Hi againCustomer

There are a lot of different possibilities for what may be going on with your dog. The ones that I would be considering if he came to see me are:


1. One of the things that I think of first in a young dog is that he may have a Gastrointestinal Foreign Body.

Dogs eat the strangest things - plastic bags, children's toys, bones, bits of towel, socks, rocks and other things. Often, these foreign bodies pass through the intestinal tract, but sometimes they do not. They may get caught in the stomach or the small intestines.


The symptoms of a GI foreign body are generally vomiting, loss of appetite, depression and dehydration. If your dog consumed an object that is caught in the small intestines, it might explain the symptoms that you are seeing. This would be particulary true if the object were something like a ball that could bob over pylorus (outflow from the stomach) and then move away again. Thus, water could pass through but not food.


In the case of an obstruction, surgery is often needed to remove the foreign object. I will include further information about GI foreign bodies:

http://www.michvet.com/library/surgery_gi_foreign_body.asp
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/gastrointestinal-foreign-body-in-dogs/page1.aspx


If I examined your pup and was concerned about a foreign body, I would probably recommend x-rays to see if a foreign object were visible. A plastic bag would not show up on x-rays. It does, however, show up very well if the dog is given some barium (a type of milkshake like drink) by mouth. Then a determination can be made about how best to get this out of the dog, or whether it might move through on its own.


2. It is possible your little dog simply has gastroenteritis from eating something he shouldn't have.

Table scraps or twigs and leaves could be the culprit! Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines and can be caused by a large number of things, including sudden dietary changes.

Puppies are notorious for being curious and eating all kinds of things!

I think this is very unlikely since he sound too sick for this to be the problem.


3. Another possibility is Parasites. Here is a link to information about whipworms which are notoriously hard to identify by fecal analysis, and are not killed with pyrantel pamoate (standard puppy dewormer):
http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1668

Again, I think this is very unlikely since he sound too sick for this to be the problem.


4. A bacterial infection:

Dogs can be affected by overgrowths of bacteria in the intestines. In an adult dog these might not be more than a nuisance, but in a pup they can be serious. The 3 most common are Campylobacter, Salmonella and E.Coli. Here is a link with more information:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2232


5. Parvo virus.

Parvo is a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, often with blood, in puppies. It causes severe dehydration, and untreated often results in death. Usually, it would take a couple of days of untreated vomiting and diarrhea before the puppy died.


Puppies are routinely vaccinated for Parvo virus as part of their regular vaccines. These are usually given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Once fully vaccinated with all 3 vaccines given, there is a virtually zero chance of a dog getting Parvo virus. Some breeds are more susceptible to Parvo - this means that they get sicker and take longer to recover than other breeds. The susceptible breeds are Rottweillers, Pit bulls, Dobermans and Labrador Retrievers.

Parvo is rampant down in Georgia so unless he was vaccinated 3 times, this is still a possibility.


Here are links to more information:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=580
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1556&articleid=467


The botXXXXX XXXXXne is that there are a number of possibilities for what may be going on. Your vet would need to do a physical exam and possibly some diagnostic tests to figure out what the underlying problem is. I would start with a fecal sample, blood test and abdominal x-rays. It sounds like it is time to find out what is going on!

Given how unwell he sounds, I would certainly recommend seeing an Emergency Vet today. I realize it is Thankgiving there in the USA.

If he is feeling unwell at the moment, there are some things you can do at home until you can get him in to the vet:


1. WITH-HOLD FOOD for 12 hours since he has been vomiting today. This gives the intestines a chance to rest and heal.

2. When he is fasting, he can have lots of clear fluids.   So, water is fine, but also he can have pedialyte, Gatorade, apple juice diluted 50:50 with water, or onion free chicken or beef broth diluted 50:50 with water. Give the fluids in small amounts frequently. For a dog this size that means about 1 cup an hour.


3. After 12 hours, you can start your dog back on a bland diet. For patients that I see, I recommend a mixture of 75% cooked white rice, and 25% low fat protein. For the protein you could use extra lean ground beef, boiled with the fat scooped off, or chicken breast boiled with fat scooped off or even scrambled egg cooked without fat in the microwave. Feed small frequent meals. For a dog this size, I would suggest 1/2 cup every 3 to 4 hours.


4. After 1-2 days on the rice mix, you would gradually change your dog back to the normal dog food. So, on day 3, give the rice mixture, but bigger meals, spaced further apart. On day 4, mix a little tiny bit of the normal food in there, and decrease the frequency so it is down to 3 meals or so. And so on.


5. Keep your dog as quiet as possible - just out to relieve himself and back in.


If your pup continues to vomit, develops blood in the stool, is lethargic or shows signs of abdominal pain, please contact a veterinarian promptly. I do think that it is time to find out what may be going on with him. My top concern would be a gastrointestinal foreign body.

Good luck with your boy!


If this has been helpful, please "Accept" my answer and provide feedback. If you need more information just click on reply! I will still be here to answer further questions!

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would strongly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.


Best wishes to you and to your dog!
Fiona