Throwing Up: Seasonal Allergies, Food?

[Guest jlbfitz]

Hi, all, health question: Our girl has seasonal allergies, we think -- itching, sneezing, runny nose, runny eyes. She's been like this from the day we got her, and the vet said that's the most likely cause of the symptoms.

 

The last two weeks she's been intermittently puking up mucus and bile -- usually right before dinner in the evening. We did chicken and rice for a few days, then a bunch of meals close together. We've shortened her time between meals - giving her a little kibble right before bed and right before we leave for the day. She even gets a cookie between the time we get home and dinner. Otherwise she seems like her normal self, and is still plenty eager to eat. We called the vet when this first started, but some of the vets were on vacation, and by the time we could get an appointment, it had mostly resolved. Then it started up again at the end of the week.

 

We think maybe her allergies just got worse the past few weeks. The funny thing is, the timing sort of corresponds with switching her from Taste of the Wild Salmon to Nature's Domain Salmon. Does anyone else have dogs with seasonal allergies? Have the picked up the last few weeks? We are in New Jersey. Has anyone else's dog done differently on these two foods, even though they're nearly identical? We're probably going to take her to the vet this week if this isn't resolving. Somehow she always gets worse on the weekend when the vet is closed (it's like she knows!!), and this is definitely not e-vet worthy.

[cleptogrey]

nearly identical and identical are two different things. go with the original food that she responded well to. but....her system is sensitized right now, so be aware of that. and yes, you most likely observe this on weekends since you are home more of the time, right?

 

allergies are bad, keep track w/ one of the online pollen counters, pollen.com or what ever you can find. air-conditioning never hurts and if she starts itching, i found a quick rinse down does wonders, no soap only water. that is if you can get to a hose. it removes all the external allergens from their coat. my late welsh terrier had fall allergies and always blossomed into horrible hot spots, till i figured out the hose thing.

[3greytjoys]

One of our newly adopted hounds (from a different state) was diagnosed with seasonal allergies by multiple vets, and repeatedly treated (unsuccessfully) for nearly half a year.

 

Eventually, I successfully diagnosed her myself. She arrived into adoption suffering from a severe case of nasal mites. Since nasal mites are not common in our region, local vets missed the diagnosis. The proper prescribed veterinary treatment (per Merck Veterinary Manual) resolved her nasal mites permanently. She has not suffered any recurrence in almost 10 years.

 

Here's a link of other possibilities to consider:

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/common-problems/nasal-discharge-sneezing

 

Another GTer's Greyhound had nasal worms (different from mites).

 

If your hound has true allergies, besides pollen, could be anything from sniffing weed seeds, brushing face against garden plants, inhaling toxic lawn fertilizer/pesticides, reaction to laundry soap, pet shampoo, foods, etc.

 

Agree with cleptogrey re: going back to your hound's original Taste of the Wild to reevaluate the vomiting issue. I assume your hound gets at least two full meals per day, in addition to kibble snacks. If hound's tummy is upset (excessive bile) from waiting too long between meals, dogs often try to nibble plant leaves -- many indoor and outdoor plants are toxic, which worsens their condition.

(BTW, fresh, plain club soda works well to remove yellow bile stains from carpet.)

 

If interested:

Toxic Foods to Dogs (the short list): http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets

 

Toxic Plants to Dogs: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants?field_toxicity_value%5B%5D=01

 

 

[tbhounds]

Fwiw-my boy has allergies--a ton of them- diagnosed via intradermal testing and I can tell you well he's not vomiting he is gagging and wrenching multiple times now throughout the day.

[racindog]

Weed pollen just now became an issue for this year. Reba starts with the itching toward the end of August until October when weed pollen does its fiendish worse. Nothing else bothers her the entire rest of the year. But weed pollen is NOT her friend. She doesn't throw up or nothing just ITCH & SCRATCH to the point that she would have bald spots without preventative and treatment. It might be the weed pollen. Notice if it gets well after the first frost and then begins again next year in mid/late August.

[GeorgeofNE]

You have two separate issues; allergies, which are likely seasonal (and what are you giving her?) and a vomiting issue, which likely has nothing to do with allergies. I'd switch her back to the food she wasn't vomiting on.

[XTRAWLD]

We switched to raw to get away from the long list of allergens Kasey was allergic too. While it didn't help that he also had environmental allergies, it was way better than it was. Often, Benadryl can help if indeed its an environmental allergen.

 

The trigger that set Kasey off was when we moved. The change in his environment was drastic enough to send his system into overdrive. If she's had it as long as you've had her but as far as others know didn't beforehand, moving to the house could have been a trigger. A certain kind of detergent, the grass is different, is there someone there that smokes, is shd exposed to different bugs than back home.....