My dog keeps vomitting and his stomach looks hollow...?

Question

I got a 6 year old boston terrier and 3 days ago when I came home from work he started vomitting bad. I took him to the emergency vet and they diagnose him with gastritis? My family vet prescribed a bland diet and some pepsid medicine.

He seemed to be doing better the last few days. Today I had some guest over (for the holiday). My dog got excited at the activity and now he's back vomitting like crazy again. He's still on his bland diet and I know he didnt eat wrong. First he vomits the food I fed him, then yellow gooey stuff, now white foamy vomit. Besides the vomitting and the urge to vomit, he's been eating and defecating normally.

His stomach looks much more shrunken than before too, but the vet didn't have much of an opinion when i told him about it. I take my dog to get his shots regularly but my personal feelings about vets are they don't know what they're doing.
Anyone got any opinions?

I stopped giving him water. He seemed to get worst after he drinks. Xrays were taken when I took him to the emergency room a few days ago, as was blood work. The xrays came up negative on obstruction and the blood work just showed he was dehydrated and his white blood cell count was slightly elevated.

I've had him for 6 years since he was a puppy.

I'm holding off on the water...hopefully that'll stop his spasms. If not, I'm going to have to take him back to the emergency room.

Answer 1

He probably ate something that will not show up on x-rays but is irritating his stomach. Give him some mineral oil.

Answer 2

I have had the same feeling about vets, but they are necessary for most people.

With the heat, you have to be extra sure that your dog is not getting dehydrated. If the dogs seems to lack salvia, if the eyes look dry, or if you can pinch an area of tight skin and it does not bounce back to normal immediately, the animal is in immediate danger and you will want to take it in for IV fluids.

It is possible that the dog did eat something it shouldn't have, like a part of a toy or anything around the home. Any small object stuck in the digestive tract can be deadly. I have known people who have lost dogs this way. An x-ray will let you know if this is the problem. An object can move to more and less comfortable places making the dog sick at times and fine at others.

Worms can also cause vomiting. No single wormer can take care of all types of worms. Has your dog been tested and wormed by the vet? Most over the counter wormers completely miss pin worms, which can be deadly. The dog will probably need a fecal analysis.

Some dogs, especially purebreds, are just sickly or have a tendency to become ill easily. What worries me about your dog is the vomiting of the bile (the yellow stuff) followed by the foamy stuff (like dry heaves in people). This is surely a sign of more than an upset tummy.

Get the dog professional care. If you cannot get him to the vet because of the holiday, make sure he/she keeps eating and drinking. Even if this involved hand feeding and watering.

Best of luck. Try to find a vet you can trust. This is always hard, especially in cities, but most vets should be aware of any problem a dog could have.

Watch for blood in the vomit or in the stool--this is a sign of posioning or a foreign object in the digestive tract. Many household chemicals and most houseplants are posion or deadly to animals.

Answer 3

First off, it's probably a good sign that his stomach looks shrunken and not bloated - bloating, along with his other symptoms could be very serious. You really should get a second opinion from another vet. It could be that your dog just got too excited with all the activity at your place and his stomach hasn't really had time to fully "settle". You should also at least call your family vet and let them know that he's back to vomiting again. It's very important that he doesn't dehydrate from so much vomiting, yet it's often recommended that you rest their stomachs for awhile when they've been vomiting so much and add back the bland food gradually after feeding them nothing for a short period of time - but you really do need to check with your vet about that. I'm sort of wondering if he's indeed got gastritis or pancreatitis. Did they do any blood work? If he has no fever and isn't terribly lethargic, then it may well be gastritis. You make it sound like you may have just got this dog and I have to think that changing to a new home can be very upsetting and have a bit to do with all of this. But, then again, any of us that answer on here are just guessing. Not all vets are bad, but it's very difficult to find one that you feel comfortable with and who has your dog's best interests at heart. Why don't you join a Yahoo group for Boston Terriers and ask there if anyone could recommend a vet in your area that they feel comfortable with and who is familiar with the breed? You can also make that call to your current vet in the mean time and at least let them know what's going on so that you can do the best for your dog while trying to solve this. Be detailed about having a friend over and all that. They may have advice to give you that won't necessitate another appointment. Best of luck!

Answer 4

First of all, the yellow stuff that he is vomitting is bile. And the white stuff is probably foam as the dog has nothing left in his stomach to vomit.

If he is still continuing to do this I would take him for a second opinion at a vets and make sure it is a reputable vet.

Until then, those suggesting plain yogurt are right. There are good bacteria in yogurt that help keep the digestive system intact. This should help.

I won't get in to my rant about vets but I'm not a huge fan of them because I am pet nutrition consultant and vets know next to nothing about pet "preventative" health and proper nutrition...they learn medical information only during training. I don't even want to know the horrible ingredients that are in the food that is in the bland diet you are feeding. I'm sure there is no meat or good quality fruits or vegetables.

This is why I strongly recommend find a reputable vet. If the vomiting is one going then something is obviously seriously wrong and yogurt won't solve the situation forever.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Gastritis often happens when dogs eat grass or spoiled food. Uncomplicated gastritis, where the dog is alert and has no fever, is best treated without drugs.

