Vomiting, regurgitation and soft stool

[jeanne & Lilly]

I hope I can make this clear, I'll try to be brief, but give enough information to get help.
Lilly will be 2 yrs mid January. She ate Honest Kitchen Preference for over a year. With Preference, I cooked either chicken or turkey breast, then switched to (10% fat) ground beef. The switch to beef was about 3-4 months ago. Suddenly a few weeks ago, she started skipping midday meals, then when she did eat she would regurgitate, or vomit after eating.
Without going into her day by day diet, if she vomited, her next meal would consist of beef, rice, sweet potato, or just plain rice. If no vomit (or regurgitation) in 12 hours, I'd add a little HK to her next meal. Once again food came back up. On the 4th day of this we went to the vet she did X-rays to R/O a blockage. There wasn't a blockage; she chalked it up to just a sour stomach, and of course she tried to sell me their crap food.
The vet suggested that Lilly eat rice and beef for several days. When I believed everything was back to normal I reintroduced HK, once again regurgitation; came to the conclusion that the vomiting and regurgitation were directly related to the HK, so no more HK.
After researching for a new food, I went with Orijen Regional Red. A very small amount went into her rice and beef. We got up to 1/4 cup but if I increased it a small bit, her stool was almost liquid. As of yesterday she is back on rice, beef and sweet potato. I didn't log her stool during this time, it was sometimes normal sometimes soft.
Also after the first episode, Lilly started biting and/or licking her bottom. So now I'm thinking maybe she has a parasite?
Should I just bring a stool sample to the Vet tomorrow? Or should I bring her in for testing? But what kind of testing should be done?
I should also mention she was bathed and anal glands were expressed the day after the X-rays were done. The very next day she started to smell. At first she smelled like popcorn, now she stinks like dirty shoes, socks and feet! The odor is all over, but strongest at the back of her neck, not in her ears.
Again, I hope I didn't jump around too much and ya'll can make sense of what I'm trying to say.
Thank you in advance for your help.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sorry to hear that Lilly is having these issues.

Before you switched from poultry to beef, was she experiencing any digestive issues? Any vomiting or diarrhea? 

[jeanne & Lilly]

No problems, perfect stools. The reason I switched protein is, she stopped enjoying it. She wasn't anxious for mealtime, and she rarely finished. I thought after 1 yr, she was tired of chicken twice a day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jeanne, I think Lilly has a history of some digestive issues and was treated for parasites some time back if I'm not mistaken? Didn't she also swallow a sock when she was very young? All of those things can lead up to an inflammatory condition in the gut. But before we go there, I would try a new protein source, something she hasn't had before if possible. Duck, venison, bison, lamb, rabbit, pork, fish, something other than beef, chicken or turkey. Is that possible? 

I have no clue about the smell at the back of her neck. I wouldn't let the groomer express the anal glands, though, they usually do it externally, which can actual cause them to become impacted.

[jeanne & Lilly]

Yes you're right Karen. Lilly was treated for giardia last summer we kicked it after one round of meds. (Or maybe we didn't?)
Lilly ate TOTW for 4 or 5 months, then started choking on the kibble. It did take a while to find a food that agreed with her, and that was Preference.
And yes she swallowed a sock last Christmas Day, we got her to ER early enough to induce vomiting.
I used a new groomer, forgot to tell her to leave the glands alone. After the fact, she said they we full and it was necessary to express. Is it true that soft stools can lead to anal sac becoming impacted?
...
So you suggest that she continue with rice and sweet potato but change the protein? I'm fine with a different protein, she won't eat pork. Ground lamb and veal are available at the local grocery. I'll worry about the cost once she is well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd eliminate rice and go with just lamb and sweet potatoes. 

I honestly don't think it was the HK causing the problem, I think it may have been the beef. You could go back to turkey and sweet potatoes and see if that makes a difference.

You might also try HK's Zeal formula, which is fish based.

I also don't think a fecal test is going to tell you anything, because parasites would not normally cause vomiting or regurgitating, and that's the main problem here. If this is an inflammation of the GI lining, Lilly is not able to digest her food properly, so it's coming back up or going through undigested, i.e. the unformed liquid stool. The danger there is that she would not be getting the nutrients she needs and can develop a deficiency. Has she lost any weight since this is going on? 

I'd also be concerned about dehydration.

You might try giving her a Pepcid AC or Zantac 30-60 minutes before her morning and evening meals.

Jane has given you good information about the anal glands. 

Do you have pet insurance for Lilly? 

