Is Maddy sick or am I just worrying too much?

[The Food Group]

As some of you may know, I posted a discussion about 2 weeks ago about Maddy not feeling well. This is sort of an update/request for your input/opinions.

A little background:
Maddy frequently skips meals (up to 3 in a row) and last Thursday she threw up twice on an empty stomach (just bile). We've noticed Maddy gets gassy every once in awhile, too. Friday morning we took her to the vet. We had a regular check-up scheduled anyway so this was good timing. The vet checked her out and said she looked good and was acting like she felt okay but due to her "symptoms" wanted to do some blood work.

Fast forward to today...
The vet called and said Maddy's blood work came back clean (Yay!) and that I could give her 1/4 of a 10mg tablet of Pepcid AC daily during the time of day she most likely eats less. Vet recommended continuing said regime for at least 10 days to see if we notice any kind of difference in Maddy. First of all, I have never heard of giving a dog Pepcid AC...what do you all think of this? I'm not big on medicating when it is not absolutely necessary. How do I even know if Maddy really needs this? She hasn't thrown up since Thurs...I thought Pepcid AC was for gas/intestinal issues?

The vet then tells me that if this doesn't seem to make Maddy feel better we may want to consider a hypoallergenic prescription diet to eliminate a food allergy. YEAH RIGHT. I politely continued listening but I should have stopped her right there...I am not paying an arm and a leg for some CRAP food that will not even be good for my dog. She was telling me of all the things they take out of food...what is left? Some dehydrated corn? Yuck. But of course now I am worrying, feeling very "unarmed".

I realize that some dogs just don't have big appetites and that I probably shouldn't care so much that Maddy chooses not to eat (no matter how strange I think it is.) I'm worried I am now making a big deal out of nothing, like if she could talk she would just say, "Whatever, I'm cool, stop making a big deal Mom!"

Please tell me what you guys think about all of this! I really appreciate your insight.

I should probably add for those of you who don't know, Maddy is almost 11 months old and she is currently eating Taste of the Wild. We just finished a 15 lb. bag of the salmon formula and now we're on bison and venison! Yum!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I just cringed reading this, because gastrointestinal issues of any kind...vomiting, regurgitating, diarrhea, gas, etc...are never a symptom of allergies...never. And although general practice vets are not allergy experts, they ought to at least know that much. These things may be indicative of an intolerance to some particular food, but they have absoluitely nothing to do with an allergy, food or otherwise.
The next cringe was because of the suggestion of Rx food. You may have already read this, but for those who haven't, here's all you need to know about the crap in a can that the vets like to pretend is medicine:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/why-you...
Gas once in awhile is normal, and occasional regurgitation is normal, too. The skipping of three meals in a row is the only thing that might worry me. Yet, lots of dogs are picky eaters, too. If she seems to feel fine, I wouldn't worry. The vet would have known if she seemed to be underweight or undernourished, and you would know if her energy levels seemed low.
I'd just monitor her eating/tummy issues for awhile, and maybe we can talk about changing foods if you're still concerned.

[Lynne B]

Is she eating anything she shouldn't? Like parts of toys, or does she have bones that she can chew pieces off of? Beck is 13 months and he has occasional bouts of vomiting bile, but every time it happens he eventually vomits up a squeaker from a toy or something else he shouldn't have eaten. Last time he did it he threw up a latex squeaky toy that he nearly swallowed whole. Another time he was sick for two days and finally vomited up a bunch of deer poop.

TOTW is good food and I can't see that you would need to change to some kind of hypoallergenic diet. Before I did that, I would take her off her kibble, start feeding her chicken broth, after a day add shredded chicken, then add rice if she keeps the chicken down, if there's no more vomiting I would reintroduce her kibble by adding it a little at a time to the chicken broth/rice/shredded chicken mixture.

[RIDOODLES]

I am sorry to hear that Maddy is not well. I have a question for you .Is she having any stools?Are they solid , maybe the vet should check her stools for any intestinal parasite ? or do a "Parvo Test" ? Diarhea issues? The suggestion from Lynne B is a good one. I would choose this also.

Why do Vets have Dog Food in their offices that contain Corn, as their first ingredient? Is this supposed to be a cure or make the sick dogs worse so you can bring the dog back to them and they can mount the bills up to the sky with workups?

I just do not understand how they can get away with this...Hope she is feeling better soon?

[Diana Goodwin]

My Molly was on Taste of the Wild salmon and did the same thing. Started throwing up and refused to eat it for some reason. She did this for a few weeks and I decided to change her food to another high quality brand. She was around 6 months old then and now she is just a year and has had no similar problems . Not sure if it was the food or something else because we all know puppies will eat anything. Anyways good luck with the food.

[Tina J.]

Boo was a picky eater, very gassy, she was even getting up at night, often as much as 4 times to go outside and poop. I had been giving her little treats from the supermarket (chewy and they look like little steaks). Soon as we got her off those, she got tons better-no more nighttime potty visits. But since I started making her dog food, she's perfect. She eats, she gets excited to eat, she doesn't seem to have terrible gas all the time. She has solid stool.

Just my experience with my pup. I don't mean to sound like any kind of expert. I'm just a dog mom. I hope you figure it out soon! Keep us posted please.

Tina J.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We had the same experience with Guinness. I also cook for him and have to limit his treats to natural things (dried cranberries, blueberries or apples, small pieces of chicken, whole grain Cheerios). If I do this and make sure he doesn't chew off any little pieces of his toys, he's totally fine. His digestive system just can't handle even the best dog foods. He also had been skipping meals and vomiting bile (usually in the morning on an empty stomach). His stools were inconsistent, and often very loose. He's great now. I certainly hope this is not going to be the case with Maddy, but if you continue to have problems there are many great experts on the Food Group to help you through it. Good Luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another thing to watch for is chewing on furry stuffed toys...lots of times, that little bit of fuzz they ingest will cause upset tummies and vomiting of bile, and it's not something we ordinarily think of or notice.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Yes, great point. I had to take away most of the tennis balls because he could get some of the fuzz off. There are some plain white ones at PetSmart that work for him, but I have to keep watch even with those. Any fuzz makes Guinness vomit the bile.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy did not mention any diarrhea in her post, so I don't think that's an issue.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Not a doodle...but, my chihuahua skipped eating the Taste of the Wild quite a few times. And some dogs just do that anyway.....if it is not ever too long and she is drinking water still, I wouldn't worry unless she starts acting weird.
The only food Taquito never had a problem with (i.e. ate every day and never threw up) was Fromm - the salmon or duck kind. I have switched him to a Solid Gold/more adult food for other reasons, but Fromm was the best for him. I am wondering if he didn't like Taste of the WIld being grain free???? Maybe try a food like Fromm or something else with some good grains - your Maddy may adjust to that better. Just a thought. And Jane (Guinness mom) is the queen of stomach issues also -she is having great success with homecooking.
Just my two cents. Hate it that you are worried. I am thinking try a different brand..then try homecooking.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Timbow used to skip meals when he was eating Canidae (not grain free, but manufactured by the same people as TOTW). He does so much better on Fromm. I would consider taking Allyson's advice and see if some healthy grains and better flavor helps her.

[Tina J.]

We talk about making dog food and homecooking for them and it sounds like such a pain in the butt and possibly so time-consuming... It isn't. In case you're thinking about doing it and have never done it before... just wanted to throw my 2 cents in and let you know that it's not a big deal to cook for them and it doesn't have to be complicated either... (I know those were some of the issues I was worried about at first.)

Tina J.