I have been very sad recently....My 2 year old Belgian Malinois has become very sick. It started last month and we have been fighting to get him better since. It started with a severe bout of vomiting and has gone down hill since. we have considered putting him down twice. Our Veterinarian thinks it's either sever pancratitis he can't shake or Poisening.

He has been on antibiotics and meds to prtect his stomich and GI track. He has really good days where he is full of energy then he vomits and has really bad days. He's lost alot of weight....I have been giving him fluids under the skin at home. I just spent $50 on probiotics and enzymes to help him with digestion. I am really hoping he pulls through he's been such an excellent dog. I would hate for us to loose him right before christmas. It would be hardest on my son.

If it was poisening I will have lost my faith in people. He has been in training to become a search and rescue dog. Those type of dogs are of great neccessity in today's age. I can't fathom why someone would shoot humanity in the foot and take out such a great asset.

I am assuming they have screened him for Lyme disease?

Have they considered food allergies? Wellness makes some foods with limited ingredients for cases where food allergies cause the distress. And ID diet while sick (or bland cooked chicken and plain rice) ae certainly called for.

I am not sure where you are located but some large universities have specialists for animals. I have found that many vets are really clueless whe it comes to severe ailments.

I sincerely hope this works out for you. I have 4 dogs and a cat...and a huge soft spot for animals. They are the best "people" I have ever met.

Good luck.

added...if you are close to the UOP, it is tough to beat their team of doctors.

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/RyanHospital.aspx

Yes they ran him for lyme...I wish I knew more about a past as he is a rescue he was found on the streets of L.A. living under neath a free way over pass with a homeless man. He was extremely skinny when I got him and we worked hard to get him healthy. He was doing so beautifully and Bam he got sick and has gone down hill so fast. I am still doing the fluids under the skin as well as supplimenting him with pedialyte and a nutrical gel which is highly calorically dense. He's so far kept that down cross your fingers. WE are trying to put some weight back on him.

We have been doing the bland diet on going from chicken broth and rice to baby food....being careful of course to make sure there is no onion or garlic powder in it.As he gets sick on something he turns his nose to it. he's been a trooper tho and i can easily pill him. He's been extra needy squirming his way onto the couch (where he's not allowed) with my boyfriend for love.

Wow MEDC 4 dogs and a cat.....sounds like your starting a zoo...hehe...what size are all the dogs? UOP where is that...I'm in cali...davis is north from me...I think. Thankyou for the insight. I will look into that stuff...we are on a budget tho...you know the economy and all. I have been doing ALOT of care at home as I was a vet tech for quite a few years and he has seperation anxiety issues I don't like to leave him at the vet he can be difficult. He's also schutzund trained and while he's sweet i don't want to leave him with someone who doesn't know how to handle him.

Parvo perhaps?

I am very sorry about your dog and hope that he recovers.

Has he been checked for leptospirosis? My last dog had that and it really knocked her for a loop, although she recovered. They have a vaccine for it now, which of course I gave to my current pup.

we are on opposite sides of the country...UOP is in PA.

I have three labs (one of each color..two rescues)...and an English Beagle that I found roaming the streets a few weeks back (people drop off dogs here all the time as I now live in the country). I planned on finding a home for the beagle, but she has fit right in.

I hope your dog gets better soon.

Keep a close eye on that beagle. Their escape artistry would make Houdini envious. It might have something to do with why he was wandering around. There's even a video floating around of one that scales the cyclone fence wall of his enclosure, pops out through the roof, jumps to the ground and trots away.

SIHW - I am also concerned with parvo. When my lab mix was a puppy, we had a parvo scare. Turns out she decided that chewing on a toadstool sounded like a good idea.

medc,

You are in PA also?

Ronda

Yes, Southern Chester County

SIHW,

I'm so sorry your four legged guy is feeling so bad!

We currently have 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Found out last week our nearly 4 year-old yellow lab has a thyroid that isn't working and will be on medication the rest of his life. One week on medicine and he is a whole new dog!

