# puppy sick after beach trip



## Melh2os (Nov 27, 2010)

We have a lake house on Lake Huron here in MI and took Duffy (5 1/2 months) up with us this weekend for his first visit to the lake and beach. He wasn't so sure about the water, but loved digging in the sand and chewing on sticks, seaweed, grass on the lawn (He is a HUGE grass eater and it usually doesn't bother him at all), random dirt, etc. 

On the drive home today (2 hrs) he puked twice; then twice more at home tonight. We could see small seashells and other crap in there, and bits of dirt and other stuff. He ate lunch before we left the beach, but would not touch dinner - and this is a puppy who INHALES food in about 10 seconds flat. Very tired tonight, although it was more running and playing and outdoor time than he has had for a while so that's not surprising - our first golden would come home from beach weekends and sleep like a log.

How concerned do I need to be about the vomiting? He did drink some lake water and had his water bowl within reach when he was out in the yard or in the house with us. I've read that i need to watch for signs of impaction from the sand and debris, right? What warning signs warrant a vet visit tomorrow - not eating breakfast? Continued vomiting and lethargy in the morning?

Thanks much - I wasn't on the beach with him at all times (sometimes he was with my husband, sister in law, in-laws, etc.) so I don't know what else he may have gotten into.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Poor little guy. How is the poop? If he's not going poop and he's vomiting it could be a sign of a blockage, a very serious issue.

Give him extra fluids and head to the vet tomorrow if he's not back to normal. 

Good thoughts from me and cosmo.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

One of the members here (merlin's mom) had her dog ingest a large amount of sand on a trip to the beach. She had to take him in and have surgery done. I would keep a very close eye on him.

Was there a lot of goose poop there? I know my Danny has gotten very sick from eating too much goose poop.


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## Melh2os (Nov 27, 2010)

nope, didn't seem like a lot of goose poop around. He didn't bound out of his crate this am but he did eat a bit, slooooowly. Then he had a pretty well formed poop with quite a bit of sand in it. He's laying around right now, but I will keep watching the food movement process very closely......poor guy!!!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Sounds like he ate some crap. If he eats, drinks, poops, and slowly gets better, you're probably fine. If he gets more lethargic or refuses another meal, I'd head to the vet.

In the interim, you can buy some peace of mind by checking his gums. If they're pink and slick, that's a good sign that he's OK. If they get brick red, white, gray, or blue, or if they become tacky, those are signs of a health crisis.


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## Melh2os (Nov 27, 2010)

Good point. Checked the gums and they are still pink and slimy, so that's good. He is nibbling at the rest of his breakfast and eating some ice cubes (his fave treat) so I will see how it goes. I can't believe he had anything left in his system to poop WITH this morning!


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

fostermom said:


> One of the members here (merlin's mom) had her dog ingest a large amount of sand on a trip to the beach. She had to take him in and have surgery done. I would keep a very close eye on him.
> 
> Was there a lot of goose poop there? I know my Danny has gotten very sick from eating too much goose poop.


He didn't have surgery but he did have an x-ray that showed the sand.....that was sloooowly moving through. They gave him fluids and some hairball (for cats) stuff to ease it through. After a few days he was back to normal, thank goodness!

I hope Duffy is feeling better! Tippykayak has a good point about gums being "tacky". Until this happened with Merlin and the vet mentioned that his gums were tacky I never would have thought to check for that too.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

Sending good vibes your way. 

I would make sure that he is getting plenty of fluids. Have you taken his temp?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Merlins mom said:


> He didn't have surgery but he did have an x-ray that showed the sand.....that was sloooowly moving through. They gave him fluids and some hairball (for cats) stuff to ease it through. After a few days he was back to normal, thank goodness!
> 
> I hope Duffy is feeling better! Tippykayak has a good point about gums being "tacky". Until this happened with Merlin and the vet mentioned that his gums were tacky I never would have thought to check for that too.


Whoops! My goof. I am glad he didn't have to have surgery. I obviously have some memory issues. LOL


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

FYI - tacky gums can be a sign of dehydration, and it's a great diagnostic tool for that.


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## Melh2os (Nov 27, 2010)

I took him in just to be sure, since he needed to get heartworm meds too. Vet felt his belly and proclaimed it full of stool; xray showed huge backup of sand and poop. He's now enjoying an enema and getting cleaned out, and I can pick him up later this evening. Seriously, does the dog not understand that sand doesn't even TASTE good?!?! Oy.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

"enjoying his enema"? sounds like fun! LOL Also, had to laugh at your "Oy"! I say oy-vey all the time! LOL


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I am glad you took Duffy in. Silly pups they do eat just about everything don't they. 

Hope he feels like himself tonight.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Taste good? Who cares! Lol

They'll eat just about anything...


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## Our first puppy (Apr 15, 2011)

I just thought I'd bump this up. We went out to the beach today as well, and Loka had a blast - digging holes, jumping and swimming :banana: in the water already, and trying to get bites of sand whenever we weren't around to stop her. :doh: We just got home and she's exhausted, but first she had her first puke. It was pretty much just her lunch, only more "puffed up". She just stared at it and I think she was thinking, "That smells tasty, I must be magical because I just made food!" Thankfully we grabbed her before she could gobble it up... 

But now I'm wondering, what are the chances that she'll throw up again? And how can I encourage her to drink more to get rehydrated? If she exhibits any signs of stress or isn't eating or drinking we'll head right to the vet, but for now we're just keeping an eye on her and hoping you all have some tips and hints!


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

fostermom said:


> I obviously have some memory issues. LOL


HAHA!!!! You and me both!  :wavey:


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Our first puppy said:


> I just thought I'd bump this up. We went out to the beach today as well, and Loka had a blast - digging holes, jumping and swimming :banana: in the water already, and trying to get bites of sand whenever we weren't around to stop her. :doh: We just got home and she's exhausted, but first she had her first puke. It was pretty much just her lunch, only more "puffed up". She just stared at it and I think she was thinking, "That smells tasty, I must be magical because I just made food!" Thankfully we grabbed her before she could gobble it up...
> 
> But now I'm wondering, what are the chances that she'll throw up again? And how can I encourage her to drink more to get rehydrated? If she exhibits any signs of stress or isn't eating or drinking we'll head right to the vet, but for now we're just keeping an eye on her and hoping you all have some tips and hints!


Depending how much saltwater, sand, and seaweed she ingested, she may puke a few more times.

The way to rehydrate her is to keep her calm and make sure he has consistent access to fresh, clear water. Her body will ask for what it needs. Just keep activity low, since it both uses moisture and may distract her from going to the water bowl when she needs to.

If a dog is in crisis, there are other things you can do (electrolytes, IV fluids, etc.), but for normal dogs that don't need an ER visit, there's nothing better than undistracted access to fresh water.


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## Our first puppy (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks tippykayak. We actually live near the Great Lakes, so only fresh water here! And very little sea weed, so I don't think we have to be too worried about into that. The one thing she got into was a small chunk of watermelon rind that someone had left behind on the beach. :no: I was pretty worried about it, but it has already come back up :yuck: so I guess we're in the clear for that at least!

We're now on puke number two, and keeping her in her x-pen so she's close to her water and it can be easily cleaned if she throws up again. She keeps looking up at me like, "why is this happening to me? I surely didn't do anything to deserve this!" It's funny how short their memories are for the things they put in their mouths...


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Aawh poor puppies!! Hopefully your girl feels better! Keep her hydrated for sure and keep a close eye on her - be prepared to take her to the vet if need be. Everything should turn out fine though!


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