# 8 month old got into her bag of dog food



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Around 11:00 today, while I was at work, my little sister left the door open to the room where we keep Sammie's dog food. She got into the bag and apparently ate wayyyy too much. I came home from work around 7:00 to find a dog not quite as excited to see me and one with a swelled up belly that mostly wanted to lay around. She went from a skinny lanky puppy to one that looked almost obese. She wasnt acting quite her usual self which was the first concern for me. So I got her favorite toy out and she was soon back to acting pretty much normal. Also, to see what kind of reaction I would get, I asked her if she wanted to eat and it was game on lol. But I didnt feed her of course. According to my mother, she went to the bathroom earlier in the day. She never threw up or anything. I also took her out and she pooped a ton!!! Definitely runny but not quite diarhea. Im guessing since its been about 9 hours since she got into the bag that she is probably fine but I wanted to get everyone elses opinion and also how long I should keep her from eating. Also, is it ok to give water???


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Just to give you an idea of how much she ate, i weighed her a couple of days ago and she was 53 lbs. Just weighed her and she was 59 lbs.


----------



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Wow, you should have called the vet office to ask these kind of questions right then. 

I wouldn't dare answer. Not with a GSDs digestive system.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

You might want to make a call to your vet. I would not feed her anything until she's back to normal, and I would be very careful about water as well. If she drinks a lot of water that kibble can swell up and she can torsion, which is a life threatening emergency. ANY sign of distress and you should be on your way to the closest emergency vet - bloat is serious.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Wow, you should have called the vet office to ask these kind of questions right then.
> 
> I wouldn't dare answer. Not with a GSDs digestive system.


 
Only reason I havnt called the vet is because I just found out 2 hours ago and it happened at 11:00 this morning. My mother didnt really know about potential serious problems so she didnt bother to call me or the vet. She does seem pretty normal now, she has been picking up her rope and enticing my mothers dog to play. Ive tried to keep the activity pretty low though. I guess I'll watch her through the night and see how she does and probably give the vet a call in the morning just to be on the safe side. From doing a little research, it seems like if there were a problem, she would have already shown signs.

I read about giving her gas-x. I dont have any of that laying around. What about pepto bismol?


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

another update, I just took her out again and when she squated to pee she had let let some gas go. Then she had straight diarhea. Is it good that she is able to go the restroom?


----------



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Call an e-vet, explain that she's a German Shepherd. 

mobile alabama emergency vets - Google Search

I would not give Pepto. Cassidy's mom is right on about the bloat and torsion. 

You will have to give your mom a doggy 911 class.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ok, I just gave a call to two different emergency vets and they both said that since she seems to be acting normal and that it happened at 11:00 that she should be fine. They said just to keep a close watch on her and make sure she isnt in discomfort. They told me to not feed her until her stomach goes down and give her little water. They also said bloat is obvious when it comes to discomfort.


----------



## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Do you think the alternative is better?? 

Yes, of course it's good that she's able to go to the bathroom...


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> Do you think the alternative is better??
> 
> Yes, of course it's good that she's able to go to the bathroom...


 
Ok I guess i should rephrase that question... Is it good that she has gone to the bathroom 3 times this afternoon when one was runny and the last one was straight diarhea? I think you know what I meant


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

The fact that she's passing a lot of the food she ate is potentially a good sign. Pepto Bismol is not the same as Gas-X. The ingredient you want is simethicone, which is in Gas-X and Phazyme. I've never had a bloat incident but it's SO common in the breed that I keep some Phazyme on hand in the dog cabinet. If your dog is bloating it's not enough to save its life, but getting a couple of capsules down the throat might buy you a couple of hours while you rush your dog to the e-vet. It's something that all GSD owners should have on hand, and all GSD owners should also be familiar with the signs of bloat: Understanding Bloat and Torsion ( Gastric Dialation Volvulus - GDV ) 



