Dog has been vomiting for a week

[dog_lover90]

Hi, my 11 year old dog has been vomiting for almost a week now, since Tuesday. Sometimes she vomits her food, while other times she vomits a clear, foamy substance. During the past week she usually has been vomiting once or twice a day, however, on Thursday she did not vomit, and seemed all better. We took her to the vet's office on Wednesday and the vet said she was fine, and that she probably just ate something foreign. However, her vomiting continued, and on Saturday morning we rushed her to a different vet (it was the only office open) because she vomited that morning and was visibly upset and shaking. This vet gave her an x-ray and ran blood tests. The vet said both her x-ray and her blood tests appeared normal. The vet then gave us antibiotics to give her, 1/2 a tablet a day for 10 days. She's been on them since Saturday night (today is Monday). During the day she usually seems fine, playing catch and barking frequently. However, before she throws up and directly after, she usually seems depressed and lathargic. We have been giving her pepto bismal after or before she throws up. When we lay with her in bed we can tell that she is having stomach problems. Her bowel movements appear healthy, and she is eating and drinking. Do you have any idea what could be wrong with her?

[Margot49]

This is a very old discussion.
You would d better to start a new discussion regarding your situation.

[Bustababy]

Hi my dog busta is going through exactly the same as the 11 year old dog mentioned above he is 7 and not himself sometimes but sad and depressed and other times hes great? Im getting up every morning to a big pile of sick it was very dark in colour 5 days ago but now it's just like his food hasn't digested ? Can anyone give me any advice please. Paula

[Megsiie1]

Did you ever find out the problem because my dog seems to be going through a similar thing. He is 10.

[dog_lover90]

She was taken to the vet again yesterday, and they still don't know what is wrong with her. She was given 2 more needles, and more pills, all to prevent her from vomiting. However, she is still vomiting. She was very good last night, almost behaving like her normal self. However, she woke up this morning and vomited again. My parents took her to the beach today, and aside from her vomiting this morning, she seems 100% better from yesterday. They said as soon as she got to the beach she grabbed a stick and was running around. The vet told us if she throws up again, to take her in today and they will put her on an IV, so she will get her nutrients and not become deydrated. Right now, she is laying down, she seems tired. I just wish the vets could find out what is wrong with her, it is so frustrating. I don't want our little girl to pass not knowing what the problem was. She was so healthy before this happened, she was at her optimum weight, we took her to the beach everyday, she still barked and ran and loved to play. I just want her to get better. Thank you so much for your support, I will keep you updated.

[Red931]

If her stomach flipped as Ghilly has mentioned it needs immediate attention, but I still don't think that is it. She would have been much worse off by now I think.

I still think there is a blockage that is getting worse as she continues to eat. When your parents take her back print this page out so that the Vet may see all of our suggestions and check them out. We don't know everything here, but we try and maybe this Vet isn't looking in the right place.

I sincerely hope her stomach hasn't flipped at her age as it requires surgery.

Please let us know what they find out. We all care very much and hope she will be okay.

[ginger899]

Does your vet's office have an emergency number for out-of-hours ?(even if it IS only a matter of a few hours till the regular surgery opens) Call your vet's number now. There will probably be a message system, giving an emergency number to call when the office isn't open.
The on-call vet will maybe arrange to meet you at a certain time at their office.

I can't say I know what is wrong here. But it is possible that vomiting provides some relief, and when she is not feeling absolutely horrid, she acts normal. Dogs are like that. They live in the moment. That could be the reason for her seeming ok sometimes.

I hope she is alright. I hope they can find out what is wrong.

[dog_lover90]

She has thrown up again this morning, and so far is in her worst shape yet. She is very depressed and won't get out of her bed. She is breathing heavily. I keep urging my parents to take her to the vet now, but they won't because it doesn't open until 10:00 am. I feel that they are wishful thinking, just hoping that she will get better, but I know she has to go to the vet right away because she is clearly at her worst. We don't live near any large animal hospitals just a very small one, it is very frustrating. They say they are going to call the vet when it opens, I only hope that she will still be okay by then. It just doesn't make any sense, because every morning she has been throwing up, and then she is fine during the day, and then the next morning she is throwing up and depressed again. I hope the vet can find out what is wrong, because we love her so much and dont want to see anything happen to her.

[Ghilly]

Do you live anywhere near a veterinary college or near a large veterinary hospital like the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan (New York City) or Alameda East in Colorado?  If you do, I would consider taking the dog there at this point.   Vomiting for a week can lead to serious problems, not the least of which in the summer heat is dehydration.  They need to do an ultrasound to see if there is a blockage somewhere or even an intussesception (when the intestine telescopes back over itself).  This can be a very serious, life threatening condition.  At the very least, they need to rule out a blockage, which wouldn't necessarily show up on an x-ray.

Ghilly

[Red931]

I don't know what kind of dog you have but i am concerned with the dog's age and how long this has been going on.

Your Vet may be right about her getting into something that has made her toxic but you said her blood tests were normal. That makes me think that there is some kind of a blockage that may not be visible on the x-rays.

Does she vomit her food right after she eats? This one is a bit puzzling because she is bringing up bile also so that leads me back to eating something toxic.

You may want to try putting a little plain yogurt in her food, about a tablespoon. It settles the stomach and works better than Pepto Bismol. While Vets say it is okay to give Pepto to them you have to be careful how much you give them. No more than 1 teaspoon per 20lbs. of weight.

Has a stool sample been brought in to the Vet? If it continues she will have to be brought back in to find the cause.