# Diarrhea and Vomiting



## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Hello everyone

My GSD Cammy isn't feeling so great today. She has had diarrhea and is vomiting a little bit. I was curious what you guys and gals thought, and if you had any suggestions. But first let me tell you why i think she is sick. 

Cammy has been fed Innova since she was about 1 or so and she is now a little over 3. Lately I have been doing a lot of research on dog nutrition and trying to figure out what the best dog food I can afford is. I know in the future I really want to feed raw but right now I'm not in a position to feed raw. 

My local pet store had Evo Chicken and Turkey formula for a few more bucks then the the Innova so I thought I would give it a try. I started really slowly, just adding a small amount of the Evo to the the Innova and left it that way for a few days. When Cammy gave me the green light I added more. this went on for about 3 weeks. At this point she was eating between 1.5 & 2 cups a day(measured with a kitchen measuring cup) . 

1.5 seemed to be easier for her to handle. At 2 full cups she had soft poops. At 1.5 they firmed up a little more. I figured I would just leave her at 1.5ish until her system could handle it and just watch her figure to see if I needed to feed more or not. 

I had to go out of town Tues, Wed's, and Thurs. Cammy stayed at my moms house. She was given instructions for feeding but I guess she or someone else in the house decided not to follow them. When I arrived to pick up Cammy Thursday night, there was still food in the bowl and had been wet down with something. I'm sure it was gravy or meat drippings. I also wouldn't be surprised if she was fed table scraps and other junk food because that is just the way my mother is. But it was either leave her somewhere she felt comfortable, at home, and with people she loves; or take her to be boarded somewhere. 

Anyways, She now has full on diarrhea and has vomited up a little yellow bile. This morning she vomited up last nights kibble. What should I do. I heard lightly boiled chicken meat and brown rice was a good bland diet that would help her system get back on track. I also have stopped the normal exercising and training because I don't want her to get dehydrated. She is still drink a normal amount of water and her gums show no signs of dehydration. 

Any ideas would be great. 

Thank you

Jeremy & Cammy


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It's probably a combination from the stress of being somewhere without you and the change in diet. This sounds to me like classic digestive upset with this kind of situation which is normally not a big deal. I would fast her for the rest of the day and let her system settle down a bit. If you give her more food at this point it can make her vomit more. After fasting her for a day or so give her about half of her normal ration and gradually add more food in over the next few days until she is back to normal. This should get things back to normal. 

If she is continually throwing up and can't even hold water down, get her to your vet for supportive care. You don't want her to get dehydrated which is the main concern in situations like these.

Hope this helps.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

Plain pasta is good. Chicken and rice is good. Just until you are sure she will keep the Evo down. Maybe a days worth of feeding?

As far as trying to get her to eat Evo....It's a larger dog and in my opinion, it is better to feed 3 or 4 smaller meals than one or two larger ones. This will help with digestion, which will help with your stools. Also, the Evo small bites will actually digest better than the large ones. Dogs don't actually chew kibble. I'm also a firm believer in pre moistening the kibble. Kibble is not a natural form of food, so anything you can do to help with digestion is good.

I'm currently using a product called Wholistic Canine Complete which has digestive enzymes in the product.


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## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Thanks for the prompt response, Thats why i love this site. lol

She hasn't eaten today so i will just wait until the morning and give her a small amount and see how she does. and if she does well I'll give her a little more in the evening. I'll keep it to less then her normal amount and wait and see. She has been good with the water it seems like. 

Again. Thanks.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

That's what we are here for. Keep us updated.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I always try and keep a bottle of unflavored pedialyte in the cupboard. That way if any of the dogs has a little trouble, I can give them a little of this to keep them from getting dehydrated. They don't need as much of this compared to plain water, so at least it will stay down.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Bessie7o7 said:


> This morning she vomited up last nights kibble. What should I do.


You've already gotten good advice so I won't touch on that... but this statement would concern me. If food is being left i the stomach undigested that many hours later, that would tell me that the food I'm feeding my dog is not easy enough to digest.


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## SaltyDog (Mar 10, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> You've already gotten good advice so I won't touch on that... but this statement would concern me. If food is being left i the stomach undigested that many hours later, that would tell me that the food I'm feeding my dog is not easy enough to digest.



