Problem with our dog vomiting.

[giddyup]

Our 8 year old male dog started vomiting his food, pretty much every day, so took him to our regular vet who said his prostate was enlarged putting pressure on his stomach, so he needed to be desexed. Went ahead as advised and had him neutered but the vomiting continued, so now he's getting an ultrasound to check his stomach. Funny thing is, other than the vomiting he seems perfectly healthy, he has a good appetite, is alert and doesn't appear to be in any pain. We've tried changing his diet but nothing seems to work.  I'm hoping that the vet knows what they are doing, but it's a worrying time.

Edited July 25, 2023 by giddyup

[jak2002003]

Hope your dog will be OK. 

I the meantime try feeding him several small meals a day rather than on or two normal sized portions. 

 

 

[giddyup]

8 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Hope your dog will be OK. 

I the meantime try feeding him several small meals a day rather than on or two normal sized portions. 

 

 

Tried that, doesn't seem to make any difference. All his blood tests are normal, as are bowel movements etc, so it's a bit of a mystery.

Edited July 25, 2023 by giddyup

[hughrection]

Keep an eye on him & see if is he eating any grass?

 

If so, then this is quite normal and they do it to make themselves sick. Likely to be missing some kind of nutrient or vitamin.

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, hughrection said:

Keep an eye on him & see if is he eating any grass?

 

If so, then this is quite normal and they do it to make themselves sick. Likely to be missing some kind of nutrient or vitamin.

This is not a sudden thing, started well over a month ago, and he doesn't eat grass, I'm no expert but I think it might be some kind of gastritis.

[connda]

Sorry to hear that.

Have your vet check your dog's kidneys. 

[giddyup]

Just now, connda said:

Sorry to hear that.

Have your vet check your dog's kidneys. 

Yes, normal.

[Polar Bear]

When was he neutered? It'll take a week or two before his prostate starts to reduce and 3 or 4 months for it to fully shrink.

[giddyup]

40 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

When was he neutered? It'll take a week or two before his prostate starts to reduce and 3 or 4 months for it to fully shrink.

Neutered 2 weeks ago, but just been to vet and it appears that he has some kind of stomach infection, so they have him on a drip at the moment.

[connda]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:50 AM, giddyup said:

Yes, normal.

That's good to hear.  I lost two of my dogs to kidney disease and vomiting is a symptom.

[Ken126]

my dog had this problem, had an obstruction between stomach and  small intestine, required surgery to remove.

[neeray]

What I am going to suggest, jak2002003 already suggested and you say you've already tried it, with no improvement. My 6.5 year old Golden was vomiting, a little bit frequent when I first got him at 3.5 years. As it turned out, I had been giving him too much dry food all at once. I cut it back to two, half-size feedings and never again vomited.

I wish you success in solving this issue.

[swm59nj]

If this is your regular vet then stick with that person.  If you are not comfortable then get another opinion if possible. Not sure about the number of vets in your area. 

 

[giddyup]

40 minutes ago, swm59nj said:

If this is your regular vet then stick with that person.  If you are not comfortable then get another opinion if possible. Not sure about the number of vets in your area. 

 

The vet has him on a antibiotic drip at the moment, seems he has some kind of stomach infection. Xrays show no obstruction in stomach, so that's good news.

[hotchilli]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:08 AM, giddyup said:

Tried that, doesn't seem to make any difference. All his blood tests are normal, as are bowel movements etc, so it's a bit of a mystery.

Does your dog vomit immediately after eating or after a period of time?
It may be a muscle valve at the top of the stomach stopping food from returning back up the esophagus?

[alesaldana]

Our Boston terrier used to have the same problem, it stopped when we changed the food we were giving to him. Our vet told us something about sodium in its food, I was surprised because we were giving him Royal Canin which I assumed was a good brand, 

I hope your dog gets better

[nickmondo]

ive got a problem with 3 dogs barking all day, next door, because their <deleted> owner leaves them alone all day when at work.  what should i do?

[giddyup]

35 minutes ago, nickmondo said:

ive got a problem with 3 dogs barking all day, next door, because their <deleted> owner leaves them alone all day when at work.  what should i do?

Start your own topic.

[G Rex]

What breed is your dog?

If you say lab or golden retriever - I'm going to say Myasthenia gravis..

He may have gastritis (an inflamed stomach) now - because he has been vomiting so much -it may not be the cause of the problem.

If his blood tests are okay then we can rule out kidney disease as the cause.

Prostatic enlargement will cause constipation - I have never known it to cause vomiting.

Has a barium study been done? At 8 years of age, I would be wondering about a SOL (space occupying lesion, or polyp developing in his small intestine) . Another less common cause can be hypertrophy of the gastric lining - but I only ever saw 2 dogs with this.

