Allergies? Reflux? Just an upset tummy?

[BullyB]

Okay, so we changed Bruno's (almost 1 year old) food a little over 2 weeks ago to Fromm's Salmon and Veggies (because he was throwing up his food so much before). He LOVES the food and has shown to have a much better appetite. He has only thrown up his food maybe twice in the past 2 weeks...and only when he has been really active before he has eaten. What we have started to notice though, is that he will sometimes throw up his water when he is drinking really fast or when he drinks a lot at one time. Then yesterday afternoon he vomited really digested food 3 times and started salivating a lot. I then fed him a cup of food later on when he was more relaxed and he kept it down the rest of the night. Then this morning, I fed him a cup of food...he ate about 1/2 of it. Then immediately threw it up along with digested food from last night. He threw up twice this morning. Do you think he could just have an upset tummy? I know sometimes dogs get sick, but with his history of throwing up, I am always leary. He has done so much better on this food than ANY others...I really don't think it could be the food...but I could be wrong. How long should I wait it out before calling the vet? But then again, I feel like I never get ANYWHERE with the vet when I call. Could he have reflux? Is it okay to call the vet and start trying him on some dog pepcid and see if that works; or do you need to get testing done to do that? Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want him to stop vomiting...I feel so bad! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[laurentourville]

hmmm, the only thing I can tell you is that Horse throws up anytime he is super active, it doesn't matter when he last ate. we just have to be sure he doesn't get too crazy! I'm sure someone will have some more info for you though!

 

[cali~jenn]

It does sound like it could be reflux. Is it more of a regurgitation or a heaving throw up? Cutty had reflux when on one of the foods we had tried and he would randomly spit the food up, mostly at night and not like a throw up but more a regurgitation. He usually had no warning with it and it would just spill out all of a sudden, usually in bed. Once I figured out the problem was food we changed and he never had it since. Cant remember about the pepcid, don't think I gave anything back then. Until you hear that it is safe I wouldn't give anything for now. I would maybe consider trying a different protein type in the fromm foods and if you are giving a 4 star food you can switch in between them without the whole transition phase so it is an easy thing to find out. When Cutty had his he was eating a herring formula and even tho had eaten salmons in other foods just fine this one just effected him funny.

 

[BullyB]

Yesterday afternoon and this morning it was more like a regurgitation...no warning. This is the same when he throws up water. Should I stick with the food for a little bit longer since he has only been on the Fromm Salmon and Veggies for a few weeks? He has not thrown up his food too much since he has been on it; yesterday and this morning was a whole new situation. Since he has been on the new food, mostly his regurgitation was just when he drank water too quickly or too much at one time. I just feel bad cuz we keep switching foods on him every few weeks. What do you think?

 

[lexterwayne]

i have given my lab pepcid ac cause he was doing the same thing and after a day or so he stops throwing up... hasnt done in it in a little over a yr

 

[cali~jenn]

Well... I am no expert by any means that's for sure. Has he been fully switched onto the fromm for the 2 weeks after the transition? I would think if he is fully on this food then getting a diff protein wouldn't hurt any so long as you stay within the same food. It wont hurt him any to try this food for a longer period even so if you wanna wait another week or so and see then go ahead. I just know for us what a mess it was dealing with so I would personally change and see if there is any difference. The chicken formula may be less agitating. I wouldn't wait too long tho cuz I know in humans acid reflux can hurt your esophagus after a period so it may not be great on his.

 

[bullmama]

First thing I would do is get a slow feed bowl. Also try not to let her get too excited and then drink water. I would love for [MENTION=574]TessaAndSamson[/MENTION] to weigh in on this because she is learning about bloat.

Also, is it possible you are giving more food than needed? If the stomach is too full of undigested food, then that could be an issue. Also a partial blockage or obstruction could be a concern. Any missing toys? How is it coming out the other end? Stiff? Creamy?

 

[BullyB]

He has been on this food fully for 2 weeks. We feed him the amount that is recommended on the back of the Fromm's bag (3 cups/day...we feed him 1 cup 3 times a day). We also mix the food with a little bit of warm water so he eats it slower and is able to digest it better...he typically doesn't eat very fast, but definately will drink fast when he's really thirsty. He hasn't thrown up any digested food until last night and this morning. That's why I am not sure where to go with this. There are no missing toys or parts to toys. His stools are usually fine, sometimes a little creamy, but always formed, not like diarrhea.

 

[cali~jenn]

Or you could try putting his bowl up on a step or pedestal even. I did try that with Cutty but unfortunately he doesn't eat at his bowl, he takes mouthfuls with him wherever he decides to eat so it made no difference at all. lol With Cutty it wasnt a matter of eating fast either and we even stopped his food early in the evening (we free feed normally) to see if that would help and nothing helped him, he had it bad tho. I would say 3 cups seems like a lot to me for a 1 year old, maybe cut it back a little bit maybe to 2 cups? You can always add in veggies as a filler if he is hungry still. Then when this bag is done I would just try a diff type and see if there is any difference.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

I agree with Cali~Jenn that 3 cups may be too much, I would say ~ 2 cups. [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] would know for sure, I think her Jesse is about the same age????