In July our dogs got into the garbage and it wasn't a pretty picture for a few days! Boy did they ever get sick at both ends!

Back to your guy, has your vet taken x-rays to confirm there is no blockage?

There are many possible causes (and I hope he wasn't poisoned):

Dog Vomiting
Home > Pets > Dogs > Articles > Dog Vomiting

At some time or another, chances are your dog will vomit. The occasional episode of vomit in dogs is normal, and generally is nature’s way of ridding the body of an unwanted food or foreign objects the dog may have ingested. While vomiting occasionally may not be an indication of a serious illness, any occurrence of repeated vomiting, especially if accompanied by lethargy, diarrhea or other behavioral changes, should receive prompt medical attention.

Just as diarrhea is a result of irritation in the lining of the small and large intestine, vomiting is the result of irritation in the stomach. Unlike regurgitation, the act of spitting up undigested food soon after a meal, vomiting occurs when stomach contractions forcefully expel stomach contents. Vomiting can be split up into two major categories- acute vomiting has a sudden onset, usually a one-time occurrence. However, in some cases acute, repeated vomiting can be a sign of a life-threatening emergency. In contrast, dogs that vomit one or more times a week on a regular basis may have a chronic condition, usually caused by an inflammatory or irritated intestinal system.
Acute Vomiting

An occasional bout of vomiting is not necessarily a sign of a major medical problem in dogs. A sudden change in the type of food, giving an unfamiliar treat, or feeding table scraps can cause a bout of diarrhea or vomiting. An upset stomach caused by food changes can often be resolved at home, so long as the vomiting (and often diarrhea as well) is not severe, and the dog continues to act and feel normally. Withholding food for 24 hours will allow the dogs digestive system to settle down (while continuing to encourage water consumption). After 24 hours, small amounts of a bland diet, such as white rice and chicken, can be offered. If the upset subsides, you can gradually place the dog back on their original diet.

Eating too fast, especially dry food, can often result in vomiting or regurgitation shortly after a meal. Feeding smaller, more frequent meals may help to relieve this problem. Small dogs and puppies on a primarily dry food diet that vomit shortly after eating may simply be eating too much in one meal. When ingested, dry food will absorb the moisture in the dogs stomach, expanding in size, causing the dog to regurgitate. Soaking dry food before feeding it to your dog, or mixing dry with canned food, may help to solve this problem.

Parasites can play a part in vomiting in dogs, and especially puppies. Roundworms can be ingested from the soil, and puppies are passed the worm from their mothers. As the eggs hatch in the intestine, the larva is then carried to the lungs via the bloodstream. From the lungs, the worms crawl up the windpipe and cause gagging and coughing, before returning to the intestine to grow into adults. Roundworms can grow to up to seven inches long and appear spaghetti-like, long and thin. A pot-bellied appearance, poor growth and a rough, dull hair coat are signs of a worm infestation. Although diarrhea is the most common sign, in severe cases puppies may actually vomit large quantities of live worms. If allowed to continue unchecked, the worms can cause pneumonia, intestinal obstructions and death.

While not a worm, Giardia is an intestinal parasite caused by a single-celled organism that lives in the intestines of infected animals. Recent research has shown that Giardia is present in up to 11% of the general population of pets, and as many as 50% of puppies. Giardia can be transmitted from pet to pet, through contaminated feed or water, and through the soil. Pets who attend dog-park, doggy day care or are kenneled are at higher risk for infection. The most common symptom of Giardia is diarrhea of varying severity, and vomiting. However, many animals who are infected with Giardia can show no symptoms for extended periods of time, which makes routine testing even more important.

Coccidia is another single-celled organism that infects the small intestine of dogs. Dogs with coccidia may show know signs of illness, and some may have severe bouts of watery stools and bloody diarrhea, vomiting, depression and fever, and even death as a result of severe dehydration. These severe side effects of coccidia are most common in puppies and adult dogs suffering from other illnesses.
Sudden, repeated vomiting- a medical emergency

Unfortunately, dogs are well known for getting into things that they shouldn’t, lead by their noses and stomachs. Dietary indiscretion, in the form of eating things out of the garbage, in the yard, plants, etc, can be the cause of vomiting. Most times, withholding food and letting the dog naturally expel the unwanted substances will be curative. However, eating something that may cause an obstruction in the gut is a threat, and any dog that has eaten a large amount of something, even if it is seemingly harmless, should be monitored for abdominal pain, lethargy or increasing episodes of vomiting.