If Lilly were mine, I'd ask the vet to run a GI blood panel to test cobalamine, folate, and TLI. You are proabably going to have to specify that, general practice vets aren't always familiar with this particular bloodwork. It's also going to have to be sent out to IDEXX or TAMU and takes 3-5 days. It's very expensive. 

Do you have a veterinary specialty center in your area? 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Since you wern't having problems when you fed the chicken, I really think I'd go back to that at least while Lilly is having these issues.  Either that or as Karen suggested introduce a new protein source (I personally would lean toward the chicken because you KNOW that worked in the past).  I feed Honest Kitchen Embark supplemented with home cooked chicken or turkey and rice.  I do find with Murphy that I have to watch how fast he eats and I can't let him drink water right after eating or he will vomit immediately after eating....but he does the same thing if I only feed home cooking.  Constant soft stools can cause anal gland issues.  They need a firm stool in order to self express their anal glands.  Even though Murphy's stools are consistently firm with his current diet, he still has problems from time to time.  The smell is really disgusting.  He licks his butt and then it's on his breath and he transfers it to any other area that he licks.  The last time he had a problem normal expressing by the Vet wouldn't work and he had to be anesthetized so she could clean out the inflamed glands.

As you look for new protein sources, keep fat content in mind.  Also, I really don't worry too much about the dogs getting tired of eating the same protein source meal after meal.  My two have eaten chicken or turkey for years now.  Once in awhile I will give them very lean beef, but that is for a special treat.  I went through so much getting their digestive systems straightened out that I really don't take any chances on introducing something that could cause a flare.  If they're hungry, they will eat.  Good luck....I've been in your situation and I know how difficult it can be.

[Fitz & Henry]

What type of dog is Lilly?
We have a lot of the same things here... I say that my Henry smells like Fritos.
But yes... I'd say go check her for a a parasite. Maybe Giardia.... I'd tell them you want your tests sent to a lab. It shouldn't cost much more and giardia can be missed, or not in every stool sample. Poor Lilly and poor you. : (
The only thng that has helped our runny stool is HK Perfect form, and we are now on Natures Variety beef & barley food which has firmed up the stools a great deal. I now that barley is a grain, but it's one of the better grains and it helps.
Henry also throws up pretty regularly, I'm always watching that as well.... Ugh, these guys have sensitive systems.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In Lilly's case, I don't think this is being caused by giardia, because giardia doesn't normally cause vomiting or regurgitating. I think this is an inflammation in the gut.

[jeanne & Lilly]

I was afraid I may not be clear...Lilly hasn't had HK in 14 days, and in the past 14 days she has not vomited.
She has not lost weight, she was at 72lbs earlier this month.
We began lamb and sweet potato this morning, and will start with Pepcid AC this evening.
How much of each should I feed her? How long should she stay on lamb and sweet potatoes?
Should I feed her a little yogurt or give her a probiotic?
We don't have pet insurance; in her first 8 months of life she had a UTI, ear infection, tested for sarcoptic mange, and (Karen, I forgot this one) she had a partial obstruction. She would have not to be treated again for these conditions for 2 years. But I'm send in for quotes this afternoon.
Thank you Karen, Jane, and Fitzus5

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm confused.

For the past 14 days, Lilly has not vomited, and her stools are normal as long as she only eats homecooked food, is that correct? But when you introduce kibble, she gets diarrhea? 

[jeanne & Lilly]

Sorry let me try again
On the 6th of December she refused dinner, on the 7th regurgitation started. Over the next four days anytime she had HK she either vomited or regurgitated. On the 10th we went to the vet and until the 14th stayed with beef, rice and sweet potato. On the 14th I reintroduced HK and she regurgitated.
On the 15th I started with Orijens, 1T each meal, increasing by 1T each day. When we got to approximately 5T her stool would be soft but with liquid.
With the help of your questions, I realize her stool has been abnormal with a few days of normal, since the 6th of December. Now I wish I kept a log, but didn't, so I can't tell you what she was fed on the normal days.
We do have specialists here in Las Vegas, a practice that treats several conditions including internal medicine, happens to be right down the street from me.

I am truly appreciative of your help. Thank you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do think though that Jane made a good point; everything was fine until you replaced the chicken or turkey with the beef. That was the change that occurred prior to the start of the vomiting. It usually takes a period of time for a particular food to cause a reaction, so it's possible that switching to beef was what actually started the digestive upsets rather than the HK. 

I don't want to alarm you, but Lilly's story sounds a lot like what happened during the month prior to JD's IBD diagnosis. I think it might be a good idea to consult an internist, but be warned that diagnosing IBD is extremely expensive. In my case, if I'd gone right to the specialist instead of letting my regular vet try testing, prescribe meds, etc, it probably would have been less costly.