When to call the vet

[Elly Koretic]

My 1 year old mini doodle, Darla, has not been eating her kibble unless I put a topper on it. I have discussed this on DK and got some real good info.

Sunday and yesterday she had loose eliminations 2x's.  Sunday she threw up undigested food.  It was quite a bit of food…things I fed her 3 days prior.  I stopped giving her water and food for 8 hours (just gave her ice cubes),  I fed her a small amt. of plain rice and boiled white chicken, (1/3 cup total).  She had no problem and gobbled that up.  Now…my question is…would this be something I would call the vet about?  Darla is our first doggie baby and I don't want to be calling about everything if it is normal for dogs to have these problems.  

I suspect because I gave her toppers (scrambled eggs, veggies, etc.) on her kibble, she gobbled up everything and did not chew her kibble.  Everything she ate came back identifiable.  

  

[Robin & Josie]

In my opinion - and I am not in medicine, but did have another dog for 16 years before this one, if you're seeing undigested, identifiable food from three days ago, I would get to the vet.

I am one to err on the side of caution. A little diarrhea, a little vomiting - no need to rush. Copious vomiting, blood - those are things that are more concerning. Lethargy vs energy is generally a good gauge as well. If your dog looks or seems sick, check in with the vet. Can you call? They're used to worried puppy parents :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree. Identifiable food from three days ago is worrisome.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Make that three of us. Most dogs don't chew their food, and swallow much of it whole. It still gets digested. If food is sitting undigested in the GI tract for 3 days (or even one day), there's a problem.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I would worry about food from three days before.  Dogs have slow digestion, but that may indicate some type of blockage.  And, it is a good idea to make contact with a vet you really trust, and feel fine about calling them at any time you have a question about your dog's health or habits.  She is still hungry, so that is good news.  Vomiting is pretty normal for dogs, but undigested food days later is not normal.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Actually, dogs don't have slow digestion; their digestive tracts are shorter than humans', and their food gets digested faster.

[Malenie Piscetelli]

Please take her to the vet.

[Elly Koretic]

Darla has an appt. with her vet for today…Thanks for all the input!  This is a great site to get some valuable feedback to questions regarding my Darla…. wish I had a site like this when my children were young!  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Elly, a couple of things to keep in mind for the vet visit. 

It's very hard to know exactly what is going on in the digestive tract;even Xrays don't tell you much. 

It's very common for general practice vets to prescribe antibiotics like metronidazole (Flagyl) when there is any kind of unknown digestive issue that they cannot diagnose. These drugs are not harmless, they do have significant side-effects, and I personally would not give them to my dog ever again without a clear reason, i.e. a verified infection for which the drug is known to be effective. An unknown "stomach bug" is not a good reason to use metronidazole, IMO.

Another common "treatment" recommended by vets is Rx food. These foods are made with the cheapest, unhealthiest ingredients imaginable and more importantly, contain no medicine or therapeutic ingredients. 

They are simply bland, limited ingredient diets. If your vet recommends that you buy one of them (most likely Purina EN or Hill's i/d), save yourself some money and do better by your dog by simply declining it and tell the vet you will feed your own bland chicken and rice diet. 

 

[Malenie Piscetelli]

I am glad. I am worry. Please let us know. Thanks. Good luck

[Elly Koretic]

Update on Darla and trip to the Vet…. Fecal test showed no parasites (whew), normal temp (whew), she did lose a few ounces since 2/7/14 heart worm test;  but she is not a big eater so no worry there.  She did appear to be slightly dehydrated so Vet gave her subcutaneous fluid administration and 1 anti-vomit injection.  Now it's bland diet of boiled rice and boiled chicken for a few days and just watch her….Now she is just tired and resting!  Thanks again for the great support.  

BTW…I did mention to the Vet that I was not a fan of meds and would like to have a more holistic approach.  I am a former Big Pharma marketing employee and know that for every medication there is a side effect.  My Vet was very much in tune with my feelings and didn't insist I give her pills to follow-up with the anti-vomiting med.  She suspects she ate something that just didn't agree with her…

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good news. I hope Darla is all better soon.

[Robin & Josie]

That IS good news. So glad you went to the vet. Better safe than sorry :)