> Early signs of bloat may include restlessness, excessive drooling, abdominal pain, retching, and/or non-productive attempts to vomit. The dog may vomit foamy mucous, or a mucousy foam may be evident around the lips. A more advanced sign of bloat is characterized by abdominal distension (enlarged abdomen). Other signs may include pale mucous membrane (evident by pale gum color), and prolonged capillary refill time (detected by pressing the gum with your fingertip and judging the speed at which gum color returns to pink after you stop pressing.) Some people have reported early detection by observing abnormal behavior, such as not wanting to move around; or laying down in a curled up position, etc. when the dog would normally run around and play. During this early phase, stomach enlargement may not be visually evident yet. Bloat can usually be detected when you make the dog stand up and gently feel his/her abdomen. The abdomen should feel soft and tapered inward when the dog is relaxed. If the abdomen feels hard, or sounds hollow (like a drum) when you tap it gently with your hand, then your dog is probably bloating or even torsioning. If you're not sure, get the dog in to the veterinarian (or at least call) right away just in case--it's better to be safe than sorry.


This is truly a life or death emergency, and time is of the essence. Since so much time has passed and she's okay so far you might be past the danger point. The more she poops that excess food out, the better.


----------



## idahospud49 (Jan 28, 2011)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> The fact that she's passing a lot of the food she ate is potentially a good sign. Pepto Bismol is not the same as Gas-X. The ingredient you want is simethicone, which is in Gas-X and Phazyme. I've never had a bloat incident but it's SO common in the breed that I keep some Phazyme on hand in the dog cabinet. If your dog is bloating it's not enough to save its life, but getting a couple of capsules down the throat might buy you a couple of hours while you rush your dog to the e-vet. It's something that all GSD owners should have on hand, and all GSD owners should also be familiar with the signs of bloat: Understanding Bloat and Torsion ( Gastric Dialation Volvulus - GDV )
> 
> 
> 
> This is truly a life or death emergency, and time is of the essence. Since so much time has passed and she's okay so far you might be past the danger point. The more she poops that excess food out, the better.


That is GREAT information to have! Thanks!


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

idahospud49 said:


> That is GREAT information to have! Thanks!


I can't take credit for it - if I were not a member of this forum I wouldn't know ANYTHING about bloat, I'm just passing on great advice from people who have been there, done that.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Yea I knew of the problems of bloat in GSD's but I was always under the assumption that it was more of a random occurence and was triggered more by dogs that participated in strenuous activities after eating. But by just knowing that had me worried about the possibilites that she could develop it after over eating .

I usually let her sleep with me but i'm kinda questioning whether I should do that or not. She keeps passing gas(sounds like a human fart lol) and stinking up my room.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Glad your pup is ok!

Activated charcoal is another important thing to have on hand. It absorbs gas and toxins.


----------



## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Boy, I can sympathize.
Last week Gar came into work (he does the night shift) and says, "The girls didn't want to eat; they got into some cat food"

Me: "how much?"
Him: "Oh, not much"

I get home around tenish and my GSD is completely swollen up like that little girl on Willy Wonka. My heart stopped, I check the bedroom (where the cat food was) and Miss Pooface Gluttonrear...had opened the container. They between the both of them got about four pounds of high grade EVO cat food.
Gar didn't think they got that much and Alice (the GSD) wasn't blown up yet when he had left for work.
I took one look at her and dumped the water bowl...dumped the kiddie pool outside and drove like a NASCAR fool to Walgreens for GasX. I stayed up with her until 3:30 or so in the morning. The tough thing was as though she was passing gas and her gums were a stable pink (I kept checking them) I was terrified of trying to get a bloated dog into the car by myself without risking the torsion. I was beyond concerned but couldn't panic as I needed my dog to stay calm and as comfortable as possible.
(thanks Steph!)
I kept both of them (even the little weasel) on a twenty four hour fast...limited water and even after the twenty four hours did not feed regular amounts.
For example: Alice gets 1.25 cups twice a day...she got a half a cup twice a day...then a little more...then a little more until she was back up to regular.
No exercise for three days...very limited strolls, no runs.
She's fine now, but what a hair raiser.

