Anyone else's dog often sick?

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
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On average, about once every 2 weeks, my dog will act kind of mushy, not interested in his food or really anything for that matter. He'll usually throw up, at which point he seems to feel much better. The vomit is generally in a small amount (since he hasn't eaten), a yellowish liquid (bile?), very smelly. My vet says it's pretty normal and that one of his dogs is like that. He suggested giving him a piece of a pepsid ac or zantac tablet once a week or so, but you'd have to anestetize my dog to get him to take a pill. Other than this he seems to be in perfect health and such. He's a 4 1/2 year old shih tsu.
 

mordantmonkey

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
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Originally posted by: Gurck
He's a 4 1/2 year old shih tsu.

there's your problem. get a real dog. :p

yeah my friends dog was like that, but he was generally fine.
have you tried switching foods? what do you feed him now?
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
Originally posted by: Gurck
He's a 4 1/2 year old shih tsu.
there's your problem. get a real dog. :p

yeah my friends dog was like that, but he was generally fine.
have you tried switching foods? what do you feed him now?
He likes little ceasars, it's wet food. I mix in a bit of random_dry_food_01 but he generally eats around it.
 

Sentinel

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2000
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my dog isn't sick often at all, but when he is it is usually because he ate too many plastic/cardboard/sticks/random garbage. (pembroke welsh corgi)

my cat ralphs at least once a week though...
 

NuclearNed

Raconteur
May 18, 2001
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Do you feed him any table scraps? If so, there are a lot of bad foods that he should never be fed (chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins, etc.). Everyone knows to not feed a dog chocolate, but some of the others in the list are as bad if not worse than chocolate. For example, raisins and grapes cause kidney failure in dogs, possibly leading to death.

When my dog gets sick, she usually goes outside, eats a bunch of grass, then throws up and is better. Apparently the grass helps the whole process. Does your dog have access to the yard where he can eat some?

Also, if he is allowed outside, are there any chemicals, fertilizers, etc. that might be affecting him?
 

mordantmonkey

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Dec 23, 2004
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lol at first i thought you meant little ceasar's pizza! that will cause upset stomach even in humans!

you might try switching foods, mix them, gradually increase the new while decreasing the old. sometimes it can help to change brands, but sometimes not.
some people/dogs just get indegestion more easily than others.

i feed my dog pretty much exclusively kibble mixed with a bit a water. only feed wet food occasionally (< once a week).
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: NuclearNed
Do you feed him any table scraps? If so, there are a lot of bad foods that he should never be fed (chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins, etc.). Everyone knows to not feed a dog chocolate, but some of the others in the list are as bad if not worse than chocolate. For example, raisins and grapes cause kidney failure in dogs, possibly leading to death.

When my dog gets sick, she usually goes outside, eats a bunch of grass, then throws up and is better. Apparently the grass helps the whole process. Does your dog have access to the yard where he can eat some?

Also, if he is allowed outside, are there any chemicals, fertilizers, etc. that might be affecting him?
He doesn't get many table scraps, and when he does it's bland stuff like a bit of bread or a shred of lettuce, occasionally a piece of chicken. I make sure not to give him anything that's been exposed to spices, especially pepper. I don't fertilize my lawn, and I've never seen him eat grass or seen grass in the vomit.
Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
lol at first i thought you meant little ceasar's pizza! that will cause upset stomach even in humans!

you might try switching foods, mix them, gradually increase the new while decreasing the old. sometimes it can help to change brands, but sometimes not.
some people/dogs just get indegestion more easily than others.

i feed my dog pretty much exclusively kibble mixed with a bit a water. only feed wet food occasionally (< once a week).
I'll give it a try, sounds worth a shot.
 

mordantmonkey

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
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I feed my dog eagle pack. a bit more expensive than the regular brands but a much better product. she seems to love it so far.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
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Not able to find much info on the food you are feeding, so this might be off. Is it possible that your dog has a mild intolerance or allergy to something in the food? There are certain pet foods specifically designed to be all natural and free from certain foods that dogs/cats can be allergic to. For example, Innova.
 

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,362
416
126
My dog has been doing that since we got it as a very small puppy. It also likes to puke its food and then re-eat it. She has seen the vet and has a clean bill of health so I dont know why she does it. Kinda funny watching the food come back out. Its like reverse pooping and even comes out in a loaf then she just eats it all back up like its no biggie. Saves us from cleaning it back up and feeding her again though :)

The little yellow puddles I dont get and she will no eat that back up.
 

mordantmonkey

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
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yeah innova "evo" brand is made for dogs with food allergies. of course some dogs still have problems with that. eagle pack, innova, solid gold, are all really good brands. but frankly, if your dog is healthy and this isn't causing any serious problems, then it may not even be a big deal.
 

ChooChooChooseMe

Platinum Member
Apr 7, 2005
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Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
lol at first i thought you meant little ceasar's pizza! that will cause upset stomach even in humans!

you might try switching foods, mix them, gradually increase the new while decreasing the old. sometimes it can help to change brands, but sometimes not.
some people/dogs just get indegestion more easily than others.

i feed my dog pretty much exclusively kibble mixed with a bit a water. only feed wet food occasionally (< once a week).

Pizza! Pizza!
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
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Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
yeah innova "evo" brand is made for dogs with food allergies. of course some dogs still have problems with that. eagle pack, innova, solid gold, are all really good brands. but frankly, if your dog is healthy and this isn't causing any serious problems, then it may not even be a big deal.

