# Vomiting and diarrhea with no appetite



## Coraliine (Jan 7, 2014)

My boy Juice is about 16 months old. He normally has a very healthy appetite and is very active.

Two days ago he was hesitant to eat his breakfast when my boyfriend woke up (he did eat, but only if he was hand fed) and just seemed a little sluggish. When I woke later he had terrible diarrhea on our walk and still wouldn't eat. Later that day he vomited twice and still refused to eat. He had diarrhea consistently. It was very, very liquidy.

The next day he still wouldn't eat and had diarrhea. No vomiting. He did eat a little tiny bit of bread last night, but refused everything else given to him.

Today he still had diarrhea and again won't eat. He vomited twice about 30 minutes ago. It is a yellow bile. No blood or anything in his stool or vomit.

He is still drinking and while a little bit more relaxed than usual, he is still full of energy.

My boyfriend seems to think he just has a stomach bug and will get over it in a day or two, but I am starting to get worried.

His nose is wet, he drinks like normal, and he still wants to play and go on walks. He did have his booster shot last week, which could be the cause of it, but it seems a little bit late for that.

He ate cat feces the day before this started, which is something he used to do a lot as a puppy but has stopped, or so we thought. We don't know which cat it was as we do not own one. They come into our yard and defecate everywhere and we usually clean it up, but this one had buried it's feces in a little hole that my dog likes to lie in.

Am I just overreacting or should we bring him to the vet? It's going to be triple the cost to bring him as it's now the weekend (Friday evening is considered weekend in the country we're in). My boyfriend wants to wait it out and see if he gets better by Monday, but I just hate seeing the dog like this.


----------



## Big Brown Eyes (Jan 11, 2015)

Hello,
If your dog is vaccinated, then your boy friend is right, you do not have a high risk situation.

Couple of things to watch out:
1) Check color of gums / tongue : should be pinkish, not blue or grey
2) Check stomach is not distended.
3) Dog's activity level.
4) Dog's feces : does it smell exceedingly bad? Is there blood?

I recommend the panacea Pepto Bismol, and feed it some rice boiled with vegetables - especially non-sweetened pumpkin (canned will do), chicken (without bones).

It will get better in a day or two.


----------



## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

i would wait and go to the vet if anything gets worse or prolongs. nobody can afford to bring a dog to a vet for every 48 hour stomach bug.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Bring him to the vet to rule out a blockage, the sooner the better. If it is you saved his life if not you have peace of mind.


----------



## RobBlueMaro (Jan 15, 2015)

I agree with Big Brown Eyes. Ollie had the same thing happen once before and I think it was a stomach bug or something. 

1. Cook up some rice (I've never done the veggies but it can't hurt). This will help get some water back into his system.

2. Give him some canned pumpkin and some PLAIN yogurt. Make very sure it is plain and not vanilla. The pumpkin and plain yogurt will help settle his stomach.

3. My vet had also told me that half a pill of immodium was good to give in a case like this. I was very hesitant but it worked. I would not do that without talking to your vet first.

If it doesn't get better after step 1 and 2, I'd call a vet. It may take several servings as well. 

Sorry your boy is going through this. He'll get better.


----------



## RobBlueMaro (Jan 15, 2015)

Considering that I am a novice at this, I would probably take the advice of going to the vet....


----------



## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

I'll take *women over-reacting* for 500, Alex.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

scarfish said:


> I'll take *women over-reacting* for 500, Alex.


I'll take men giving bad advice for $1000...


I have multiple dogs and I do not run to the vet for everything. For this I would. I had a similar issue with one of mine and it was a pancreas issue that required medication. 


This is a dog that is not eating, vomiting, and consistent icky poop. There is something wrong there. It's on day three and the weekend is here, so let's wait until Monday after almost a week of symptoms? I don't think so


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

2 days is my limit, I would be taking him to the vet today or tomorrow at the latest. It may be nothing, but better safe than sorry


----------



## SkoobyDoo (Oct 7, 2014)

Pepto bismol should never be given as it can cause bleeding ..it is a form of aspirin!


----------



## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Shade said:


> 2 days is my limit, I would be taking him to the vet today or tomorrow at the latest. It may be nothing, but better safe than sorry


:thumbup: This!


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Two days of vomiting and diarrhea? Vet. Anything could be wrong. Lepto, toxin, bacteria, obstruction. Ask your vet how many doggie stomach bugs actually exist.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm just going to jump over scarfish's oh-so-helpful posts and say I would call the vet and ask THEM what they think. Talk to the technician or ask to speak with a vet and see if they advise coming in.

I have watched a young dog nearly waste away to nothing with an illness that progressed almost exactly as described here and it was not something that just went away because I was overreacting. He lost 10lbs in one week and ended up needing 5 different medications to get back on track. The dog needed about two weeks of care and me checking and hydrating every few hours.

