Accepted Answer

Hi again,

Thanks for that further information. I am very concerned about your dog because she is going to be getting very dehydrated if she cannot keep down water. Every time she vomits, she is going to be losing just a little bit more fluid than she took in, leading to increasing dehydration. Untreated, this could lead to a state of shock. She really does need to see a vet ASAP!

In terms of what may be going on to cause this, here is a list of things that I would consider based on what you have told me:

1. One of the things that I think of first in a young dog is that she 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. 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 dog has Pancreatitis which can be caused by a number of things, such as certain medications, infections (bacteria can climb up into the pancreas from the intestines), high fat meals, high amounts of calcium in the blood, trauma and shock (for example it can happen after a dog is hit by a car). Some dogs are more prone to pancreatitis than other dogs with small dogs being more susceptible.

Typically, the symptoms of pancreatitis are abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and a very painful belly.

Bloodwork that confirms pancreatitis shows very high levels of amylase and lipase. These are 2 enzymes that the pancreas makes and delivers to the intestines to help digest food. With high fat meals, the pancreas has to work extra-hard to make these, and this can cause it to actually start digesting itself. This is very painful!

Many times, we don't find the exact cause of pancreatitis. An ultrasound is useful to look for a mass in the pancreas (such as a tumor, which is RARE), and to see how severely the pancreas is affected. This can help with giving a prognosis, and estimating how long a recovery will take.

Generally, pancreatitis is treated aggressively with intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics, pain killers and resting the intestinal tract. This last means that NO food is given by mouth until symptoms start to resolve. Then, once the pancreatitis is starting to resolve, we usually start the patient with just water and see if that stays down. If there is no vomiting or abdominal pain, we then start *very* small meals of an easy to digest, low fat food and monitor closely.

For long-term management, patients who are prone to pancreatitis are kept on a low fat diet to minimize chances of a flare-up. Antibiotics are continued for 1-2 weeks, as well as other medications as needed (such as anti-nausea medications).

I will give you some links to more information:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1580&articleid=335

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/acute-pancreatitis-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2214

 

3. 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

This is less likely because she is an adult dog and I doubt she would be so severely affected by these bacteria at her age.

The bottom line is that it is time to contact a veterinarian. I am concerned that she will become so dehydrated she will go into a state of shock without treatment.

Good luck with your girl! Please give me an update on her as I am concerned about her!

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

Fiona

 

Expert:	Dr.Fiona
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:	283
Answered:	4/28/2008

Veterinarian

15 years experience as a companion animal veterinarian in British Columbia, California and Ontario