My dog is sick! Help!?

Question

My dog is 13 years old, and recently he stopped eating his food. so we tried all different kinds and he wouldnt eat all of them. then i noticed he was eating plants. this morning he threw up. im really worried about him and the vet says he is perfectly healthy. what is wrong??

I also want to thank all the people that have helped me so far! i will try them out!

also. it is not the vet, i have known the vet and is a very good friend of mine.

Answer 1

When my dog refused to eat, the vet had me to boil hambuger meat and then put it and the broth over rice. Perked his appetite right up! I certainly hope that your puppy gets better. I have a 16 1/2 yo pomeranian and I have to entice her at times to eat. I think the aging process seems to rob them of their appetites at times. I agree that if you vet is not investigating your dog's health more thouroughly, change vets. I want someone who is truly interested in the dog and not the fees!

Answer 2

Honey if he is 13 years old he might be dieing. But put some Beef Broth in his dog food. Or buy the moist feed in a can. If he still doesn't help take him to a vet he may need to be put down. I know I just had my dog put down for the same thing she was old and she stopped eating and come to find out the vet said she was in pain and couldn't eat. so do my a favor take him to the vet.

Answer 3

A 13 year old dog who stopped eating, should be taken to the Vet immediately. As our pets are aging, things start changing in their body. Your dog might have kidney problems, and the high protein diet might be the culprit. The kidneys cannot process the high amount of protein and the dog might be in pain or feeling physically ill.
Please have him checked out.

When my dog turned 13, there were definite physical changes. Bouts of diarrhea, no appetite, loss of weight, listlessness. When the Vet checked her out, we found kidney problems. The diet was changed to lower the protein. It kept going downhill for 3 years, with each Vet recommendation the diet was lower in protein, and at the age of 16, we had to put her down.

If a human being has these kind of kidney problems, there is kidney dialysis available, but not for the dog.
Please have him checked out.

Answer 4

If the dog is perfectly healthy it wouldn't be throwing up & not eating! Those symptoms don't sound normal by any means. as a 13 year old dog there could be things wrong that a simple blood test could tell. I think that if you don't pursue real answers you may loose your dog. Throwing up could lead to dehydration which could cause a whole new set of problems. Do him a favor & get a little blood work done!

Answer 5

Vomiting is one of the more common reasons why owners take their dogs to the veterinarian. Isolated episodes of vomiting rarely are a cause for concern as long as the dog has an appetite and is bright and alert; most healthy dogs will, on occasion, vomit whole or partially digested food, grass, or foamy, clear liquid.
However, excessive or chronic vomiting lasting for several days can indicate a more serious underlying condition that requires treatment. Dogs that vomit for more than a day, or seem depressed and are not eating should receive prompt veterinary attention so that the cause of the vomiting can be determined and dehydration can be treated.


Clinical Signs:
Nausea will sometimes cause dogs to salivate. They may vomit food, clear liquid, stained yellow bile, grass or blood. Depending on the underlying cause of the vomiting, the dog can have a good or poor appetite, diarrhea, dehydration, or other signs. There can be weight loss if the disease has been going on for a while and the gums may be tacky or dry from dehydration.


Symptoms:
Owners frequently indicate that their dog has been salivating and vomiting whole undigested or digested food and a foamy fluid that may be yellow from bile, clear, or have blood in it. Some people report that their pet eats grass and then vomits the grass. Some dogs may maintain a good appetite, while other lose theirs entirely. There can be weight loss if the disease has been going on for a while and the gums may be tacky or dry from dehydration.


Description: Vomiting is a reflex action in which food and/or fluid are brought up from the stomach through the mouth. Vomiting occurs when the vomiting center of the brain called the chemoreceptor trigger zone, located in the medulla, is stimulated by specific nerve impulses from the body. Diseases and certain situations such as a car ride can stimulate the nerves leading to the vomiting center, resulting in nausea and vomiting. Many anti-vomiting medications actually work by blocking the signals from reaching the chemoreceptor trigger zone.
Complications of vomiting may include dehydration, weight loss, and aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when vomitus is inhaled into the lungs causing pneumonia.


Diagnosis: The examining veterinarian will need to get a thorough history from the owner and perform a complete physical exam on the animal to determine the severity of the vomiting and how long it has been occurring. Some dogs do not actually vomit; instead they regurgitate. This means the food quickly comes back up the esophagus soon after eating. Thus, food will be undigested and it often may resemble a tube in shape. When dogs have these symptoms, the veterinarian will assess that the disease may be in the esophagus, rather than in the stomach or intestines.
If the vomiting has been occurring for any length of time, baseline laboratory work is needed to help determine if there is any disease affecting the organs such as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. A fecal flotation examination often is done to detect the presence of intestinal parasites which can cause vomiting. X-rays often are needed to detect problems in the abdomen such as a foreign body in the stomach or intestine, which can occur when a dog swallows something such as a ball or a small toy.