The thought that came to my mind is that the dog has a blockage or partial blockage from something he ate with the cat poop, like dirt/gravel. A blockage is very serious, but often can be ruled in/out rather quickly with an x-ray of the abdomen. This was the first thing we checked for when my dog got sick, but it ended up not being the case.

Regardless of WHAT is causing the illness, after days of vomiting and diarrhea the dog is at risk of becoming dehydrated which can be a killer.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Or the dog could have an infection from something he ate. We recently had a dog get into the garbage and a few days later had the exact situation you describe. Two days, off to the vet. Her CBC levels were crazy showing a fairly heavy infection. That is not going to go away on it's own.

My rule of thumb is if it doesn't go away in a day of fasting and/or eating rice, ginger and meat then it's time to go to the vet.


----------



## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Big Brown Eyes said:


> Hello,
> If your dog is vaccinated, then your boy friend is right, you do not have a high risk situation.
> 
> I recommend the panacea Pepto Bismol, and feed it some rice boiled with vegetables - especially non-sweetened pumpkin (canned will do), chicken (without bones).
> ...


If dog is vaccinated you do not have a high risk? Incorrect. In a young dog, there could be the chance of an intestinal obstruction. Pancreatitis. Etc. 

And NEVER give Pepto. Any vet that recommends it is out of date and frankly, an idiot as far a I'm concerned. There are MUCH safer medications for dogs.








scarfish said:


> i would wait and go to the vet if anything gets worse or prolongs. nobody can afford to bring a dog to a vet for every 48 hour stomach bug.





scarfish said:


> I'll take *women over-reacting* for 500, Alex.


I'll give diarrhea several days, as long as the dog is still eating and drinking and no vomiting. But in my book, not eating combined with vomiting gets 24 hours max before they go to the vet. It's not over reacting, it's being responsible. It could easily be a severe case of gastroenteritis. The dog is able to hold down water, which is good. And it got into something - cat feces - that could of given it gi upset. But regardless it's turned pretty nasty, in my professional opinion. And it could be something severe. It could be an intestinal obstruction which requires surgery to fix, for all anyone knows. Most litters are clumping clay, and clay can cause a blockage.

Cases like these can easily be pancreatitis, which can turn nasty and even deadly in severe cases. Very painful. 

Regardless, the dog is having severe diarrhea, vomiting, and not eating. Likely very dehydrated. Even if the dog is drinking some it's physically impossible for him to drink enough to replace the volume being lost. Therefor dehydration will not self correct.

There's nothing worse than having a dog come in that's basically laterally recumbent and unresponsive, and the owner tells you it's been sick for 5 days. And now a dog that probably could of been "easily" fixed with take home meds needs days in the hospital because owners waited too long


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Call the vet. They do not (here anyway) charge for phone calls. If the vet says "bring the dog in" bring the dog to the vet.


----------



## butmanj2000 (Oct 20, 2011)

I would suggest you take him to the vet and ask them to test him for EPI. My 4 year old, Abbey, had the same symptoms when she was around that age. She had yellow stools and would not eat. She also vomited whenever she tried to eat. I did some research because she went from around 80 lbs to 65 lbs. We took her in and she in fact did have bloat. They gave her a shot and the bloat thankfully passed. I asked the vet to test her and she came back positive for EPI which is a disease that prevents the dogs Pancreas from producing the enzymes that help the dog digest food and take in the nutrients they need. Without it, they eventually starve to death. Thankfully there is a treatment that we buy and put in her food every day. She now weighs almost 100 lbs and is doing great.


----------



## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Big Brown Eyes said:


> *I recommend the panacea Pepto Bismol*, and feed it some rice boiled with vegetables - especially non-sweetened pumpkin (canned will do), chicken (without bones)


GEEZ...There you go again!!!

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/VCPL-Brochure.pdf
 It is well known that some Collies and​ *other herding breeds are highly sensitive to*​ *certain drugs*. *In fact, normal doses of these*​ *drugs can be fatal for certain dogs in the*​ *herding breed group.* At Washington State​ University, researchers in the Veterinary​ Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory​ discovered the cause of this multidrug​ sensitivity. *Sensitive dogs have a mutation*​ *in the MDR1 gene, a gene that produces a*​ *protein responsible for keeping these drugs*​ *away from the brain. Without this protein,*​ *certain drugs accumulate in the brain*​ *and cause toxicity.* Some of these drugs​ include the antiparasitic agent ivermectin,​ *loperamide (the active ingredient in*​ *Imodium®, Pepto Diarrhea Control®, and*​*Kaopectate II Caplets®), and several others.*

...
*The MDR1*​ *mutation has*​ *also been found*​ *in* Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties), Australian​ Shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs, *German*​ *Shepherds,* Long-haired Whippets, Silken​ Windhounds, and a variety of mixed breed​dogs.


----------



## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

How's Juice doing?


----------

