Diarrhea and foamie vomit

[Tracey]

Was hoping to get some insight
My girl is 6 months old. At 5 months, one night she had diarrhea all night and threw up a couple times. I took her to vet, they gave her an antibiotic and meds for diarrhea as well as a probiotic. She was fine the next day and I finished the meds. Two weeks later, the same thing but two nights of diarrhea, no vomit. I took her to vet. They did blood work up, sent her stool out for testing at lab, xrays and all came back good! I changed her food to nutri source beef and rice thinking it was the chicken. It’s been two weeks, now this morning, she threw up that foamy vomit before she even ate. I hope someone here can help. I feel so bad for her and she is scheduled for spay surgery soon. She does scoot sometimes and I told her vet. Any ideas, thoughts, findings would be greatly appreciated!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so you have a common few issues here, and information about most of them can be found in the Food Group and the Health Group.
First, the antibiotic the vet gave you on the first visit was probably metronidazole (Flagyl). Many vets hand this drug out to any patient who has diarrhea, but that should never be the case. It has many side effects, and one of them is that it destroys all of the good bacteria in the gut along with the bad. That good gut bacteria is necessary for proper stool formation, and typically, as soon as the meds are discontinued, the diarrhea comes roaring back. Probiotics can help prevent this (not giving metronidazole would be the best preventative) but with probiotics, you need to be aware of a few things. One, the Purina Fortiflora that the vets sell is not a good product. Two, the probiotics need to be given at least two hours apart from the antibiotics, and longer is better. Three, the probiotics need to be continued for several weeks after the antibiotics are discontinued. So the first thing you need to do is order Proviable DC online (it's possible your vet sells it, but it doesn't sound like it). Proviable is a very good probiotic for dogs. Until you get it, give her two tablespoons of plain unflavored non-fat yogurt twice a day. Give the Proviable for a month.
Chicken (or any other food ingredient) doesn't suddenly cause a dog to have diarrhea or vomiting, especially not puppies. I know you have probably been told that a lot of dogs are sensitive to chicken, but that's not exactly true, and in any event, it doesn't happen this way. Switching foods in the middle of a gastrointestinal episode only confuses the issues, and if you were going to switch foods, it should have been to a limited ingredient formula. However, at this point, I would leave well enough alone; either continue with the Nutrisource or go back to whatever she was eating before. This is also not a good time to introduce new treats or chews, or share any holiday goodies with her. 
Foamy vomit first thing in the morning is common and is probably bile. It's caused by having an empty stomach for too many hours over night. The best solution to that is to give a small snack about an hour before bed. You can reserve some of her kibble for this, you can give her a dog biscuit or two (provided she already gets some kind of biscuit, nothing new) or it might be a good time to give her some yogurt. You can add a few blueberries or dried cranberries to the yogurt; she will probably love this tasty "dessert". 
Hope this helps.

[Tracey]

Thank you for the insight!  She has been better over the past few weeks.  We are going to a different vet tomorrow to interview about her getting spade.  They do lazer surgery and I heard that is better.  Any thoughts on the issue?   I also am not sure about her having to wear the cone afterward.  Do you recommend any alternatives?  She is very agile.  Rolls all over.  New mom as you can tell.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Laser spaying is less invasive than the traditional surgery, but it's also much more expensive. I've had three females spayed with traditional surgery and never had any problems, but that's up to you. 
I use the inflatable doughnut type collars, not those awful big hard plastic cones.  The inflatable collars don't have to be removed for eating, drinking or sleeping, they don't obscure the dog's vision, and the dogs are so much more comfortable in them. And they don't scratch up your walls, lol. 

Expect her to not want to eat for the first day or so after she's spayed. And constipation for a few days is also very common.

[Tracey]

I did give her the probiotics but my vet said they are not to be used long term.  She has been incident free for about 2 months.  My question now is, should I stick to nutrisource beef and rice.  She seems not not eat it unless I now wet it down and add the canned lamb and rice food to it.  Should I change foods?  The nutrisource is hard to find around here.  Thank you so much!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm really thinking you need a new vet. To say that probiotics are not to be used long term is ridiculous. It's like eating yogurt every day for digestive health. It's just good gut bacteria, it's not a drug and it has absolutely no downside.  I know dogs who have been on probiotics for years and they are the picture of digestive health. I strongly advise you to continue the probiotics, especially if you are going to switch foods. Remember, this is the same vet who gave your pup repeated courses of metronidazole, which is probably what caused the chronic diarrhea in the first place. 
If you want to change foods, I'd go with an LID formula like Wellness Limited Ingredient Salmon and Potato or Turkey and Potato. Zignature has some good ones too; any of their formulas other than the Zssentials would work.
But changing foods isn't going to help with her not liking the food. A lot of dogs start to turn up their noses at their food after they've been eating it for awhile. You might consider switching to one of the Zignature formulas and rotating to a different formula with each new bag. 
You also never want to buy a bigger size bag of food than your dog will eat in a month, unless you can freeze some of it. 

[Tracey]

This is a new Vet and she said the reasoning behind it is the food already contains probiotics.  I’m so confused, but do agree with its intended use.  Thank you for your help!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The amount of probiotics that are in the food are nowhere near enough to do any good. In addition, it's almost impossible to "overdose" on probiotics. Some of us here give our dogs a probiotic called VSL#3, which contains 112.5 billion CFUs per capsule; my guy got two a day for 5 years. Not too much, lol. And that was recommended by a veterinary internal medicine specialist, whose practice is limited to dogs with digestive issues. :)

[Tracey]

Thank you.  I’ll continue to give them to her!  I also was hoping to stick to a food containing grains.  Any suggestions?  What are your thoughts about Nutrisource which is what she is currently eating.  Down side, not many formula’s to choose from.  

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Karen is truly an authority on stuff like this.  Follow her advice.  Stay claim this does not sound serious just worrisome.  I would just add, no rawhide AND FIND A DiFFERENT VET !   I strongly prefer Veterinary offices that are owned by the vet or sometimes vets that work there and see your dog for your primary vet.  Stay away from company owned veterinary offices.

These kinds, like their human medical counterparts require the vet or doctor to see a certain number of patients per day.  The average time allowed per patient is on the order of 2-4 minutes.

[Matthew Bishop]

Is anyone have tried giving Marijuana to their pets for Medical purposes? I have read many articles about Cannabis oil and how it can be used to treat seizures, nausea, stress, anxiety, arthritis, back pain, symptoms of cancer, and gastrointestinal issues, among other health conditions in dogs. Like this article about a marijuana strain from

http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/purple-dog-s***/. Alternatively, they've also found new ways to infuse cannabis on food and beverages. If this is true I can't find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks