[Red]

So for the first time during the night last night Kasper had an 'accident.' There was a very runny poo as far away from his bed as possible.

The first poo he did this morning was runny too, but since then they have been firm. All seemed fine, he was behaving normal, eating normal etc.

After his evening meal he whined to go out, so I took him out and he did a normal-looking poo, we carried on our walk. Then without warning he was sick, twice, a lot both times. He promptly tried to eat it so I dragged him away.

We got back to the house and he continued to whine and wouldn't settle so my partner started getting ready to go out, but he was sick on the floor. Kasper didn't care, in fact he was just excited about getting out heh. He apparently did a wee outside and then has come back in now.

Today he has eaten his usual breakfast and dinner, had a few treats in between for training, and had some soft cheese with two worm tablets in. That is all.

Any advice? Should we get a vet's appt ASAP tomorrow?

Yesterday he had quite a stressful day in that he went and got groomed, which he apparently didn't enjoy (scared of trimmers), so we put the diarrhoea down to that (stress) and the fact that he managed to get hold of a grimy bone from somewhere which he chewed for quite a while as we couldn't get it off him.

Oh he has been panting a fair bit too but not all the time.

Could he have eaten anything at the groomers, shampoo or anything? Would it have effected him like this for this long?

And should we withhold his food for 24 hours?

I know none of you are vets (well I don't know that, maybe some of you are, but you'd still probably need to see him to diagnose what was wrong), but is there any general advice that can be given??

I am very worried

Red

 

[Cali]

I would go ahead and call your vet and make an appointment, and ask about withholding food. It is probably just a combination of stress, wormer, and the bone but it's better to
be safe than sorry!
I'm sorry your boy is isn't feeling good, I'm sending some healing vibes your way
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[Red]

Thank you for the reply. Could we wait until morning (it's after 8pm here and the vet's is shut) or should we call out an emergency vet?

At the moment he is sleeping as normal. We're going to wake him up in a bit and encourage him to drink.

Thanks for the help and positive vibes,

Red

 

[Tess]

It certainly seems like he got something in his system that caused upset. A really grimy bone could easily cause both the runny poo and the vomiting. Also, if they have an upset tummy, sometimes the discomfort shows in panting and pacing. Stress can also loosen the bowel. And of course illness can cause these symptoms too... infectious diseases...

When ever my dogs have a bit of tummy problems I watch carefully for how they are feeling. Do they have normal energy and enthusiasm? Are they eating well? Is their poo back to normal? Any more vomiting? Do they seem well hydrated (nice wet mouth, nice flexible skin). If all those things are normal then I worry a bit less.

On the other hand, if their poo is runny, bloody, or full of mucous then I get super worried. If they seem low energy and just lay there, then I worry a lot. If they are not eating or drinking, then I get worried too. If I worry, I take them to the vets for a check.

You get the idea.
So if you are worried you should take him to the vets!

Hope that helps.
Please let us know if he's OK!

 

[Cali]

Thank you for the reply. Could we wait until morning (it's after 8pm here and the vet's is shut) or should we call out an emergency vet?

At the moment he is sleeping as normal. We're going to wake him up in a bit and encourage him to drink.

Thanks for the help and positive vibes,

Red

Since his behavior is normal for the most part I would just keep an eye on him tonight and take him in first thing in the morning
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[Tess]

Ditto Cali's advice for tonight...

If you are really concerned, you may be able to ring your vet on the phone and just ask if it seems urgent. I know our vet has someone on call who will talk to a client and can advise if the situation needs attention right away or can wait until morning....

 

[Red]

Thanks very much everybody you're being such a great help Tess, I will check to see if our vet has anything like that.

He's still just sleeping and is enjoying his strokes, he allows us to stroke his belly which he loves and doesn't whimper anywhere we touch him which I think is a good sign.

Will keep an eye on him tonight and phone vets as soon as it opens tomorrow. Will keep you updated and thank you

Red

 

[Holly]

Ditto the advice above but I'd also take food AND water away from him for the night to not elicit any further vomiting and allow his stomach to settle.

