# Random Vomiting?



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm in the watch phase right now with Bertie before I call the vet on this, but I'm wondering if people have experienced this or if our resident vets have advice based on what they've seen? 

Bertie is a very healthy, active, hyped up and happy boy. He's eating and drinking regularly - he's actually ravenous w/r to both food and water. His poop is normal - solid, good color, no signs of red or dark coloring in the poop indicative of irritated insides. :uhoh: 

On Saturday he threw up kibble from earlier that morning. We're talking like a couple hours earlier - I think. These were basically non-digested. I didn't smell any bile. His breath smelled a little bit though so I could tell his stomach was upset. <- My immediate thought is he's been diving into the kitty litter. 

I ran to the kitchen to get a spatula to scoop the vomit up, but he'd eaten it all down by the time I got back. :yuck:

He hadn't thrown up again all day and seemed to be acting fine, so I fed him like normal. 

Sunday - he spit up a little bit of water with a kibble piece or two in there. He had been running around after chugging water, so I assume that's why.

I told my mom that before I got a towel, both dogs were lapping at the vomited water. My mom looked like this => :yuck:

I fed him both meals like normal. Again, I assume he vomited because he drank to fast and was running around right after. 

This morning he popped up around 3:30-4 ish to run to the opposite side of the room to throw up a very smell bit of stuff. This time you could tell it had come from the stomach or deeper in the system because it smelled strongly of bile. 

One funny note here is vomit is thankfully in the same category as poop. He puts it as FAR AWAY from his sleeping spot (my bed) as possible. 

Again, he'd eaten it up by the time I popped the light on, so I doubt it was very much. I could just SMELL it.  

He chugged water, begged to go outside for potty, and then curled up with me again to sleep until it was time for me to get up. I turned him on his back and felt his throat, side, stomach and moved him around a little to see if there was any soreness or tightness, but nothing. He either has a very high tolerance to pain or he had no stomach ache or not much of one. 

About the only thing different was him snuggling a bit more with me and demanding that I keep petting/stroking his head and face while he dozed off. <- He's clingy attention demanding anyway, so this could have just been him. 

I'm planning to call home and ask family to give him a flagyl sometime today just to help settle his stomach - just in case it's still unsettled. 

One reason why I think he may be dealing with upset is because he eats his food like a whirlwind. It's like he's trying to win an eating contest with his brother. He may be swallowing air and that could be causing a little oops here or there. 

He also drinks a lot of water - something I've noticed with him is he has no "I'm done" switch when it comes to drinking. He will literally keep drinking until the bowl is empty. So we have been filling only a small portion of the water bowls at a time to control his intake. 

Thanks to Arthur (previous owners apparently encouraged him to drink out of the toilet) Bertie has discovered toilet bowl. I'm in the process of training family members to shut lids down when they are done using the toilets. >.<

As far as chews - the guys mainly have just had rib bones (Merrick rib bones) to chew on. No rawhide, etc. I'm thinking about throwing the ribs away just in case they're causing a problem. Bertie can't really chew pieces off of them with his teeth, but Jacks can. I'm worried that Bertie has been cleaning up the messes that Jacks left behind. <- But I would imagine that I'd be seeing some evidence in the poop? Like blood or loose stool?

Other than that neither dog has really had anything other than apples and potatoes.  

So that's it. Wondering if you've experienced with your dogs or seen at the vet... any ideas?


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

Yes, the first two incidents as you describe them have happened here both when the girls where younger and still occasionally now. It is more like regurgitation because it happens without heaving. With Spip, it is a question of eating too fast or drinking too fast. I've noticed it never happened when she gives a good burp after eating/drinking. With Flem it is a question of poop eating too close to a meal. They will eat it back up. As long as they are isolated events I do not worry too much as long as all other things are fine and take a wait & see approach.

What never happened is for them to wake up to do it so the night episode is a bit more concerning. I would indeed take the bones away just in case they were the culprit and with Bertie being a puppy would probably call or get to the vet if he regurgitates aqain in the next 48 hours (or if he starts having diahrrea in conjunction). Since he has water intake regulation problems at this time, I think you are wise to restrict the quantities he can drink; a little very often sounds like the way to go.