Is he producing normal faeces?  Is he losing weight? 

[giddyup]

9 minutes ago, G Rex said:

What breed is your dog?

If you say lab or golden retriever - I'm going to say Myasthenia gravis..

He may have gastritis (an inflamed stomach) now - because he has been vomiting so much -it may not be the cause of the problem.

If his blood tests are okay then we can rule out kidney disease as the cause.

Prostatic enlargement will cause constipation - I have never known it to cause vomiting.

Has a barium study been done? At 8 years of age, I would be wondering about a SOL (space occupying lesion, or polyp developing in his small intestine) . Another less common cause can be hypertrophy of the gastric lining - but I only ever saw 2 dogs with this.

Is he producing normal faeces?  Is he losing weight? 

He's a shihtzu cross.

No barium test done, but vets have Xrayed his stomach and tested his poop and say it's a stomach infection. He does like to lick where other dogs have peed, not uncommon, but may have picked up something that way. They have him on an antibiotic drip at the moment. He has lost about 1/2 kilo.

Edited July 27, 2023 by giddyup

[malthebluff]

We had the same problem in the uk and the vet told us to change his food to the cheapest he said tge more expensive ones ( which you think would be much better) are to rich. We changed the food and never had any problems after

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, malthebluff said:

We had the same problem in the uk and the vet told us to change his food to the cheapest he said tge more expensive ones ( which you think would be much better) are to rich. We changed the food and never had any problems after

Unfortunately I don't think it's quite that simple. We've changed the dry food, and what we cook for him, didn't make any difference.

[connda]

5 hours ago, giddyup said:

The vet has him on a antibiotic drip at the moment, seems he has some kind of stomach infection. Xrays show no obstruction in stomach, so that's good news.

That makes sense.  Dogs are pretty darn resilient to stomach bugs, but I image that h.pylori and giardia in sufficient quantities can make even a dog sick.

Wishing the best for your friend.

[G Rex]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

He's a shihtzu cross.

No barium test done, but vets have Xrayed his stomach and tested his poop and say it's a stomach infection. He does like to lick where other dogs have peed, not uncommon, but may have picked up something that way. They have him on an antibiotic drip at the moment. He has lost about 1/2 kilo.

It would be unlikely that a simple infection would be the cause of this issue - especially as he seemed well in other respects. I would suggest that the infection is 2' to the primary problem, or simply a response to the physical damage to the gastric lining from the regular vomiting.

Dogs licking other dogs pee or poo is normal dog behaviour, and very unlikely to be the cause of this issue. There are diseases that could be contracted from other dogs in this way - but your dog would be unwell. 

The vomiting will cease while he is on fluids (and NBM - nil by mouth) - but if it continues when he eats again, I would strongly suggest he be given a barium meal and a contrast study/series of xrays be performed. The other option is an exploratory laparotomy to check the gut. We used to refer to this as 'lifting the bonnet'!!

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, G Rex said:

It would be unlikely that a simple infection would be the cause of this issue - especially as he seemed well in other respects. I would suggest that the infection is 2' to the primary problem, or simply a response to the physical damage to the gastric lining from the regular vomiting.

Dogs licking other dogs pee or poo is normal dog behaviour, and very unlikely to be the cause of this issue. There are diseases that could be contracted from other dogs in this way - but your dog would be unwell. 

The vomiting will cease while he is on fluids (and NBM - nil by mouth) - but if it continues when he eats again, I would strongly suggest he be given a barium meal and a contrast study/series of xrays be performed. The other option is an exploratory laparotomy to check the gut. We used to refer to this as 'lifting the bonnet'!!

It seems to be trial and error with the vet. When we first took him for this problem they told us that it was his prostate putting pressure on his stomach and suggested neutering, which we did. Of course this made absolutely no difference.

[owl sees all]

Is your dog getting injections GU?

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, owl sees all said:

Is your dog getting injections GU?

What is GU?

[owl sees all]

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

What is GU?

Sorry giddyup (GU). My laziness kicking in.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Sorry giddyup (GU). My laziness kicking in.

I thought it was some kind of special injection. AFAIK he's only on a antibiotic drip, but they did give him some kind of anti nausea injection when we first took him in.

[G Rex]

26 minutes ago, giddyup said:

It seems to be trial and error with the vet. When we first took him for this problem they told us that it was his prostate putting pressure on his stomach and suggested neutering, which we did. Of course this made absolutely no difference.

I agree with the slow approach - as I am a firm believer in 'common things happen commonly' - but the prostate connection is a long shot!  His prostate would have to be huge to have had any impact on his stomach - and if that was the case, weight loss, and more likely abdominal discomfort would have been evident.

Good luck with him, and I hope the problem is resolved.

Also - many issues resolve despite treatment - not because of it!