 

[Red]

Well we phoned the vets the minute they opened, and before making the appt the receptionist went and got the vet to come talk to us on the phone to see if we actually needed an appointment.

He said that as Kasper was fine overnight, played as normal on his walk and passed a normal poop, he didn't see a reason for him to come in and said Kasper has probably just eaten something he shouldn't.

Tonight we're to feed him a small amount of rice and chicken, and give him small amounts of water. If he's sick once or twice today and tomorrow the vet said to bring him in on Monday; if he's sick and lethargic, not acting normal etc then phone out the emergency vets.

Feeling a lot happier after speaking to them (was on the phone for a good half an hour LOl!) and Kasper behaved completely normal on his walk today and was playing with his 'best friend' Jake, another local dog.

Hopefully *crosses fingers* everything is going to be fine!

Thanks again and I'll keep you updated,

Red

 

[Tess]

That's terrific!

Yes, if this is the first time you've gone through a bit of doggy upset tummy, it is VERY scary! Trying to figure out what is truly serious, and what is just the common problem of... pups eating things that come out quickly from both ends... is the hard part.

Sounds like you have a lovely veterinarian.
And thank you for letting us know he is fine!

 

[Cali]

Yay, I'm glad Kasper is well!
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[Red]

Well, he hasn't been sick again. He's had two small meals of rice and chicken, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and has kept them down!

He has been whining to go out a lot today (which he does when he needs the toilet) but today he has been whining just 20 minutes after we get in...he's had 4 hours off lead exercise and extra 'toilet' breaks. We thought it was either because he was sick so really did need to go, or possibly because he was hungry. He's eaten now and still doing it unless distracted...

He whines and paces and pants, just as he would as if he needed to go out...we don't know what to do, ignore it, or take him out but if he doesn't go he's just proving he gets what he wants.

But at least he has kept some food down, hopefully he's over whatever he ate by now!

Red

 

[Tess]

Well, he hasn't been sick again. He's had two small meals of rice and chicken, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and has kept them down!

He has been whining to go out a lot today (which he does when he needs the toilet) but today he has been whining just 20 minutes after we get in...he's had 4 hours off lead exercise and extra 'toilet' breaks. We thought it was either because he was sick so really did need to go, or possibly because he was hungry. He's eaten now and still doing it unless distracted...

He whines and paces and pants, just as he would as if he needed to go out...we don't know what to do, ignore it, or take him out but if he doesn't go he's just proving he gets what he wants.

But at least he has kept some food down, hopefully he's over whatever he ate by now!

Red

The important question at this time is what is the poo like?

Logs...
chocolate pudding... ?
chocolate pudding with mucous... ?
brown water... ?
anything tinged with blood

You have to go out there and take a peek while he goes! :rockon:

 

[jennysen456]

Hey read the previous threads about Kasper and should say that he is really famous around here.
I wish him speedy recovery and I am sure he will be fine especially when he has such a caring and a loving owner.

 

[Sarah W]

Poor Kasper - how is he doing now? As Tess says, it's scary when it happens and you don't know why. A vet friend of mine said that dog's digestive systems are very efficient and they will be sick and have the runs more readily than us humans which is sort of comforting to know.

I'm wondering if it could also be to do with settling in, if it's nothing physical. There was another post about a new dog (not a puppy) changing behaviour after a few days in a new home and I remember some of the other posters said that dogs can change behaviour - at least for a short time until they truly settle in. Perhaps it could be something to do with that? I'm no expert on this sort of thing so it's just a thought.

Hope all is well now though.

 

[Red]

Tess, I always get 'up close and personal' with his poo's whilst scooping them up. It's really...nice

Haha thank you Jenny and Sarah

He is absolutely fine now, and hasn't been sick since. Some of the things he manages to find on walks are quite spectacularly gross...the other day he found a dead baby chick, and yesterday he found a headless pigeon...how does he do it?!?

I have a new question if that's okay to put in here....


When drying him off after his evening walk we noticed one of his toes was bloody. He hadn't been limping and when we lifted the paw and separated the toes to try and spot the the cut he didn't wince or anything.

