Usual sickness or cause for concern?

[Kerry L]

Hank (10 months old) woke up at 1:15 this morning and threw up, a lot. Then he woke up again an hour later and threw up again, which I can only assume emptied his tummy. He woke up every hour after that until 5am dry heaving :( I got up at 5 and fed him, he ate his food and was able to keep it down. I left around 8 and he still had it down. I couldn't get him to drink water but I think he will on his own. Should I be concerned? Should I take him to the vet? I know dogs get upset tummies, just like humans. Also, I should mention; yesterday he got into some sun flower seeds, then last night he had dinner (1 cup of his usual food), 2 pieces of dog jerky while at the dog park and a pig ear when he returned home. This is ALOT more treats than he usually gets but if it was too many treats, wouldn't he have thrown up only once?

BTW I'm 38 weeks pregnant and could go into labor any day. I'm really worried that if I go into labor and there IS something seriously wrong, it won't get addressed.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Go to the vet.  Dont wait. Just go. Let us know how everything is later 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I hate to add to your stress, but this is definitely not a normal upset tummy.  Some of what he ingested yesterday and last night are things that are very difficult for a dog to digest, especially if the sunflower seeds had shells. Pig ears can be "iffy" as well, and hopefully you know that you have to be very careful about the source of any jerky. Jerky type dog treats have caused many deaths and illnesses in many dogs, some right here on DK. Giving food at the dog park or in any situation where a dog is running and doing strenuous exercise is another problem. For the same reasons that you don't go swimming right after eating, and you will not be able to eat anything once you go into labor: the body is directing all of its energy onto more pressing issues than digestion, and if the food can't go down, it will come back up. It sounds like Hank had something sitting in his gut (sunflower shells? Pig ear? Undigested jerky?) that was making him nauseated. You unfortunately cannot assume that all the vomiting emptied his tummy, although if there is no more vomiting and normal stools later, you're probably okay. But if this was my puppy, I'd be at the vet today just to be on the safe side. I think it would be good for your peace of mind . I hope he's fine.

And good luck with your delivery! 

[Kerry L]

Eeek!! I didn't know about the dangers of dog jerky!! I usually don't buy jerky but I thought I would try something different. Those will be going in the trash!!

Also, I'll yell at my husband about giving him treats at the dog park! (I don't ever take treats to the dog park because I don't want to attract all the other dogs!)

I won't be able to go home until lunch to check on him but I'll def call my vet. He must have been feeling a little better this morning because he was tormenting the cat before I left for work!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are good safe brands of jerky, and some people here even make their own. But you have to be really careful about the brands. If it's a brand that's sold at Walmart, Target, Costco, the grocery, or similar places, it's not safe.  The Food Group has a list of recommended brands and info on how to make it yourself. 

[Kerry L]

Well, crap, I bought them from Target (I mainly bought them to stuff in Hank's kong). These are the ones I got:

http://www.target.com/p/waggin-train-chicken-jerky-tenders-11-oz/-/...

LESSON LEARNED!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Throw them away immediately. These are the exact ones that caused permanent and serious kidney damage in Allyson's Taquito, and thousands of other dogs across the country. If you google them, you'll see horror stories and warnings galore. Even the FDA issued a report.

Here's just one. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/chicken-jerky-treats-...

[Kerry L]

 I just did a google search! THEY ARE GOING IN THE GARBAGE!! I feel terrible for giving them to Hank! Poor guy! :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Recommended Treat Brands:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/recomme...

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'll be the devil's advocate" hank ate a lot of food and pig's ears and sunflower seeds are full of fat. I would watch him, can someone check on him at lunch time? If all seems well, and he's eating and pooping fine. If not, I agree it's vet time.

[Kerry L]

I'm going home as soon as I can. I just googled the chicken jerky I bought and it's really bad stuff. It's made dogs very sick (or worse....). It sounds like the treats basically poisoned poor Hank

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't think that is necessarily what happened. Trader Joe's has dried chicken Brest strips that are fine!

[Kerry L]

The brand I bought are the exact ones that are listed as causing a lot of problems. These treats are the only thing that he had that was different so I really do think these treats are what made him so sick.