The digestive tract needs complete rest. Allow no food or water until your dog has gone at least six hours without vomiting.

Begin with very small amounts of water at frequent intervals. If there is more vomiting, go back to stage 1 for another six hours. Do not be discouraged. The stomach often needs complete rest for twenty four hours or more. Offer water every 15 minutes or so. Give a Poodle sized dog one teaspoonful at a time, a German Shepherd about two tablespoonfuls. Over a period of a few hours gradually increase the amounts offered until your dog's thirst is satisfied. If you wish, give clear liquids such as chicken broth, or a little Jell-O. After at least 12 hours, when your dog's thirst has been satisfied, you may begin giving small amounts of food. Begin offering small amounts of bland, easy to digest food.

Bland diet I find works best is Boiled or baked potato with the skin left on

Over a period of twenty four hours, gradually increase the amounts being fed until your dog's hunger is satisfied. Do not rush things. If vomiting occurs now, you must start over from the beginning.
The following day, begin mixing the bland diet half and half with your dog's normal food. Instead of one or two big feedings, divide the normal amount into four or five small feedings.

If vomiting continues more than 24 hours, or if at any time your dog vomits and acts depressed and unresponsive, veterinary attention is needed. If you have to call the vet, be sure to mention that you've already tried withholding food and a bland diet.

Best of luck,

Answer 6

I have an 18 month old Boston who vomits sometimes multiple times a day, particularly after drinking large quantities of water. She will go long periods of time, however, without vomiting at all. After discussion with my vet and much research, I discovered that this is very common with the breed. I use a feeding stand that is elevated 10 inches and this has helped considerably. My vet said that they commonly have a heart valve issue that is very easy to fix that frequently causes such vomiting. She said it usually appears later in the dog's life so it is probably not my dog's problem. My vet believes that the biggest reason is probably her allergies which causes frequent reverse sneezing and a build up of phleme and mucous in her digestive tract. I hope that you can find a vet who can help you. There really are some good ones out there.........they're just sometimes hard to find!

Answer 7

Switch Vet & get a second opinion from someone who really does care about animal wellness. Consider a hollistic Vet.
Stay on the bland diet for the next few days until he stops or then, gradually add his own food to the bland diet....and slowly wean him out of it. What is your bland diet by the way? Brown rice, cottage cheese (1 spoonful) and broiled ground chicken/meat? Hope so.
If his vomitting persist by the end of this week, you should consider getting a second opinion...like I said, a hollistic Vet. His vomitting could be due to many reasons but whether he does have gastritis as your emergency Vet said, who knows. It could be misdiagnosed, you know.
But hang in there...I'm sure he will be ok soon enough. And do consider switching Vet. Good luck.

Answer 8

Dude!! Never hold off on the water!!!!! You will kill your dog! You should stop giving food for 24 hours and supply lots of fresh water...then after 24 hours feed three very small meals a day...for a boston terrier give a quarter cup each time...if the vomiting begins again, it's the food, so go to the pet store and get a very high quality lamb and rice formula food and again feed the very small amounts three times a day. No treats, no Pepto, just strictly stick to the water and one type of food...if the vomiting continues, it is still the food so you must switch again. Please keep watching the bowel movements to make sure they are not loose. If you do not trust your vet...get a second opinion at another clinic. Do not keep going to someone who is not helping you!

Answer 9

1. get a second and maybe 3 opinion!!!!! go to another vet asap
2. can you live without water? No! what makes you think your dog can? so give him water asap
3. yellow and white liquid coming out of his stomach means he's having problems with his stomach (too much stomach liquid). That happens due to the dog food!!!! So you need to change food and feed your dog more times a day so the liquids don't exist.
i have 13 dogs, i take care of stray animals and had pets for the last 35 years!


something that helps in this occasion is for you to cook its food: the best solution is boiled chicken rice and carrots. add some garlic and oil. it help your dog's stomach get better soon. i always do this in the summer time (too much dry food aint good)

Answer 10

Last tuesday my dog was diagnosed with parvo virus. She stopped eating and drinking and became very lethargic. I have taken her to the ER and vet in my city...

The ER gave her fluids under her skin so she can stay hydrated plus a medication Reglan to stop her from vomitting. Today is day 5 and she is finally drinking on her own. The vet gave me some medication for her belly "pink stuff" like a pepto bismul so her stomach will be at ease and she will start eating again. I'm do to go back there this morning for another hydration treatment if necessary.

MY ADVICE TO YOU:
Take your dog to a vet and ask them to give your dog the "pink stuff" with reglan or a generic type. I don't think its parvo virus. Your dog need fuild under the skin so he can be hydrated again.
Dehydration WILL KILL YOUR DOG!!! You can do an outpatient care for him... Its much cheaper than confining him to the vet and he will be lonely there...

Answer 11

See another vet. Something is wrong with him and he needs medical treatment. some vets are not as good as others. I have a dog with a skin problem and it took four vets to find a cure for it and to find out exactly what the problem was. Exhausting but worth it. Sometimes I think that they can only guess at what is wrong with the pet, that is why I kept trying to find out what was wrong with the dog. Finally, other tests were done and found the right meds and she is fine now.