Yeah I was thinking more about the owner there... I hate it when my cats puke because it's a mess and is gross.
 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
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My parents' dog is constantly having one problem or another. It was the runt of the litter and seems to have very serious mental issues. It frequently pisses all over the place seemingly for no reason. You can let it out but it will come back in and take a dump on the floor. I had a dog before this that was normal, but my current dog doesn't seem capable of learning much or behaving. It's a 95 lb chocolate lab. My friend brought over a puppy, a 2 lb baby min-pin, and my dog collapsed to the ground in fear, urinating on itself. The baby min-pin smelled my dog while my dog laid there trembling.

Absolutely worthless. It's 8 years old now and near death. That's what you get for buying a purebred runt that was probably inbred.
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: torpid
Not able to find much info on the food you are feeding, so this might be off. Is it possible that your dog has a mild intolerance or allergy to something in the food? There are certain pet foods specifically designed to be all natural and free from certain foods that dogs/cats can be allergic to. For example, Innova.
I'm going to try a different brand, but I don't have much hope because the food doesn't seem to be the cause; ie. most of the vomit incidents occur when he hasn't eaten and so consist solely of stomach juice or whatnot.
Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
yeah innova "evo" brand is made for dogs with food allergies. of course some dogs still have problems with that. eagle pack, innova, solid gold, are all really good brands. but frankly, if your dog is healthy and this isn't causing any serious problems, then it may not even be a big deal.
It's just disappointing to see him not feeling well, I'll throw him a toy and instead of running after it he'll just glance briefly if at all before giving me an "I feel like crap" look :( Also, the stuff really stinks to high heaven and can be annoying to get out of the carpet / off the couch / etc. Anything washable has to go in the washer immediately or it'll stink the place up.
 

mordantmonkey

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
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Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Absolutely worthless. It's 8 years old now and near death. That's what you get for buying a purebred runt that was probably inbred.

yep, that's why mutts are the best. i love my, doberman/german shepard/??? mix. no way she could be inbred.

Originally posted by: Gurck
It's just disappointing to see him not feeling well, I'll throw him a toy and instead of running after it he'll just glance briefly if at all before giving me an "I feel like crap" look :( Also, the stuff really stinks to high heaven and can be annoying to get out of the carpet / off the couch / etc. Anything washable has to go in the washer immediately or it'll stink the place up.

:( that sucks.
 

maziwanka

Lifer
Jul 4, 2000
10,415
1
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Originally posted by: NuclearNed
Do you feed him any table scraps? If so, there are a lot of bad foods that he should never be fed (chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins, etc.). Everyone knows to not feed a dog chocolate, but some of the others in the list are as bad if not worse than chocolate. For example, raisins and grapes cause kidney failure in dogs, possibly leading to death.

When my dog gets sick, she usually goes outside, eats a bunch of grass, then throws up and is better. Apparently the grass helps the whole process. Does your dog have access to the yard where he can eat some?

Also, if he is allowed outside, are there any chemicals, fertilizers, etc. that might be affecting him?

holy crap. i had no idea about raisins and grapes. i've been giving them to my dog randomly for a while now thinking they were fine!
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
12,963
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Originally posted by: 91TTZ
My parents' dog is constantly having one problem or another. It was the runt of the litter and seems to have very serious mental issues. It frequently pisses all over the place seemingly for no reason. You can let it out but it will come back in and take a dump on the floor. I had a dog before this that was normal, but my current dog doesn't seem capable of learning much or behaving. It's a 95 lb chocolate lab. My friend brought over a puppy, a 2 lb baby min-pin, and my dog collapsed to the ground in fear, urinating on itself. The baby min-pin smelled my dog while my dog laid there trembling.

Absolutely worthless. It's 8 years old now and near death. That's what you get for buying a purebred runt that was probably inbred.
:( My last dog was a lot like that, purebred mini. schnauzer runt. A friend of my mother's found her (stray) and gave her to us. She was the most timid thing you could imagine, though she barked constantly if anyone got within about 3 time zones of our house, not relenting until they left. If they were expected company and we let them in, she'd piss herself and go cower in a corner...

I agree mutts generally make better pets, but my parents got me this dog as a surprise, so I didn't have any say in it. He has an awesome temperment though, I can't complain at all. He's affectionate, extroverted, friendly, not a yapper, loves to play, etc.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
How often do you feed your dog?

also, about the pill issue... I don't know if it is ok to do this with zantac, but with my cat's asthma medicine, I crush the pill up and mix it in with a small amount of food, then after he's eaten it, give him the rest of his meal portions. Usually I do this after he's been furthest from meals (i.e. in the morning since it's been 9 hours).
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
12,963
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Originally posted by: torpid
How often do you feed your dog?

also, about the pill issue... I don't know if it is ok to do this with zantac, but with my cat's asthma medicine, I crush the pill up and mix it in with a small amount of food, then after he's eaten it, give him the rest of his meal portions. Usually I do this after he's been furthest from meals (i.e. in the morning since it's been 9 hours).
2x a day, though he sometimes only eats one meal, especially on 'vomit days'. Also a few treats. I'll have to try that with a pill, how do you go about crushing it?
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: torpid
How often do you feed your dog?

also, about the pill issue... I don't know if it is ok to do this with zantac, but with my cat's asthma medicine, I crush the pill up and mix it in with a small amount of food, then after he's eaten it, give him the rest of his meal portions. Usually I do this after he's been furthest from meals (i.e. in the morning since it's been 9 hours).
2x a day, though he sometimes only eats one meal, especially on 'vomit days'. Also a few treats. I'll have to try that with a pill, how do you go about crushing it?

I take two spoons and mash the pill between it. It isn't exactly the ideal method but it's simple and works and only minimal pill powder is lost.