[MENTION=1244]BullyB[/MENTION] Like desertsky said I did recently study bloat (AKA gastric torsion). Bloat can be fatal in a matter of minutes, it is an EMERGENCY situation. Now it doesn't sound like this is the case here but I do see some things that you may need to change to prevent it, sounds like he may be more susceptible to it than others. Bloat (gastric torsion) is when the stomach becomes over stretched with excessive gas, water and/or food. Then stomach rotates in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, the stomach turn is what makes it so deadly. Main causes: stress, eating foods such as kibble that expand in the stomach, overfeeding, too much water consumption in a small period of time (before or after exercise), exercise before and after eating. Symptoms: dog might stand uncomfortably and seem to be in extreme discomfort for no apparent reason, firm distended abdomen, weakness, depression, difficulty breathing, retching without vomiting, excessive drooling, hunched up appearance, collapsing. Treatment: I cannot stress enough this is an EMERGENCY situation, you NEED to go to the vet ASAP. Once you reach the vet in most cases surgery is needed. Prevention: Feed 2 or 3 smaller meals daily (as opposed to 1 large meal), any changes in the diet should be made gradually (over a period of at least a week), vigorous exercise, excitement and stress should be avoided from 1 hour before to 2 hours after meals, excessive drinking should also be avoided, feed a highly disgestible food. Because Bruno sounds sensitive I would say it may be best to thoroughly soak his kibble for at least 30 minutes before feeding. Try not to feed a kibble which expands greatly when wet, not sure if Fromm does that. You can do a kibble test overnight. Put a cup of kibble in a bowl. Add water and let soak over night. What you see in the morning is the amount of swelling this food will do in your dog's stomach. If its excessive, change to another kibble which doesn't swell as much. Fromm is a highly disgestible food which it what they suggest to feed but maybe there is another highly disgestible food out there that doesn’t swell as much, I don’t know you may want to do the kibble test. While it is listed that breeds with deep narrow chests like great danes, weimaraners, saint bernards, gordon setters, etc are the most affected I can’t see why all brachycephalic dogs aren’t listed (squishy faced dogs like bulldogs, pugs, boston terriers, etc) because they are known to inhale more air while eating which is what causes them to be so gasy. That would indicate to me that they were more susceptible to bloat but I did not find that in anything I read, just my theory.

On another note, my Samson does get an upset stomach sometimes. They throw up, throwing up causes dehyrdation, so they drink a lot, then over full stomach, throw up again, vicious cycle. So once this starts with my Samson I take away the water and give him non-flavored pedialyte. He doesn’t like it much, I have to give it to him with a medicine dropper. Not in large amounts though, I do like a few of the medicine droppers full every hour to hour and a half. Then I give food in small amounts. Like if he gets sick in the morning I wouldn’t feed him again until the evening and just ½ cup. If he holds that down ½ the next morning, if he holds that down ½ cup in the afternoon. Have to work them back up to a normal daily feeding amount.

 

[BullyB]

Thank you for the info on bloat. I have to admit you made me kinda nervous though. He was excessively drooling for a bit last night and this am, but a few minutes after the vomiting, it stopped. He was acting fine, still playful and everything. He has done this a few times before. Is there something else I can look for to know that this in an emergency situation - that I need to take him to the vet ASAP?

 

[bullmama]

3 cups is waaaay too much for a bully with Fromm. Fromm is made of more nutrients vitamins and no fillers- so I would say decrease him to 1/2 c 3 times a day for the next two days. Only give him healthy treats. Do you give treats? These may be small in size but large in damage if you don't get good stuff. Then increase it to 2 c a day once he feels better.

Fromm feeding guidelines are for all dogs, bulldogs are different.

Have you tried the bland diet? This can also clear out the system to start fresh. Please keep us posted so that others may be helped in the future by reading this topic.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Thank you for the info on bloat. I have to admit you made me kinda nervous though. He was excessively drooling for a bit last night and this am, but a few minutes after the vomiting, it stopped. He was acting fine, still playful and everything. He has done this a few times before. Is there something else I can look for to know that this in an emergency situation - that I need to take him to the vet ASAP?

I know probably more info than anyone ever wants to know on the subject LOL But in all honesty bloat is serious and because all the drinking, overeating you mentioned I just wanted to make you conscience of it. The things I shared are about bloat so I mean if those aren't his symptoms I'm not sure what else it might be. If he is not keeping food down for days, has lots of diarrhea, bloody stool or vomit, not eating or depressed/lethargic for a prolonged period of time, those would definitely be things that would cause concern and would I'm sure require a vet visit ASAP. And obviously if you try different things mentioned and he continues to throw up regularly for no apparent reason, even if the vomit doesn't look weird I could assume there may be some underlying digestive issue. I'm not a vet, going to school to be a RVT (registered veterinary technician) but not quite an expert yet.

 

[BullyB]

Thank you so much for the info! I will start decreasing the amount of food we give him right away...had no idea! As for treats, we give him the Fromm Salmon and Sweet Potato treats...only one a day at most.

 

[lexterwayne]

i feed lex 61 lbs once a day 2 cups and he doesnt eat all of it, and a 2 yr old 100 lb lab we feed once a day at 2 scoops, so ya he might just be over eating and playing right after can do it too...

[MENTION=574]TessaAndSamson[/MENTION] that reminds me of the movie marley and me.... isnt that the same thing marley had diagnosed???