As many dog owners will attest, dogs will eat just about anything. Unfortunately, this can mean an array of items that never meant to be in the body, winding up in your dogs stomach. Tennis balls, coins, socks, rocks, toys - there really is no limit to the dogs imaginative thinking when it comes to ingesting foreign objects. Once the dog has swallowed the item, it may prove too large to pass through the rest of the increasingly smaller intestinal tract, and can at some point become stuck. This intestinal blockage quickly becomes an emergency situation. A partial blockage in the intestines may produce vomiting, diarrhea and cramping of the abdominal muscles. A complete blockage will cause severe abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and repeated, frantic, projectile vomiting. Depending on the location of the blockage, fecal-like mater may be vomited, while in other situations the vomit may be only bile.

If the obstruction is allowed to continue, the gut surrounding the blockage will begin to loose blood supply, and start to die. This process can happen in as little as an hour of a complete obstruction. As the intestines begin to rot, the gut may leak or even rupture, causing a severe systemic infection.

Abdominal X-rays are the best way to diagnose an obstruction, and immediate surgical intervention is usually the only form of treatment. The blockage will be located and removed, and if the surrounding bowel has been compromised, it must be cut out (resected) and the healthy ends of the gut sewn together to reconnect the intestinal tract.

Bloat, also known as Gastric dialation-volvulus, or torsion, is a serious, life-threatening condition affecting large breed dogs. The most commonly affected breeds are those with a large, deep chest, such as the Akita, Great Dane, German Shepherd and Doberman Pincher, though all dogs are at risk for developing this condition.

Bloat is caused by a variety of factors, which when combined lead to a recipe for disaster. Dogs fed a large meal once daily, especially those that eat their meals rapidly, are at greatest risk. As their stomach fills, gastric distention occurs. Increased activity shortly after a meal can cause the stomach to twist, closing off the esophagus, and leaving them unable to expel gas or excess food in the stomach by vomiting or belching. Signs of bloat include a distended abdomen, pain, salivation, and repeated, unproductive attempts to vomit.

As the bloat continues unrelieved, many of the dogs body systems may become involved. Blood flow to the spleen can be cut off, and the blood return to the heart can decrease, causing cardiac arrhythmias. The lack of blood supply reaching the stomach will cause the lining of the stomach to begin to die, releasing toxins into the bloodstream. The liver, pancreas and other portions of the intestine can become involved, and low blood pressure, shock and endotoxemia quickly develop. The stomach, now weakened, can rupture, leaving to a severe infection within the abdomen.

Bloat is serious medical emergency, and if you suspect your dog is suffering from torsion, time is of the essence to save his or her life. At the hospital, medicines to stabilize your dog, such as intravenous fluids, steroids and antibiotics will be started, and the veterinarian may attempt to decompress the stomach by passing a tube directly into it. In some cases, this is successful, and a gastric lavage will be performed to empty the contents of the stomach, and allow it to return to its normal place.

Unfortunately, this medical treatment may not be sufficient to relieve the torsion, and surgery may become the only way to save the dog. Because the dogs body is often severely compromised at this point, the surgery may have a high risk, but still be the dogs only chance for survival. In surgery, the stomach twist will be corrected, and the dogs intestinal tract thoroughly inspected for damage. If damaged tissue is found, it may be removed, and if infection is present, a lavage of the entire abdomen may be performed to remove bacteria.

The outcome of surgery depends on how quickly the bloat was discovered and corrected, and how much damage was done to the intestinal tract and other major organs. Recovery is often difficult, with intestinal complications and infecting being the most common cause of problems.

