Stomach problems- HELP! Long, but please read.

[myboybrody]

I don't know what to do next...
The basics: Brody has thrown up atleast 1 time a day his whole life (he's just over a year) we have been to the vet numerous times for xray's. We've tried 3 different dog foods. Just the past 2 weeks, hes been throwing up more often (atleast 3 times a day). He currently has an ear infection - a yeast & bacterial infection. He also has lost 5 lbs in the week.

Brody went to the vet yesterday morning for some tests. They did another x-ray of his stomach, took bloodwork & was on IV for dehydration for the day. The x-ray came back and showed inflamation of his intestines but that was it. The blood work came back and only showed his pancratic enzyme level was a little high, but the vet said it is nothing to worry about. He stayed the entire day yesterday- had no food or water just IV. they say he didn't vomit once. (figures) so we were instructed to pick him up last night, take him back this morning. also instructed, no food or water last night. (this broke my heart) So, we take him back today because they wanted to observe him. They fed him tiny bits of food through out the day. Held everything down.

now: I just picked him up within the past hour or so, I gave him a bowl of water, and he has now vomited 5 times. The first couple were what seemed to be just water, the last couple were digested food (I haven't fed him since I was home) I called the vet they said well maybe he drank it to fast.

I am just overly stressed out, I don't know what to do. He must just have an over sensitive stomach. So my question to you lovely boxer owners: What do you recommend we feed him? any treats that are good for sensitive stomachs? I was told to try science diet sensitve stomach by a friend. thoughts? suggestions, any would be great!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

My thoughts are stay away from Science Diet...crap food that's highly expensive and horribly unhealthy.

Does your pup have any allergies? what food do you currently feed? Waht foods have you tried? How much do you feed?

We use Natural balance limited ingredient diet of fish and sweet potato which we've had good luck with.

I had a foster that vomited 6+ times a day when he first came to me. With adding white rice and plain yogurt to his food I got hime down to only a couple of times a week. It did mean monitoring him while drinking also to make sure he didn't drink too much for too long. He ate twice a day and I added about 1/4 of a cup of cooked white rice and 2 TSBP of plain yogurt to his meal.

Have you tried a bland diet of chicken and rice for a month or so to let the inflammed intestines settle down? You may want to consider it. Kibbl is VERY hard on the stomach and so it may just be a vicious cycle going and not the food itself per se.

 

[doodlesmom]

GET A SECOND OPINION...SOUNDS LIKE BRODY HAS PANCREATITIS. WHAT FOOD DO U HAVE HIM ON? WHAT TREATS R U FEEDING?...OUR ROCKY WENT THRU IT, HE WAS IN HOSPITAL FOR 4 DAYS I NEVER FELT SOOOO HELPLESS IN MY LIFE....HE IS NOW ON WELLNESS CORE LOW FAT AND HALO CANNED HE DRINKS ONLY DISTILLED WATER AND SO FAR ALL IS WELL
hope this helps

 

[Cami]

Have they ever suggested an anti nausea med or something like Pepcid to get the problem under control?
Sometimes going without eating can alleviate the initial problem as was seen when he was at the vets office however food needs to be reintroduced!
When he is vomiting (prior to now) was it in close proximity to eating? What was he vomiting... food....bile...water?
Often times the pancreatic enzymes will be elevated when vomiting is present.
I'd probably start with a very bland diet. Boiled chicken, rice, scrambled eggs, etc....in very small amounts but more often than you feed him his normal meals. Try and give the stomach a chance to settle down a bit.....along with some sort of medication on board.
Pepcid or similar can do wonders under the right circumstances (be sure to run this past your vet before administering).
Why not call the vet and run a few things by them. You don't have to stop seeking info from them after the tests have been run!
Hopefully you can get this problem under control soon.

 

[SherylM]

I would suggest a second opinion for sure. With the inflamation of the intestines he could have some type of colitis. There are different types and one of them causes vomitting, but off hand I can't recall which one it is.

 

[sriley]

My 6-month-old pup went through a phase when he would inhale his food and then bring everything back up a few minutes later. I now put a few tablespoons of plain yogurt or sodium reduced beef or chicken broth in his food to slow him down when he eats. He hasn't had a problem since. The yogurt works really well as it coats the food and makes it stick to the bowl, so he has to work that much harder to get at it. I've also read that placing a ball or something like a can of tuna in their food bowl will also slow them down if your boy is fast eater. Likewise, spreading the food out on a cookie sheet or a towel will also help. Of course, this advice is only helpful if Brody is a fast eater.

I also agree with the suggestion of pancreatitis above. My first Boxer had a nasty bout of pancreatitis once and our vet told us not to feed him anything fatty -- this included all of those packaged dog treats that are loaded with fat, chemicals, and preservatives. As stated above, a bland diet sounds like it may be your best bet for a while.

Did your vet say anything about elevated liver enzyme levels? In addition to high pancreatic enzyme levels, pancreatitis will also elevate liver enzyme levels. This was the case with my boy and I had to give him vitamin E tablets for a while to give his liver a boost. Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[myboybrody]

Brody is on Nutro Natural Choice adult formula, normally.. Right now I am giving him the Hill's science diet ID forumla. Which I am almost out of, and since we are having a huge snow storm right now, he will be eating white rice & chicken.
Last night he didn't keep that down though... so far so good this morning!

He was on anti nasuea medicine for a while but they only gave us it for a week. He is currenty taking metronidazole 500 mg and is on proviable.... but again only for a week.

I am not a big fan of our vet at the moment, because they have NO clue what is going on. I also don't think they care! which is horrible to say, but I think they may think we are crazy since they haven't seen him vomit.
Brody is being a lot calmer then normal, which is odd. i feel so bad.

The vet didn't say anything about liver enzymes being high or low so HOPEFULLY he doesn't have pancreatitis.

his vomit is usually clear liquid and every once in a while it has food in it. Like last night, he ate at like 5 (small protion) and he vomited it up around 12 am. So I have no clue!

thank you all for your responses, it really helps.

what other foods are ok as bland diet goes, i know yougurt, cottage cheese, white rice, & chicken. can you suggest more?

 

[sriley]

I don't have much experience with bland diets for dogs, so I really don't know what to suggest. With vomiting, I would be worried about dehydration. Have you ever considered giving him watermelon chunks? I purchased a small watermelon several weeks ago from Costco and my Boxers ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! The watermelon I bought was seedless and I simply sliced it into cubes. It was a big hit! And since watermelon is pretty much all water, it should be gentle enough on his system.

 

[silly24boxer]

Go back to another vet! Have someone else check him out. How old is he? I had alot of vomitting issues with Gauge also but I do not think its the same. The Nutro food is not a good food. I agree to Natural balance or try boiled russet potatoes and boiled lean ground beef 50% if each. Boiled rice doesnt agree with all dogs. Gauge was one of those dog that the rice did not agree with. Gauge issues where vomitting bile and sometimes food, shivering and shaking and in pain. It took alot of patience and bloat surgery to figure out his problem. Hang in there and look for a different vet is soon as you can.

 

[myboybrody]

Brody just turned 1 on Dec. 8th.

He has kept down the morning food still, so I am really happy. I am giving him ice cubes as treats now! he loves them, which is good since he is getting water that way. I am only giving him small amounts of water in his bowl so he doesn't slurp it up to fast. Which seems to help to.

I am thawing out chicken right now, and will be scrambling an egg for him for lunch. How much chicken is a good amount to give him?

Thanks guys for all the advice, if he keeps this up I will make an appt with another vet. One thing though, do you think the ear infection could be causing him to have an upset stomach??