Help Needed! Puking and marking

Alaska S

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Mar 11, 2018
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Alaska
Our dog Alaska is over a year and a half old now. We love him to death but he has two issues that we need help with.

1. Puking. We have to give him very small amounts of water at a time so he doesn't regurgitate it right back up. We also can't give him food and water together or else he'll regurgitate it back up within a minute of eating/drinking it. Vet said surgery on the soft palette "might" help... I don't want to put him through that if there are other ways to help him.

2. Marking ON the couch. If we don't tip all the couch cushions up before we leave the house he will jump up onto the seating area and mark it. It is very potent and ruining our couch, it is also very frustrating how often we have to clean the cushions.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
 

helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Alberta
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Canada
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Our dog Alaska is over a year and a half old now. We love him to death but he has two issues that we need help with.

1. Puking. We have to give him very small amounts of water at a time so he doesn't regurgitate it right back up. We also can't give him food and water together or else he'll regurgitate it back up within a minute of eating/drinking it. Vet said surgery on the soft palette "might" help... I don't want to put him through that if there are other ways to help him.

2. Marking ON the couch. If we don't tip all the couch cushions up before we leave the house he will jump up onto the seating area and mark it. It is very potent and ruining our couch, it is also very frustrating how often we have to clean the cushions.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Hello there.

1) puking....what kind of food are you feeding him, does he eat fast and is he on any meds of some sort or supplements?

2) marking...why not crate him when you leave? Does he mark “only” when you leave?
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Welcome to EBN!

Agree with Helene... the peeing is probably separation anxiety and you need to crate him or gate in a room you can easily clean the floor
[MENTION=15364]oscarmayer[/MENTION] ... possibly mega-e?


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Lalaloopsie

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Apr 18, 2016
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Tank
I cannot see how elongated palate can cause regurgitation and vomiting:ashamed: Constant Puking after eating and drinking makes me rather think about mega esophagus, it can cause aspiration which in turn can cause pneumonia. Mega esophagus can be managed with feeding dog in seated position and keeping him seated for 30-60 min after eating.
 
OP
Alaska S

Alaska S

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Hi, thanks for the response.

1. He is eating Iams large breed puppy, probably time to switch him onto something new. He does eat it pretty fast, but we put a "gobble stopper" in the bowl and it seems to have helped a little. It seems like water is the bigger issue. We give him food with no water first in the morning and he rarely pukes it up. About 20 - 30 minutes after he eats we'll give him water and as long as it is in small enough increments he does a decent job of keeping it down but not always. No meds or supplements.

2. He mostly marks when we are gone, but sometimes we are just in another room and he'll still do it. We went through a phase where we were gating him in the kitchen but were hoping to solve the problem without having to keep doing that. We will if it doesn't stop, just hoping we can find a way to stop it.

Thanks again!
 
OP
Alaska S

Alaska S

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Interesting, I haven't heard of that one and after several vet visits I don't recall this ever being mentioned. I'll be doing some research on this! Thank you!
 
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Alaska S

Alaska S

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Thanks, definitely going to research this Mega E!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Thanks, definitely going to research this Mega E!

IAMS is really not a good food... and could be part of the issue... please look into a higher quality grain free food

Here are some options, no particular order

Earthborn Holistic
Zingnature
Fromm
Acana
Orijen

If willing... The Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw or raw are even better.


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helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Alberta
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Hi, thanks for the response.

1. He is eating Iams large breed puppy, probably time to switch him onto something new. He does eat it pretty fast, but we put a "gobble stopper" in the bowl and it seems to have helped a little. It seems like water is the bigger issue. We give him food with no water first in the morning and he rarely pukes it up. About 20 - 30 minutes after he eats we'll give him water and as long as it is in small enough increments he does a decent job of keeping it down but not always. No meds or supplements.

2. He mostly marks when we are gone, but sometimes we are just in another room and he'll still do it. We went through a phase where we were gating him in the kitchen but were hoping to solve the problem without having to keep doing that. We will if it doesn't stop, just hoping we can find a way to stop it.

Thanks again!

Like Christine mentioned Iams is so not fit for dogs.
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)
Regurgitating and vomiting are two entirely different actions. Resurgence is the sudden evacuation of the esophagus when due to Mega esophagus. Vomiting is emptying of the stomach preceded by heaving. You can tell when the vomit is coming but not with the Mega E regurge.
This sounds like Mega E to me but it might not be. If it is Mega E, get yourself a suitable Bailey Chair and feed accordingly. Learn how to make Knox blocks and run kibble through a food processor(we use a Ninja) and mix with water to make a paste, a semi soupy paste...like oat meal, or grits. With our girl, MINI, we put her in the chair and give her 3-4 ounces of water followed by her kibble “paste”. After dinner we give her 6-7 1” square Knox Blocks. Then she sits in that chairs for 30 minutes. Doing this she rarely ever regurges. Not doing this she regurges EVERY time. Also, limit chewing on anything to a few minutes at a time. Chewing creates lots of saliva and that will regurge same as food or water.
An X Ray will usually confirm Mega E if your Vet is familiar with it. If you’d like more help managing Mega E let me know in a PM and I’ll get you in touch with my better half, the Mega E expert.

As far as marking is concerned, neuter will probably help some, a lot...but kenneling will always work. Save your furniture and sanity...kennel the little one.
 
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Alaska S

Alaska S

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Thank you for the great feedback. What he is doing is regurgitating. I know the heaving you're talking about and that's only happened after he's snuck a sock for a snack. I have never heard of Knox blocks, bailey chairs, or running the kibble through a processor to make doggy "oatmeal!" Everyone on here is giving me information my vet hasn't mentioned at all after many visits and discussions about his issue. They eventually referred me to a "specialist" who was basically a surgeon. Niether one of them took X-rays, the closest they got was looking at his throat while he was under for the neutering. I'm starting to wonder if I should find a new vet. I guess it's possible they just aren't as familiar with Bulldogs, but it also doesn't seem like they really tried very hard to figure it out before recommending surgery that "might" help.

Thanks again!
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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VA
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)
I have never heard of Knox blocks, bailey chairs, or running the kibble through a processor to make doggy "oatmeal!" Everyone on here is giving me information my vet hasn't mentioned at all after many visits and discussions about his issue. They eventually referred me to a "specialist" who was basically a surgeon.
Knox Blox info, etc. here...
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Dog-Food-for-Megaesophagus
We use(low sodium, I think) chicken broth to flavor ours.

So far I've built 3 adjustable Bailey Chairs for MINI.

First one...
Mini Bailey Chair 1.jpg

Second one...
Mini Bailey Chair 2.jpg

and, hopefully, the last one...


She's doing great with her Mega E...the most active of all our guys...but also the youngest.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Jul 28, 2011
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Gilbertsville, PA
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Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
Thank you for the great feedback. What he is doing is regurgitating. I know the heaving you're talking about and that's only happened after he's snuck a sock for a snack. I have never heard of Knox blocks, bailey chairs, or running the kibble through a processor to make doggy "oatmeal!" Everyone on here is giving me information my vet hasn't mentioned at all after many visits and discussions about his issue. They eventually referred me to a "specialist" who was basically a surgeon. Niether one of them took X-rays, the closest they got was looking at his throat while he was under for the neutering. I'm starting to wonder if I should find a new vet. I guess it's possible they just aren't as familiar with Bulldogs, but it also doesn't seem like they really tried very hard to figure it out before recommending surgery that "might" help.

Thanks again!

Where in North Carolina are you....
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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VA
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United States
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)

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