Prevention of bloat is aimed at reducing the occurrence of extreme gastric dilation. Feeding two or three smaller meals throughout the day, instead of one large meal, as well as waiting two hours before allowing exercise after a meal, can help to prevent bloat. In addition, dogs that have had surgery for bloat may have a procedure called gastroplexy done to anchor the stomach to the wall of the abdomen, reducing the chances of a future occurrence of torsion.
Treatment of Vomiting

Treatment of acute vomiting in dogs is aimed at diagnosing the underlying problem, and correcting that. Your veterinarian will first take a full history on your dogs condition, when the diarrhea first started, were there any precipitating factors, etc. After a comprehensive physical exam, your veterinarian may recommend:

Fecal testing- a sample of stool will be obtained, and checked for evidence of parasites such as roundworms and coccidia. In addition, an antigen test may be run on the fecal sample to check for the presence of Giardia.

Blood work- Blood chemistries look at a variety of body systems, and will give your vet a reading as to the basic health of your dogs major organs such as the kidneys and liver. The CBC evaluates the components of your dogs blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The CBC will help to diagnose or rule out infection as a potential cause of your dogs diarrhea.

X-rays- Radiographs of your dogs abdomen may be recommended to rule out potential intestinal obstructions, or foreign bodies that your dog may have ingested. If radiographs suggest a possible problem, surgery may be recommended, or follow-up X-rays at several intervals may be taken to ensure a foreign object is successfully moving through the intestinal tract.

Hospitalization- Depending on the results of the above tests, and your dogs physical condition, your veterinarian may recommend hospitalizing your dog to diagnose and treat the cause of vomiting. IV fluids may be administered to correct fluid imbalances and dehydration as a result of vomiting. Several medications are available to treat nausea and vomiting in dogs, and these may be given to help your dog stop vomiting.
Chronic Vomiting

While acute cases of vomiting can be cause for great concern, chronic vomiting, while less common, is also reason for a visit to your veterinarian.

Vomiting that occurs on a seemingly otherwise health dogs more than once a week is considered chronic. Because chronic vomiting can lead to poor digestion and absorption of nutrients, often dogs will be finicky eaters, have a low energy level and poor quality hair coat.

Food allergies and intolerances are a common cause of chronic vomiting. Similar to lactose intolerance in people, dogs may have or develop allergies or sensitivities to variety of ingredients in dog food, leading to chronic inflammation in the stomach and intestinal tract.

Pancreatitis can present in dogs in both an acute form, as well as a chronic problem. The pancreatic gland is responsible for secreting hormones such as insulin and glucagons into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar levels, as well as making the digestive enzymes that break down food for digestion. Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, can cause these digestive enzymes to decrease, and in severe cases the enzymes may begin to digest the actual organs of the dog instead of digesta. Diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and a poor appetite are the symptoms of pancreatitis, but because these symptoms are shared with so many other gastrointestinal problems, it can be hard to diagnose.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can also be a cause of chronic diarrhea in dogs. In affected dogs, the intestine is taken over by inflammatory cells, eventually leading to scar tissue throughout the lining of the digestive system. Although the exact cause of IBD is unknown, nutrition, genetics and the immune system are thought to play a role in its development. Dogs with a long history of chronic vomiting, diarrhea or weight loss that have been found to be free of parasites and other obvious causes should be considered for IBD. Diagnosis of IBD can be difficult, and often requires an intestinal biopsy to confirm. Treatment is aimed at reducing the inflammation, as well as dietary changes to provide a more easily digestible food source.

Because vomiting can be a sign of anything from simple overeating, to a major life-threatening emergency, it is up to you to be aware and well informed of the dangers to your dog. By carefully watching your dog, you may be able to spot a potential problem before it comes an emergency, and save you and your dog from a heartbreaking situation.

Thankyou all for your responses....he's doing great he's done a turn around in a few days.....he's got alot of energy and is really REALLY interested in food i have to keep kicking him out of the kitchen so he doesn't over do it.

As far as parvo he's fully vaccinated for DHLPP (distemper hepatitis leptosporosis parvo and parainfluenza), Rabies, and Bordatella.

