understand. You should not give out erroneous advice about sick dogs and dog training when it's very clear you don't understand these things either.

 

[Mordy]

Fasting a dog isn't very wise...have you ever gone an entire day without food? Think about how you would feel if you tossed yesterdays food, spent today without any food at all, then had it reintroduced to you tomorrow...makes my stomach churn just thinking about it.

Fasting is even highly recommended for people for various health reasons, and many animals refuse food instinctively when they aren't feeling 100%.

To give you a little bit of background of its benefit in dogs:

Normally the body constantly eliminates waste products, along with any tainted or toxic materials that were consumed. Fasting greatly reduces the body's usual assimilationa nd elimination load, allowing it to break down and expel older wastes that may have accumulated in the liver and fatty tissues. The body also gets a chance to unload the products of inflammation, tumors and abscesses. Once the body has cleansed itself, the overworked glands, organs and cells have a chance to repair and restore themselves.

Dogs and cats have been fasted for many days with excellent results and amazing recoveries. Of course, you should not attempt a long fast without professional guidance. [...]

-- Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM

Especially when dogs have a fever, the normal digestion process is largely suspended and the half digested food mass just sits in the intestine and starts to ferment.

 

[mjpeter]

For what it's worth, our vet told us to fast a couple of months ago when Luke became ill after vaccines....just water for a day and then add bland food slowly. He did great.

 

[makenzie71]

...

...

Eliminating all sustenance from the dogs diet is unhealthy, even if only for a day. Even the wild animals you speak of still take in various plants and insects along with an increased water intake during fasting periods. Vets who suggest fasting also tend to suggest feeding a broth or similar thin liquid to maintain the body's minimal nutrient requirements.

http://www.seefido.com/html/when_to_feed_your_dog.htm
http://www.quikonnex.com/channel/item/14605
http://www.greenpet.com.au/article_fasting.php?osCsid=28f7a632a30a055627cdb9dfb2d8d239
http://www.thehealthyhound.com/thingstoknow.html
http://www.dog.com/information/appetde.asp
http://www.charlesloopsdvm.com/dogdiet.htm
...plus about 75,000 other links easily found via Google.

Fasting, propperly done, is a great way to help your dog's digestive and circulatory systems flush out toxins...starving your dog for a day is a good way to make him sick.

 

[Mordy]

makenzie71, there is a huge difference between witholding food for 24-48 hours to clear up a digestive problem and long-term fasting for other conditions.

Please read some good books and don't get all your information from the internet - and if you do rely on websites, read them in their entirety and don't just take bits and pieces that suit your opinion out of context.

I've studied animal nutrition, care and physiology, so I do think I know what I'm talking about.

 

[bubbatd]

I'd listen to Mordy ................

 

[makenzie71]

makenzie71, there is a huge difference between witholding food for 24-48 hours to clear up a digestive problem and long-term fasting for other conditions.

Please read some good books and don't get all your information from the internet - and if you do rely on websites, read them in their entirety and don't just take bits and pieces that suit your opinion out of context.

I've studied animal nutrition, care and physiology, so I do think I know what I'm talking about.

I've read several books and read several sites in their entirety and I have yet to find a legitimate source that says witholding any nutritional intake for a 24 hour period is "healthy".

 

[doberkim]

I've read several books and read several sites in their entirety and I have yet to find a legitimate source that says witholding any nutritional intake for a 24 hour period is "healthy".

well, as a soon-to-be-vet, let me tell you the first thing we do with an animal that is vomiting is NPO them - Latin for nil per os, nothing per mouth. maybe you just aren't looking for the right sources?

 

[rowdy ridgeback]

Hey lets all get along. Do what you feel is best. My lab is always getting sick like that. I usually skip the next meal but feed him a smaller one than normal on the next. This is for a dog fed 2x daily. Also, put a little bit of pedialite in his water.

 

[bubbatd]

Cool your personal inputs and let's get back to the poster/ If you wish to debate this.. start a new thread.