I finally told my boss and surprisingly enough...he didn't lecture me. But, he did give me two german shepherd proof food containers. I told him that he can lecture me about almost killing my dog by not making sure a door was shut after my vacation time in September. (I bet he's penciled it in)

Glad your girl is ok. Hope you've got your first aid kit set up...I've added GasX to mine.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

well i just got up for the first time tonight. it was a very good thing i kept her in the utility room tonight. i went to check up on her and found a few piles of diarrhea. i went ahead and took her out and you guessed it, more diarrhea. my little sis will have a nice surprise to clean up in the morning


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

got up this morning to find more diarrhea. took her out and more diarrhea. her belly is about half the size that it was last night which is a good sign.


----------



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> The fact that she's passing a lot of the food she ate is potentially a good sign. Pepto Bismol is not the same as Gas-X. The ingredient you want is simethicone, which is in Gas-X and Phazyme. I've never had a bloat incident but it's SO common in the breed that I keep some Phazyme on hand in the dog cabinet. If your dog is bloating it's not enough to save its life, but getting a couple of capsules down the throat might buy you a couple of hours while you rush your dog to the e-vet. It's something that all GSD owners should have on hand, and all GSD owners should also be familiar with the signs of bloat: Understanding Bloat and Torsion ( Gastric Dialation Volvulus - GDV )
> 
> 
> 
> This is truly a life or death emergency, and time is of the essence. Since so much time has passed and she's okay so far you might be past the danger point. The more she poops that excess food out, the better.


Is Phazyme something that can be purchased in drug stores/pharmacies? I've never heard of it but would like to keep some on hand. I found a place online where I can order it but it would be easier to be able to just but it at the store.


----------



## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I was up at one thirty in the morning cleaning the poop area, as I didn't want her to move to another area as it was too soiled.
Alice is trained to go in one area of the yard.

I'm glad she's ok and although you are in the messy stinky area of recovery. I know I was pretty happy to hear the dog passing gas and never thought that would make me happy.
I'd make your lil sister clean the area forever!


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

fuzzybunny said:


> Is Phazyme something that can be purchased in drug stores/pharmacies?


Yes. I don't know if that particular brand is available in Canada, but it really doesn't matter. Look for an OTC medicine for relieving painful gas pressure - the ingredient you want is simethicone, any brand with that ingredient is basically the same thing.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

so everything seems back to normal except for solid poops. she lost most of that 6 lbs she gained by eatin herself to death. her belly looks pretty much normal again


----------



## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

you think they are smart enough to learn or could this happen again? I would think they would learn after having such discomfort.


----------



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

well she never seemed in too much discomfort. Im sure she would do it again. I tried to do an rough estimate on how much she ate. I figured since she was 6 lbs heavier that she probably ate about 6 lbs of food which comes out to about 22 cups. Thats almost 6 days worth of food.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

eddie1976E said:


> you think they are smart enough to learn or could this happen again? I would think they would learn after having such discomfort.


Nope, I doubt it. You're assuming that they're able to associate the discomfort with the excess of food (maybe they do, maybe they don't), and if so, that the memory of that will be enough to overcome the desire to overeat if they're ever in that situation again.


----------



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Yes. I don't know if that particular brand is available in Canada, but it really doesn't matter. Look for an OTC medicine for relieving painful gas pressure - the ingredient you want is simethicone, any brand with that ingredient is basically the same thing.


Thanks, I'm going to pick some up today!


----------



## TriadGSD (Feb 19, 2011)

few months ago Triad wasnt him self didnt eat or drink anything i called the vet they asked me if he ate something he wasnt supposed to and told me to give him pepcid ac (dunno why since its heartburn medicene) but after the visit it turned out to be some bacterial infection in his intestine .


----------