We couldn't see anything, so we wiped the area with a clean tissue and water. Anything else we should be doing?

There isn't much blood, his fur was just reddened around the toe, and it doesn't seem to be bleeding now. Vet appt...? And what do we do about walks?

Thanks

Red

 

[Tess]

I have a new question if that's okay to put in here....


When drying him off after his evening walk we noticed one of his toes was bloody. He hadn't been limping and when we lifted the paw and separated the toes to try and spot the the cut he didn't wince or anything.

We couldn't see anything, so we wiped the area with a clean tissue and water. Anything else we should be doing?

There isn't much blood, his fur was just reddened around the toe, and it doesn't seem to be bleeding now. Vet appt...? And what do we do about walks?

Thanks

Red

Hi Red,

Of course it's OK to ask any question

It sounds like you did everything "right" regarding the toe. I would just keep an eye on it to see if it happens again, and watch for any signs of lameness. You might just look at his feet once a day for a while to check for swelling, redness, that sort of thing.

It may have been a broken/split nail, or it may have been such a small cut or a prick from a thorn, that its already invisible to see. After-all, our pups are running around bare-foot, so we might expect a small accident once in a while.

If nothing seems abnormal in the next few days, then I'd estimate its not urgent enough for a special vet visit.

Good luck and let us know how he is doing!

 

[Tess]

PS... sorry to miss the question about walks...
If he's not lame, then I'd just do the normal walks!

 

[Red]

Just thought I would post a 'what's going on' update on Kasper, seeing as there's never a dull moment with our dog! It somehow got LONG, sorry...

So for the past 4 days, in the mornings, Kasper has been dry heaving (retching but not being sick) or being sick a tiny tiny amount, and just fluids no solids. The first few times / days it happened he wasn't actually sick so we thought maybe he had something caught or tickly in his throat so didn't pay much attention.

He is acting normal, poops are normal, thirst, activity level, everything is normal.

Today we took him to the vets to try work out what was up. The vet guessed it was probably that he had eaten something grotty, same as last time he was sick (at the beginning of this thread). We said we thought so too, until we realised it only happened in the morning, before 9am. We asked the vet what that was all about and he admitted he didn't have a clue and that it was very odd.

He gave Kasper an antibiotic injection and an anti-sickness injection, checked his eyes, teeth, temperature and did a thorough check on his stomach (Kasper was amazing throughout all the examination). Didn't find anything wrong other than his temp was a little up, but we put this down to being a VERY hot day, the hot bus journey, then the stress of the vets.

At the end of it he said to starve Kasper for 24 hours (oh good he loved that last time ) then feed him rice and chicken and work in kibble over 4 / 5 days.

He also said it might be a good idea to keep Kasper on a lead on walks for the next 4+ days, so he can't find anything else gross to eat (in case that's what has caused this)...I think I'm gonna keep him on the lead in the forest, walkways etc, then let him off in the field to chase a ball as there's never been anything food related in there and we need to get his energy out some how! The vet also recommended feeding him tiny meals 5 - 6 times a day, and making his walks shorter but more often (so 5+ 30 min walks a day).

The vet said it's very unlikely we'll need to go to the vets again, and that the sickness could even be something to do with the weather.

Any thoughts or ideas? About only being sick in the morning, can anybody think what that could be about?? Or suggestions on letting him off the lead?

And how do you prevent your dog from eating nasty things?! He knows the command 'drop it' and does it for things he doesn't like that much for high value treats. But if he finds a massive piece of chicken, for example, there is no way to get it off him. We've tried high value treats (don't work, he just works at eating the chicken faster to get the treat), he ignores drop it, we've tried distracting him with a ball, running in the opposite direction and making funny noises, hiding from view....

Thank you for any help.... *phew* sorry this got so long

Red

 

[Sarah W]

Aw, poor Kasper (and poor you!). I'm really sorry I can't be of more help - dry retching in the morning is odd so I can see why you're concerned. And I'm looking forward to the others' advice on the highest value treat of all because I'll be getting some by the bucket load!!!