Sick Dog....What to do?

[Pamela H in Texas]

Obviously, I'll call the vet first thing in the morning (if I'm not beating down their door), but...

 

My lhasa mix is almost 6 years old. I absolutely LOVE this dog. I so cannot lose him. (For JW's, I drew him into the picture of those walking into the new system in the Revelation book!)

 

He puked in his kennel Tuesday night. I know he puked a few times yesterday, but my dogs sometimes puke...I just didn't worry about it.

 

This evening, he started puking more. And he refuses to eat. He's drinking water though. He's hydrated. His gums are pink.

 

But he looks pitiful. And now he's not even heaving before puking. He puked up the maalox.

 

Here is my concern. He's due for shots (it's been 12-13 months; I was going to take him and our lab mix for the heartworm shot that is due by 7/28 and yearly shots next week). We had a puppy with parvo last summer. I kinda think it's NOT that just because I KNEW by the second puke and first poop that that was parvo. I don't have that obviousness this time. That makes me feel good. But knowing that parvo stays around and that he's due for shots and that I've never seen parvo in an adult dog.....

 

So we have a little food in his kennel. We're keeping his kennel open overnight. Water is near him.

 

Anything else we can do?

Edited July 9, 2009 by 2J5M9K

[Pamela H in Texas]

Online, there was an article that said that most adult dogs will have immunity by the first or second booster after 14 weeks. If that is true, it's very unlikely he has parvo.

 

The bad thing is that we're a bit late seeking medical attention if it is parvo.

 

I did learn the difference between vomiting and regurgitating as it relates to dogs. He was doing the former, now he's doing the latter.

 

I'm gonna go nuts before 8am tomorrow morning.

[snickelfritz]

Soph the vet has been very helpful to me, there.

 

If it makes you feel better, our dog went through a 2 day bout of throwing up. It was initially caused by overeating....determined after numerous expensive tests.:D Vet had to give us anti-nausea pills to get it stopped. I guess sometimes, once they get started throwing up, their stomach gets irritable and it takes intervention to stop it. She was at a point that she was even throwing up the water she tried to drink.

 

I hope everything turns out ok....

[Pamela H in Texas]

I posted there this morning, but I'll probably need to decide what to do before she'll get a chance (I saw she had already been on today).

 

He made us feel better this morning by being extra friendly and he ate a little also. But now he's back to being pitiful. I haven't found any vomit which is good, but....his excrement is odd looking but not parvo-ish. I think part of it is the maalox though he puked most of that up.

 

I need to decide. If it's just a general upset tummy that will work itself out in a day or two, I don't want to spend money (hubby lost job last week!), but if he needs a vet, I definitely want him to have whatever he needs. He's my BABY!

[Mrs. Readsalot]

Although parvo can linger in the ground for some time, a dogs shots generally protect them for a bit longer than a year.

When I have a dog that is throwing up I

1. Withhold food for 24 hours to let their stomachs settle

2. Still provide plenty of fresh drinking water

3. After 24 hours I feed them a combination of cooked rice and either cooked lean ground beef(make sure all grease is drained off) or cooked turkey. Some people also suggest yogurt with live cultures to provide good bateria for the digestive system.

4. During this time check their gums to test CRT (capillary refill time) press on the gum and release and see how long it takes to go from white to pink again. Should just take a second or so

5. Keep a record of any vomiting of loose stools

Call the vet and see if they think you should bring him in.

Note- I am not a vet; they know a lot more than I do! I have had, raised and shown dogs all my life to my suggestions just come from experience.

I hope he is feeling better soon.

Karen

[vettechmomof2]

Although parvo can linger in the ground for some time, a dogs shots generally protect them for a bit longer than a year.

When I have a dog that is throwing up I

1. Withhold food for 24 hours to let their stomachs settle

2. Still provide plenty of fresh drinking water

3. After 24 hours I feed them a combination of cooked rice and either cooked lean ground beef(make sure all grease is drained off) or cooked turkey. Some people also suggest yogurt with live cultures to provide good bateria for the digestive system.

4. During this time check their gums to test CRT (capillary refill time) press on the gum and release and see how long it takes to go from white to pink again. Should just take a second or so

5. Keep a record of any vomiting of loose stools

Call the vet and see if they think you should bring him in.

Note- I am not a vet; they know a lot more than I do! I have had, raised and shown dogs all my life to my suggestions just come from experience.

I hope he is feeling better soon.

Karen

 

:iagree:, the only thing different I would recommend is boil the meat, not pan fry or bake. It cooks out any fat would could additionally cause stomach upset or pancreatitus attacks.

Have you take the dogs temp at all?

It does not sounds like parvo at all so I really would not figure that one into the equation at this time. Hydration is a big one though, if he starts to vomit the water he needs to go in asap, withhold the food, you can offer orange gatorade to help keep his electrolytes up since he is a small breed. Again small amounts for everything, low sodium chicken broth as ice cubes could be given as well.

Limited activity in the sun.

Palpate(feel) his abdominal area. If in extreme pain(snapping, growling, crying loudly) he needs to be seen asap for possiblity of pancreatitus.

Is it possible he could have eaten something(socks, blankets, soft toys, rubber toys,etc) ?

Hang in there

[Pamela H in Texas]

Ozzy is doing much better. He's happy, friendly, hugging and kissing. He's excited and ate a little and drinking. He's no longer puking. I'll check the next excrement of course, but....

 

So I guess I got panicky just a little too quickly. I really do love this guy though :)