Guest mariah Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Chips has been taking a little mental health vacation from the office for the past week or so. Last night I came home and gave him his dinner. I usually sit around for an hour or so after he eats before we go out on his evening walk to make sure he has some time to digest. Before that happened though, he went and rang his bell to go out and just wanted to inhale grass and leaves, so we went back in. Then he rang his bell again, same thing. I stopped taking him out after the second or third time it happened, gave him a Tums and a bit of kefir yogurt and offered him a bit of water. I put my ear up to his stomach and it sounded normal. He was very restless and was pacing between the front and back door of the apartment, whining and ringing his bell over and over again. I was worried it might have been bloat (I worry about this a lot), so I called up my vet, who said to go to the e-vet. Right after I got off the phone with her and was getting ready to leave, he laid down on his bed and yakked up his entire dinner. Then he tried to eat it again (so gross! but I guess it indicates no loss of appetite). I called the vet again, and she said that it didn't sound like bloat, and that it was my call as to whether or not I needed to take him in. After he threw up, he seemed basically fine and was able to settle down. I decided I'd just keep an eye on him, and if he showed any signs of worsening again, would take him in to the e-vet. He seemed ok, though, even excitedly greeting my boyfriend at the front door when he came in, and watched us imploringly from the other room while we had dinner, which he always does. My boyfriend felt that I had overreacted, and I think maybe I did. He slept through the night, and this morning on our walk, he didn't eat any grass, though I thought he seemed a little lethargic or queasy. I gave him a small amount of yogurt and he was able to keep that down. I will say that I have seen him do something like this two or three other times since I've had him, and it always coincided with him eating kibble, which he does not have regularly. He has the constitution of an ox for the most part and has eaten things like mushrooms he finds out in the woods and not suffered any ill effects. He's also never gotten sick on his regular diet, although we do change out the protein sources/vegetables to keep things interesting for him. In the past few days, I had started adding a small amount of grain into his meals (cooked pearl barley) to replace some of the meat, as he has been struggling with some behavior issues, and lessening the protein in his diet is said to help. (We are meeting with a vet behaviorist on Friday, but are just doing all that we can to make him more comfortable in the meantime.) Does this sound like a simple case of indigestion/upset stomach? Other (more experienced) dog owners I've asked about this have said as much. Are there any ways to lessen the chance of it happening in the future? For the time being, I've decided to cut out the grains again, and feed him two smaller meals a day instead of one larger one. Other suggestions are definitely appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Sounds normal to me. Sometimes dogs just kinda throw up seemingly for no reason and are totally back to normal afterwards. I tend not to worry about one vomit episodes. I start to worry if there's a second and once there's a third I'm definitely worrying. Just like us they can get upset bellies. Do you add water into his kibble? If he doesn't eat kibble often then maybe this is because he's eating it too fast. Water can slow his eating down which can help the belly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I don't have any advice about the vomiting except to agree with what Sambuca said, but I want to comment on how cool it is he rings a bell to go out. I like that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 when this occurs in my house, no matter what the breed is, i serve overcooked rice until their tummy settles. if i'm in a generous mood i boil up some chop meat and serve 1/3 meat to 2/3 white rice. but i often just give them a tablespoon of beef. i keep the pups on it until their tummies settle. if there is vomiting, not just one upcuck of grass, but puking like a stomach virus i call the vet. a couple of days of small meals of rice should do the trick. btw be care w/ the mushroom grazing, not safe at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mariah Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions! I'll make sure the barley is sufficiently overcooked if he has it again; might help with slowing him down while he eats. The mushroom thing is awful. We have to be hyper-vigilant about this on our walks in the woods, sometimes he'll start frantically sniffing around and you can tell he's searching for them. He hasn't gotten into anymore since I first caught him with one in his mouth, fortunately, but yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mariah Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I don't have any advice about the vomiting except to agree with what Sambuca said, but I want to comment on how cool it is he rings a bell to go out. I like that!! Thanks! It's an easy trick to teach: http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/87/Teaching-Your-Dog-to-Ask-to-Go-Out.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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