Sick puppy, need advice

[cincbcat]

I know I should be calling my vet right now, but you guys are just as good as they are in my opinion. Here's the story:  Sadie was boarded over Christmas weekend, came home Monday after x-mas and began vomitting/diahrrea.  48 hours later we took her to the vet, she had lost 5 lbs but she was acting pretty normal. He listened to her bowels and said she had an intestinal virus or something like that.  He prescribed Metro-something pills, told us to fast her for 24 hours, then strictly rice/chicken/ground turkey for a week. Ok, that's all done, but she has barely eaten for a week which means she has barely pooped too, and this morning after she did eat her normal food again, she vomitted. I assume it's time for another vet visit? I can't have her not eating/drinking and when she does, vomitting!! Any other ideas? Do you think she just needs another round of meds?
Rachel

[Scootergirl]

Does the kennel where you boarded her require everyone to show proof of vaccinations?

Is the vomit and diarrhea bloody?

Is she still drinking normally?

Is she still lethargic?

It may just be the stress from being boarded, then being sick, then switching food and switching back again. You might want to keep her on the rice & chicken 'til she's eating voraciously again, then switch her back to her normal food slowly - mix it in with the rice & chicken. Dogs have sensitive stomachs, especially when their food is changed.

I would definitely give the vet another call to be safe, though.

[cincbcat]

The kennel is very strict about vaccinations and showing proof! No blood in anything that I've noticed. She isn't drinking as much as she normally would. I wondered if the stress of being boarded two weekends in a row might have something to do with it.  My husband keep saying "She'll eat when she's hungry!", but as the mom I'm concerned for my baby and her health.  How long is too long for her to not be eating real meals or drinking normally? Is it possible that now she has turned in to a picky eater? Do dogs do that? LOL

[Scootergirl]

If she is acting normally, not lethargic, drinking and eating some. I would switch her back to the rice & chicken and monitor her for the next 24 hours. I don't see a need to go running to the vet today if she is acting OK. If she eats the rice & chicken normally then it's probably just the food switch that made her vomit.

Think about it this way - remember a time when you were really sick and vomitting all the time. When you finally started to feel better, you still didn't go to the all you can eat buffet 'cause you knew your stomach was still weak. You kept eating bland food until you felt like yourself again. She's probably the same way. All that vomitting undoubtedly tore up her stomach lining and throat from the stomach acid. Try easing her back into regular food for a couple days, but if she continues to vomit when she eats call your vet tomorrow.

Jeanne

[newflvr]

You could try offering her ice chips and/or giving her frozen non-fat, no-salt chicken broth in small am'ts.  She can just lick it or chew on the icey bits.   It would help keep her hydrated and won't upset her stomach.  I think what the vet gave you is an antibiotic specific for bowel/intestinal infections.  That's the right thing to do, but I think it very important to keep her hydrated until the infection clears up.  You can also cook rice with the above prepared chicken broth and it may be more tempting to her. 

[cincbcat]

I will try the chicken broth and rice. I know I'm just nervous that she's going to die or something!! It's the first time she's gotten sick! Her weight loss bothers me, but I know she'll gain it back once she starts eating normally again.  Thanks for your advice guys, I will definitely call if tomorrow she's still vomitting and not drinking.
Rachel

[Kermit]

Some dogs do not handle boarding well at all. My boyfriend's terier is one of them. It takes him a while even to get over one night of boarding.
My favorite way to rehydrate a dog and encourage appetite is to mix some pedialyte with chicken broth. They usually like it a lot, and it will give the dog some strength.

I hope your doggie feels better really soon.

[IZ]

Hi new Mommy! Please read my long string of posts on "the $300 Tummy Ache". We are going through the same thing. Iz kept throwing up too. The vet determined it was because he was hungry and there was nothing in his system for the acid to work on, and he would vomit.
In the end - he has Hook Worm - which I have learned more about in the past 24 hours than I cared to know. It is HIGHLY contagious - and if a dog at the kennel had it - your baby could too. NOTE - Iz tested negative three times for it in the past two weeks- and it finally appeared on the test yesterday. Iz was on the same Metron... that you too used he was on it for 10 days - no improvement.
Ask your vet about Hooks - and any other parasite. I was able to talk to my vet on the phone several times to avoid additional visits. He went back in when they thought (or I thought) it beneficial to run more tests...

[patrick]

Both hook and whip often do not show up on the single stool sample.  It never hurts to worm for them and some vets have the philosophy to worm for hook/whip if a dog is just not eating well for no discernable reason.  We worm all our dogs at least once a year for whip.  Also a lot or dogs will throw up if their tummies are empty for prolonged periods - for these dogs give a biscuit before retiring to bed- helps a lot