PS : You mention potatoes. Raw ?
ETA : Nevermind the potato question. I just checked, they are fine (it is the above ground parts that are toxic).


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> It is more like regurgitation because it happens without heaving.


EXACTLY.  I didn't hear retching any of the times. 

I called home to check on the Bird and make sure he was given a flagyl. He's spoiled rotten, active, happy, and about the first dog we've had in a long time that gobbled a pill wrapped in baloney without spitting the pill back out.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Aw, poor Bertie and poor you  I hope this stops. Mack will occasionally spit up bile and I'm never sure why - he's always done this. He definitely has a more delicate system than previous dogs I've had. Sorry you're having to worry over him.


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## Barkr (Dec 23, 2011)

Roxy has done this a few times always at 4-5am, I am a light sleeper so I can usually get to the barf before she can "clean it up" :-0 Most often I can find small bits of tree bark or wood in the mess that she has gnawed on while out in the yard or off leash. I try to make sure there are no twigs or branchs that she can chew but somehow she manages to find them. Roxy is also a fast eater so I either give her her food in 1/3's this is a pain so I started putting a very heavy big rock in the middle of her bowl and she has to eat around it.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Well... his poop is very normal and as of just 5 minutes ago when I came home he managed to knock my brother's gaming TV off the desk. And kept zooming.  

My brother's TV is OK - and if not I'll buy him a new one.

Poor Jacks heard the crash as the TV fell to the floor and BOUNCED and he went running for his life. Bertie kept zooming. 

No more vomiting since this morning... the bones are going out in the garbage. 

@Kristy - Arthur's vet said that sensitive stomachs = a problem with the breed. She used to show collies and be heavily involved with the breed. She still owns them and kinda specializes in them at her clinic.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

Nothing stops Bertie, not even a crashing TV :bowl: 

Glad it seems the "I am making my own food isn't it wonderful" :yuck: episodes were a fluke.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

When Lincoln was a puppy he had this issue. 

He would vomit with no warning sometimes a full meal, sometimes a couple pieces of kibble. After he drinks, sometimes he brought up some water. This went on for about 1 month before I finally took him to the vet. 

They found nothing and said its likely from him eating to fast or eating then not resting after he eats or a combo of both. I slowed his eating down, watched his water intake and made sure he laid quiet for an hour after he ate. Never had another problem with him again. Occasionally he will eat and drink, then run around and bring up a little bit but that happens very rarely. 

My one cat does this. He will scarf his kibble/canned down like no tomorrow....run around then puke it up with no warning. Unlike the dog, the cat refuses to re eat it so if I cant get to it in time the dog cleans it up :yuck::doh:


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## critterlover2000 (Feb 7, 2013)

I can't give advice about the vomiting but as for the gobbling down of food you can buy a special ball to put in the food dish to slow them down cause the have to eat around it, or if you have a stainless steel dish with a deep enough middle just flip it over and put the food around the rim and the deep center " bubble" will act like the ball i mentioned. you can also try one of those portion control automatic feeders. or you can try one of those kong wobblers and use that to feed him his food... he has to work at knocking it around to get his food a little at a time and it gives him something to do at the same time. 

he may have a sensitive stomach and need a diet change but you probably should talk to your vet about his vomiting issues first.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

critterlover2000 said:


> he may have a sensitive stomach and need a diet change....


Nope, he doesn't really have a sensitive stomach.

His poop is solid, fine, etc...

The only reason why I'd consider changing diets is if there was a very definite sign that the food was the cause of an issue. That is generally loose stool or diarrhea. With goldens it shows up with collitis (constantly having to go potty, bright red blood in the poop, etc). 

Bert's always had healthy poop. I don't want to jinx him, but have to say as a credit to keeping him on the same food his breeder fed puppies - he has always had normal poop. 

He's just a piglet.


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