My dog is sick...I posted this question a few hours ago and wanted some more answers/suggestions.?

Question

I have a four year old yorkie/shih tzu mix. She just went to the vet two weeks ago for her check up and shots. She had her heartguard, and her stool tested. The exam was fine. In the last two days she's been throwing up clear yellow mucus, and now has diarrhea. Last night there was a bit of a jelly like blood drop in the stool. There's been no more blood since last night. She is eating and drinking. I have taken her food away from her and cleaned her water bowl. I am going to put her on a bland diet of beef and rice. It's Sunday so the vet is not in. I was planning on taking her to the vet if this continues through the next day. In the mean time, does anyone have an idea of what this may be? I don't think it's a parasite since she just had her stool checked out. It may be possible she ate a few pebbles of rock salt.

Message to "northern girl". Thank you so much...how much Gatorade or Pediolyte should I give my girl? She's 7 pounds? If you can email me at [e-mail]

Answer 1

It sounds to me like dietary indiscretion, or "garbage gut". The fact that she started with vomiting and it has moved to diarrhea is highly suggestive of something moving through her digestive tract.
This does not sound like parvo to me. She is past the most susceptible age (2yrs and under) and I like that she is still eating and drinking. It sounds like you are on the right track with treatment from home.
Regarding the blood in the stool; it's fairly normal to see some bright red blood spots in stool from a dog that has had diarrhea. What happens is the mucous lining of the intestine gets worn away and the underlying tissue is very sensitive and bleeds readily.
Try offering her some Gatorade or Pedialyte to keep her electrolytes up; don't want her getting dehydrated.
I would recommend having her checked out tomorrow if she's still sick, just to rule out a gastric or intestinal foreign body- an x-ray usually shows this fairly early on.
Best of luck to you and your dog, hope things work out for you both.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to here about your baby. My Lab has the scoots right now but I figured it was from some treats that I bought at the store. It is made of beef and he can't eat that much of that. I would contact the vet as soon as you can but in the meantime you are doing the right thing with a bland diet with chicken and lots of water as they get dehydrated. It is possible it can be from the medication also. I had a lhasa that developed and allergy to shots and always had an other shot to counteract them I know what you are going through. My Muffin is a Lhasa and she had a similar problem the other day but she drank a lot of water and today she is fine. Keep your baby away from salt that is a no no.Keep an eye on her though . First thing Monday I would call the vet for his advice. Good luck with your furbaby. Does your vet have an emergency number? If not I would find a vet that does.

Answer 3

Sorry to hear that your girl's not well. It does sound like a tummy upset, the blood (bright red?) may be irritation caused by diarrhea.

Although I would suggest an initial period of fasting the dog, after that
I would suggest rice and chicken, rather than beef, as it's a bit more bland.

I would also ask whether this may have anything to do with your dog having her shots 2 weeks ago. A lot of people (including some vets) are of the opinion that repeated yearly vaccination (after the initial ones which are vital) may not be very good for the animal. A bit like the fuss over MMR vaccines for children in the UK.

Good luck - hope she feels better SOON

Answer 4

The bland diet is a good idea but normally you should with hold any food for at least 24 hours to allow a stomach irritation to settle down before starting the rice and boiled beef. There is obviously some type of irritation going on in her G.I. Tract. Monitor her through the night and if the condition becomes worse take her to the emergency vet. If she has ingested rock salt as you suspect, this could lead to a serious problem.

Answer 5

I dont think its a reation to the shots. That occurrs within the first 3-7 days the shots may have weaked her immune system.
It sounds like she has a viral infection (DONT SAY PARVO ANYONE PLEASE) many virals act and look like parvo. I think your making the right decision. The bland dies and going to the vet is the right call. Give her a little pepto bismol really it works. It will stop or slow the diarrhea and settle her stomach. I learned this at a parvo semiar when we started selling canine natural medications. You can see them at burdick labradors.com. amber technologies. Im not trying to sell you anything. I just know it works. Becareful how much pepto you give. She may still have a parasite. There are a few that dont show up in the stool testing but can cause in some cases viral like symtoms. Coccidia is one of those parasites.

Answer 6

OH please go to the emergency vet, rule out Parvovirus, it is very quick & usually fatal. Most of the time, you will detect a "smell" associated with this virus, esp with the loose stool and vomiting. Check for dehydration, she may very well need IV fluids. If you don't have an emergency vet and are unable to administer IV fluids yourself, make sure she is drinking alot of water, and yes, do keep her on a bland diet, actually lamb and rice would be better than beef. Water is the most necessary thing at this point though, don't worry about the eating today.

Answer 7

I can't say I'm a dog expert but there are all sorts of internet sites that discuss certain diseases and related symptoms. Years ago I had a cat with similiar symptoms (and we all know cats and dogs have different systems) but he died of kidney disease. The good news for you is that your dog continues to eat and drink - very good signs because animals that are gravely ill tend to have no appetite, become deydrated, and lose weight. Make sure your dog has enough water becuase sick animals can get dehydrated real easy. Call the vet as soon as you are able to get ahold of her or him. Does your dog feel real warm, almost hot? When my cat got sick he was really warm and lethargic. I put ice in plastic bag wrapped in paper towels and laid it on his body. This seemed to help and he didn't mind it at all - almost like he was getting relief. Whatever you do, stay in contact with your vet. If you feel like your'e getting the brush off from your vet then perhaps you need to seek another expert opinion.

Answer 8

I would say to see your vet either way to have your dog checked out and rule out parvo. Even when properly vaccinated, some dogs can still contract this (I had a dog that did once and was completely up to date on shots). It could very likely be something else, but my personal worry would be parvo as it is a very serious illness and can be fatal if not tended immediately. If you have an emergency vet in your area, maybe just give them a call and see what they say.

Answer 9

I can't help with the illness although I can tell you beef is not a bland diet, it should be chicken and rice preferably steamed not roasted . Also if it is sickness and diarrhea you shouldn't feed it anything at all . It does sound serious , if it was my dog I think I'd call the emergency vet .

Answer 10

Sometimes giardia does not show up in a test so ask your vet about that. Instead of beef you might boil some chicken to add to that rice. You can also add some pedialyte to her water. Does she eat rawhide treats? They are full of bacteria and other junk.
Since there was some jelled blood in her stool, I am sure it would be best to call your Vet in the a.m. and see whether you should bring her in or not. GL