Wallace and the never-ending issues

[Sarah Trott]

Could be the name of a children's book, no? 

Has anyone ever had issues with their pup throwing up in the middle of the night? Wallace has done so 3 times in the last few weeks. The confusing thing is that it's just a very small puddle of water. There's no color to it whatsoever. And it always happens in the very early morning hours. Somewhere between 4-6 am when I'm fast asleep. 

He saw a vet last Monday and a fecal was done (he also has had loose stools... more on that in a moment.) He tested negative for parasites. He is behaving normally otherwise, so I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this.

I think his soft stools are courtesy of a recent switch to Orijen puppy formula... I'm not sure a grain-free kibble is the right choice for Wally. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. He is already on a probiotic.

[Debbie and Toby]

Just a thought, but could it be bile? Our Toby has done this occasionally early in the mornings, we were told it had to do with "empty stomach". He gets his dinner about 5:30 - 6:00, we started giving what we call a small snack (about 1/8 cup of his kibble) about 8:30pm at night, when he eats his "snack", he doesn't vomit  up the bile in the morning. Not sure if  this would work but might be worth a try. Your vet may also have some suggestions for this, and the loose stool. Karen may also be able to offer suggestions for grain free kibble and the loose stool.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with Debbie, what he's bringing up is probably bile, and it's pretty common. As Debbie mentioned, it's usually caused by an empty stomach, and happens most often in the early morning. Her suggestion of an evening snack is usually the best solution. You can use a small portion of his kibble, or you can try a biscuit or two, about an hour or so before bed, depending on what time he gets dinner. 

The Orijen might be to blame for the loose stools, but probably not because it's grain free. Chances are that it's much higher in protein and fat than his previous food, and that could be the problem. I'd give it a little time. Young puppies have immature digestive systems, and usually need a few weeks to adjust to a major food change. I know that even some of our older dogs have needed a month or so to adjust to a high quality, high protein grain free food if they were previously eating something with a lot of carbs and fillers. 

Hope that helps. :) 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, Tara is 7 years old and still has this issue. Like Debbie and Toby, we give her a high protein snack at bedtime and a little snack in the morning before her walk and breakfast and it takes care of the problem. 

Tara also had problems eating Orijen products. We finally switched her to Acana grain-free and she does fine with it. Not sure if it's the type or amount of fat or what the problem is with her and Orijen but it didn't seem to be the fact that it was grain-free. 

[Marissa Kubo-Fernandez]

I also had the same issues with my puppy.  I started giving him a bedtime snack (small handful of kibble) and no more vomiting issues in the early mornings.  We also had soft stool issues with grain-free food.  The vet told me that he may be allergic to some proteins that we haven't figured out yet so I purchased "limited-ingredient" which really improved the consistency of his stool. 

[Jenny and Cooper]

My Cooper has done it before a few times when he was a puppy. It was just watery and sometimes little yellow chunks in it. Like Debbie said, I think it's just bile and having an empty stomach. He eventually got over it. Once in a long while I will catch him eat grass in the early morning and throw up bile & grass. :/

Hopefully it's the same case with your puppy, that it's just bile. :)

[Donna K & Quincy]

Try giving him a small meal or snack before bedtime. My guy will throw up sometimes if he has an empty stomach.  I see Debbie already suggested a snack and it does help. You could also add a little pumpkin to his meals for a bit more fiber. It can help firm up stools. Just a tablespoon or so as too much can have the opposite effect. Lol, I just saw that Karen also suggested a snack so it's a consensus so far. :>)

[Sarah Trott]

I'm so glad others have experienced this as well and that it's likely an easy fix. I'm sure you all know what it's like to have a million terrible possibilities go through your head as a puppy parent! I will try to wait out the food issue for another week or two before trying to find something that works better for him. Thank you all so much - my mind is a bit more at ease now!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If things don't improve with the food in the next couple of weeks, the suggestions that have made here are good ones. Acana is made by the same company as Orijen, and has equally good quality. An LID formula, as mentioned by Marissa, is also a good idea. You may have to go with an ALS (all life stages) formula, as there aren't any LID puppy formulas. If you need some help with this, please check our recommended brands list in The Food Group and feel free to start a new discussion there asking for suggestions.  

[Sam&Bella]

Bella was throwing up in the middle of the night about a month ago.(that yellow stuff that I now know is called bile:) But I don't think it was from hunger, because she has been having the same feeding schedule for 5(ish) months. She hasn't done it in a while, so I am not too concerned about it.

Good Luck! I hope it ends soon:)

[Sarah Trott]

Thanks! There's really nothing worse than waking up to that sound of your dog about to vomit, is there!? Hopefully Bella doesn't have any more incidences either!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

[Sarah Trott]

I just laughed so hard!! So very accurate!!!