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Hello there.

I'm sorry to hear about your little friend. I'd be more than happy to help you with him.

Let's start with the vomiting. There could be many reasons for the vomiting and it may have been related to the spell he had where he couldn't stand. If he had low blood sugar, for instance, from not eating properly, he could have felt faint and was unable to stand for a few minutes.

He could just have a sensitive stomach. If this is the case, feeding three or four small meals every day can be helpful. If you feed dry food, hydrate the food before feeding it. Add hot water to the kibble and let it sit for ten minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the kibble is soft. This way, the kibble expands before he eats, not after. Think of it this way, if he eats until he's full and then the kibble expands in his stomach because it absorbs the fluids, this is going to make him feel sick.

Another thing that comes to mind is a problem involving the overproduction of gastric fluids. You most commonly see a liquid yellow bile vomit in a dog who has an empty stomach - all of the gastric acids and bile can upset the stomach lining when there's no food present, resulting in vomiting. It's not uncommon to see this first thing in the morning, or shortly before the dog is scheduled to eat.

To fix this problem, you'll want to feed your dog more often. If you feed him once a day, split the food in half and serve it in two meals instead of one. If you're feeding him twice a day, split those meals and feed three times a day.

Some dogs will also have problems associated with producing excess gastric fluids. You can treat this with a medicine such as Pepcid AC. The dosage is .25 to .5 milligrams per one pound of body weight, given every twelve hours. You'll want to start out at the lower end of the dosing range and really, this is only needed if feeding more frequently doesn't do the trick.

Another possibility - which a vet will have to investigate further - is that your boy has parasites. Parasites can cause a wide range of problems, and chronic vomiting and diarrhea is one of them. Unfortunately, there's no way to determine if this is the problem on your own at home - your vet will perform a fecal exam to determine whether there's any signs of parasites. This isn't typically too costly to diagnose or treat, so maybe you can save up for the test.

There's also a chance that he could have some other underlying condition. You can see chronic vomiting and generalized symptoms associated with an array of conditions and illnesses, like Addison's Disease. Or he could have a physical abnormality, like a stomach ulcer or partial obstruction - there's a range of possiblities and only further investigation and diagnostic testing by your vet will determine what's causing this. Blood work would be the first step toward diagnosis, and this would also help determine if something like leukemia was to blame, so that may be something to consider saving up for as well.

When he does vomit and isn't eating well, you can give his blood sugar a boost by offering a spoon of pancake syrup, as the sugar will help to pep him up. I would start with two spoons, just to give him a boost. You can rub it on his gums if he won't lick it. And you can do this every six hours. After not eating for a while and vomiting, this will definitely be a problem. This lack of blood sugar, along with dehydration, can be enough to cause the moping, lack of energy and generall off-colorness. Once he resumes eating, you can stop with the syrup.

You can also try giving your dog some pepto bismol, but check with your vet to ensure that this won't interact with any other medications that he's on (if this is the case). The dose is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight every 4-6 hours. If he's actively vomiting, you may want to half the dose and give it every 2-3 hours instead.

You'll also want to address the problem of dehydration. Your boy could be low on fluids (even if he's drinking) and this will just make him feel even worse. To combat this, you can add plain, unflavored Pedialyte to his water (50-50 mix). This will help replenish electrolytes and hydrate - he'll need to be hydrated to help fight off whatever he's dealing with.

Only allow him to drink a very little bit at a time if he's actively vomiting because too much fluid at once will upset the stomach. This may be what's occurring - he may be drinking lots at once, keeping the stomach in a state of upset. Giving pedialyte ice cubes are a good way to get him to take in fluid slowly.

Once the vomiting stops for 4 hours, you should also try feeding small meals of bland food, which will fill his stomach, but won't be even more upsetting to his system. If he's not eating the white rice and chicken, you could also try cottage cheese and boiled hamburger meat with the fat drained away. Wait four hours and if there's no vomiting, feed again. I would do this for two days beyond when the symptoms stop, then phase in his normal food over the course of three or four days.

You can also help his stomach discomfort by applying a warm compress or heat pad to the abdomen. You can also rub his stomach for a little while in a clockwise circular motion. (clockwise if you're standing over him, with him standing with his head facing forward) This will often help pass any gas and it will relax the muscles (and him).

A few things to look for that indicate a serious problem that requires emergency attention: pale gums (they should have a distinct pink hue. If they're blue, grey, yellow or white, there's a problem), drooling, retching, promptly vomiting up anything that they try to ingest, a rapid heart beat, projectile vomiting, restlessness and pacing, loss of consciousness, and seizure or convulsions. If your dog doesn't improve, or if he appears to get worse, you'll want to get to the vet.

When he does vomit, you'll want to feed him a bland diet for a couple of days. Feed your boy plain white rice with boiled hamburger with the fat strained away or boiled chicken, also with the skin and fat removed. Cottage cheese can also work. These items are easy on the stomach. I would also recommend feeding lots of small meals, rather than one or two larger meals - I would aim for four meals a day, so he'll have food in his stomach more often and his system won't be overwhelmed with a huge meal. This, combined with the pepto bismol, should help him out if it's something simple.

Now, as for the lump....

Did the lump on his ear go away? You can see blood blisters from head shaking and you can end up with cysts too, especially from the ear wax, which clogs up the pores of the skin. If the lump did go away, then it's likely that it was one of these two situations.

The lump on his foot could very well be what's called an interdigital cyst. These are most commonly related to allergies or problems with the thyroid. You can also see cases where a piece of debris becomes embedded in the skin, so you can look closely at the area and see if there's anything obvious. Unfortunately, with the interdigital cysts, you will need to see a vet for treatment, as they're usually either a symptom of a larger problem, like an allergy, or they're deeply infected, which requires medication.

Here's a photo of an interdigital cyst:
http://www.boxer-dog.org/chat/viewtopic.php?p=13883

If it doesn't appear to be a cyst, it could be some other type of tumor. A skin scraping or a small biopsy sample, obtained with a needle, can shed some more light on the situation.

In the meantime, I would wash his foot twice daily with an antibacterial soap and rinse well. I would then pour some warm water into a basin and add epsom salt. Allow his foot to soak for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse, apply betadine iodine (found in the first aid section of the drug store), and then dab on some antibiotic ointment. This will help with the inflammation and infection until you can get him to the vet.

Since money is tight, I will give you some information on some resources that may be of help to you and your boy. I will post that information separately.

Good luck with the little guy!
Let me know if you have any additional questions!

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-Mia Carter
Pet Expert

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Expert:	Mia Carter
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Answered:	4/14/2008

Animal Expert

Specializing in the training and care of ill pets and special needs animals! Mom of 22 pets!