I've been told by different pet nutritionists that it takes kibble 12 to 14 hours to breakdown and digest. Not very natural is it. Pre moistening the kibble and using a digestive enzyme will certainly help.

I'm currently moving my two Weims onto Honest Kitchen. I currently do not have the freezer space to feed Aunt Jeni's so until then......


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

CorgiPaws said:


> You've already gotten good advice so I won't touch on that... but this statement would concern me. If food is being left i the stomach undigested that many hours later, that would tell me that the food I'm feeding my dog is not easy enough to digest.


Its very concerning...and I don't know why people don't question this simple fact more... 



SaltyDog said:


> I've been told by different pet nutritionists that it takes kibble 12 to 14 hours to breakdown and digest. Not very natural is it. Pre moistening the kibble and using a digestive enzyme will certainly help.
> 
> I'm currently moving my two Weims onto Honest Kitchen. I currently do not have the freezer space to feed Aunt Jeni's so until then......


What you have been told is 100% correct. And it is unnatural. WHY does this happen? Because kibble is not species appropriate. You are asking a digestive system meant for a carnivores diet to digest one of an herbivore. This is why it takes so long.


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## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Not that I'm Pro kibble or defending it, But it was pretty digested. You couldn't make out the shape of the kibble anymore it looked more like grits/instant potatoes (semi-solid). It was also Innova adult dog food. The same as she had been eating for years. My thought, right or wrong, was that it would be easier on her tummy then the new Evo. Tomorrow i will feed a small amout in the morning and see how it goes. I'll keep you all posted on the results. 

Thank you


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Bessie7o7 said:


> Not that I'm Pro kibble or defending it, But it was pretty digested. You couldn't make out the shape of the kibble anymore it looked more like grits/instant potatoes (semi-solid). It was also Innova adult dog food. The same as she had been eating for years. My thought, right or wrong, was that it would be easier on her tummy then the new Evo. Tomorrow i will feed a small amout in the morning and see how it goes. I'll keep you all posted on the results.
> 
> Thank you


I don't want this to become a "debate" or what, but because the food was still in the stomach for so long says it all. And not that I am suggesting raw or anything (don't want people to think that I am pushing raw in the kibble section) but it takes only 6-12 hours for raw to go in and out again. Just a thought.


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## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Well so far so good. Two days in a row, no vomiting. and the stools are getting better. I fasted her for a day and then gave her a small meal twice daily, yesterday and today. She has started to get her energy and spunk back. I think I'm happier then she is... lol

Thank you everyone for your help

Jeremy & Cammy


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Glad to have been helpful! Hopefully this will be her last bout of it and if not...hopefully you feel confident in knowing what to do next time :wink:


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## danesandhorses (Sep 14, 2008)

I have fed kibble and canned to all of my dogs until recently. I started one of my Danes on raw and he is doing great. He had some skin issues and many recomended raw. 

It might help your dog to add a probiotic or yogurt to his kibble. The digestive enzimes would help digest the kibble. Also adding a spoon or so of canned pumkin can help firm up loose stools.


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## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Still going strong. I haven't seen her poop in the last day or two. I'm sure she has, but she goes outside as she pleases when the weathers nice. But she has been in the house all day today while i was at work so im gonna take her out and wait and see. lol. 

We need a Dog Poop chart for the site. You know it would have a column of pictures and the next column in the row would have a description of what that particular poop means... lol ok maybe that's going to far but we do seem to describe poop a lot on this site.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Poop chart (by Purina but hey....you asked LOL)


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^Um yeah...charming to see... :tongue:

I remember when his poos were like that... :wink:


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## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

Too funny.

Well we went to the beach and she pooped a very nice solid poop. The one thing in that chart that stands out to me is the volume of poop. That is a lot of poop. My Old dog Star was fed a crappy dog food and had poop that reassembled those. I feel so bad for feeding her that crap.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Interesting chart thank you.
Did kindof put me off my morning cup of tea! :biggrin:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sorry y'all just fulfilling request for one LOL, glad it helped too!!!


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