Sometimes a barium contrast study is needed. Barium liquid outlines the gastrointestinal tract on the x-ray film and helps determine if there are any abnormalities. Other diagnostic tools include ultrasound, which uses high frequency sound waves to outline the details of the abdomen. Endoscopy involves placing a tiny camera down the mouth and into the stomach and intestines to look for disease. Tissue samples often are taken and sent to a laboratory to determine if the tissues are normal. In other cases, exploratory surgery is required to diagnose the problem. Referral to a veterinary internal medicine specialist for further diagnostics and treatment may be necessary in some cases.


Prognosis:
Animals that only vomit for a day or two, but are not sick and do not have an underlying disease usually have an excellent prognosis. For animals that have been vomiting for several days, the prognosis is dependent on the cause and how quickly the owner seeks veterinary attention. Rapid medical attention usually offers the best prognosis because the underlying disease will have less time to cause damage.


Transmission or Cause:
There are numerous causes of vomiting. Some examples include motion sickness, drugs, and gastrointestinal tract obstruction which can occur when a dog swallows a foreign object like a golf ball. Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract due to inflammatory bowel disease, parvovirus, and parasites frequently produces vomiting. Diseases of the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and other vital organs, and even overeating may cause vomiting as well.


Treatment: For dogs that have been vomiting only a short time, but have an appetite and are bright and alert, symptomatic treatment for one to three days is usually very effective. Typically in mild cases, food is withheld for 24 to 36 hours and injections of medications can be given to help alleviate the vomiting. Owners should never withhold water unless instructed to do so by the examining veterinarian. If the vomiting persists, or the animal is visibly sick, the use of intravenous fluid therapy will correct and prevent further dehydration. Drugs also can be given intravenously instead of orally.
Further treatment is based on finding and correcting the underlying cause of the vomiting. Different conditions require specific treatments. A dog that swallowed a golf ball for example, needs to have the ball removed surgically in order to stop the vomiting. A dog with parvovirus needs anti-vomiting medications, antibiotics, antacids, and supportive care until the virus runs its course. The examining veterinarian will determine the best treatment needed for the animal.


Prevention:
In many cases owners can prevent vomiting, often through common sense and precautionary measures. Owners should take steps to secure all drugs and household poisons, strings and small toys that can be swallowed, as well as trash and garbage. Dogs should be fed a consistent diet, without overfeeding. Bones, human snacks, and table foods are generally discouraged.





give vit B rich foods that will encourage appetite.
www.eurobichons.com

Answer 6

poor little thing. for starters, upset stomachs happen to dogs all the time. feed the dog a easy diet for a while. Try rice and chicken. you can also give them a little something to settle his stomach. Give them a really small dose though.....5 child's dose is the dog small or a child's dose if the dog is big. I am not sure what kind of plants you are talking about. If it is grass, that is fine. If it is a house plant then be careful. Some house plants are toxic to animals.

Answer 7

If he is still not improving, you are fully entitled to a second opion with a different vet. Unfortunately you some times have to be a bit forceful to make your point heard. Make sure the vet does a thorough examination of teeth, gums, stomach and if neede blood tests. When my dog doesn;t want to eat, i flake some fish in some scrammbled egg. It's easy to chew and has a lovley smell.
I hope he is ok. Me and my dog and sending you both our best wishes x

Answer 8

When a dog eats grass there is a reason. One, he is missing something nutrionally in his diet or two, he is trying to throw up. Where we would take a little pill for our sickness Mother Nature takes care of those that can't tell us whats wrong. Thirteen years old for any dog is a long time. My suggestion is to make sure his food has very little fat content ie: no Alpo or anything really considered "wet". However, dry food supplemented with some boiled chicken ( NO FAT OR BONES EVER) couldn't hurt. Save a little broth if you need to wet it.

Answer 9

I think your vet is sick. When dogs eat grass they have bad indigestion. It's normal for them to eat grass and throw up due to that, but your dog isn't so young anymore, so there must be something wrong. I suggest you change vets or get a second opinion, PLEASE. When dogs get older they will eat less, but please check it out. What kind of plant did he eat? Go to the vet tomorrow. Good Luck.

Answer 10

The answer partly depends on the dog's breed. You might try offering him lettuce and raw cabbage. You also might try changing dog food to a premium brand. For an older dog, sometimes when they are not feeling well you may try cooking up some hamburger and rice. Talk to your vet. If the vet does not have suggestions, then perhaps it is time to try a different vet.