I discussed the blockage option with the vet but we both agreed after palpation and he has been having regular stools (when he has had food to make them) we both put that aside.

I did learn that my dogs breed has a problem with creating digestive enzymes and can require supplimentation. Since i started with the enzymic probitic powder added to his food he's done much better.

The vet and i have both agreed he will most likely need to be suppliments from now on to be safe.

MEDC how old does your vet think youe new (yes i said your) beagle is? does she do the beagle yowl? we had a nice german man who while he was alive would bring his 6 beagles in to the vet office i worked at. they were all awesome and so well behaved. His nickname around town was the Beagle Baron. He was 88 and in the best shape i have ever seen an elderly person in....he walked every where and his beagles were always with him...he was one of the best clients we had at the clinic....i miss the clientell. The all were awesome people.

I'm very happy to hear that your dog is doing better.

The beagle is likely about 4. She was most assuredly a hunting dog. She does make all of the beagle sounds. She really fits in well here. Watching her zoom around her larger brothers and sister is quite the site.

There is one little problem though...often times I am seen driving around town here with my three labs in my Mini convertible...I am going to need to find a spot in the car for the beagle now! There isn't much room!

Hopefully you guys have turned a corner and keep heading towards a full recovery.

well thats easy....the front seat....beagles do have that I am a mighty dog mentality....

As for as my bowser.....he is currntly lying on his comfy bed chewing on his nyla bone....he had a nice warm breakfast this morning of rice boiled in chicken broth, with chicken baby food, his calorie gel, and his probiotics and he is feeling spoiled and full.

It's so great to see the spark back in his eyes....oh looks like he says it's time for a nap...think i'll do the same. Medc you should post a pick of your brood....that would be an awesome pic if you can get the cat in there too.

Yesterday was a very hard day. Our dog kamotz took a turn for the worse this week. The doctors did what they could. His blood tests were normal. But his digestive enzyme test showed he wasn't producing any enzymes at all. The one possible treatment while expensive was iffy if it would work at all. Rather than have him suffer any longer but we ended up having to put him down yesterday.
It was the first time I had ever had to put my own animal down. I've assisted in hundreds of euthanasias. My best friend who works there brought in a blanket and he laid down on it immediatly... he knew it was time... I sat on the floor next to his head and he put his head in my lap and nuzzled my hand for me to pet him. He went very peacefully. I have already noticed how quiet it is without him and feel the loss here.
While I am sad he is gone I do find some happiness knowing he's now gods dog. With treats and toys and all the balls you can chase. Being gods dog ain't a bad gig at all.

I lost both of my dogs in the last year. One was put down and one died on her own of old age. They both made it 10 plus years. They were good dogs and I'm happy for them. My lab was cremated and sits on top of my armoir, my weenie dog is buried in the back yard, so both are still with me.

I'm actually not the biggest animal lover, but it was tough losing them all the same.

I'm glad he's not suffering anymore.

Sorry for your loss.

You didn't let your best friend down, he was right where he wanted to be when it was time.

He'd rather you let him go than at some other's hands.

Thankyou Pariah I am crying while reading this.

The doctor called me to let me know for sure is was acute Exocrine Pancreatic Incefficeny. Which is common in shepard dogs. She said because he was a rescue we didn't know his past history which would have helped in identifying it. He was 2 years old but I am glad we gave him a home and family in the short time he was with us.

Well it's been one week. The house is too quiet especially when DS is not here because he's at his dads. I still have this missing part that has created a hole in my life and my heart.

Today we recieved my Kamotz's ashes back. I love the staff at the pet hospital. we hadn't planned on getting him in a box as we are going to spread his ashes at his favorite spot at the search and rescue training grounds. My best friend made sure he came back to us in such a beatiful pine box with an engraved name plate. It is so very touching. (wasn't crying yet)

Then I opened the card attatched to the box. My best friend had clipped hair from his ear and from over his heart and placed them in little baggies with notes. They also had placed his paw prints on the inside of the card. (ok now I was crying)

I miss him so much.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I am sorry for your loss, also.