Hello- I have a 9 month old Chocolate Lab who two days ago was vomiting his stomach acid. He does not have diarrhea. He has been refusing to eat, but will drink fresh water. He sleeps constantly and whines a lot too. This is TOTALLY out of character for him. He always wants to play and go outside, but not for 3 days now.
My vet said to give him Chicken and Rice for a day, but what happens if he won't eat his hard food after this? How do I start re-introducing his food to him? Do you know what may be causing his discomfort. I have never owned a dog before, so I am really clueless and worried about him.

Thank you,
Rebecca

Hi, Rebecca,

Labradors will swallow anything that looks remotely like food ( and much that does not) and I suspect that he has picked up and swallowed something which is now lying in his stomach. Di your vet not mention the possibilty of that?
I think that he will need an x-ray on Monday to check that out, and if I am right and a 'foreign body' in the stomach is identified, a powerful emetic such as apomorphine may get him to vomit it back, otherwise he may need surgery to remove it. I hope that you have him insured!

W

my 4 yr old lab suddenly became sick. vomiting frequently through the night and twice this morning. no fever yet, no diareah or loose stools. normally a very active healthy dog on heart guard and flea control.
please help some home health advise...my income is tight, the vet is for emergencies.
thank you very much!
sherry

Hi Sherry

As your post is from a few days ago I guess your dog has either recovered from this vomiting or it did indeed develop into an emergency.
Frequent acute vomiting can develop as a symptom from a variety of causes. It can be infection, disturbed digestive function or something completely inappropriate that the dog ate such as a foreign object that gets stuck and blocks up the intestines. The only thing you can do at home is to try to keep fluids in your dog by giving him small drinks very frequently until the bout passes. If it has passed within 24-48hrs then that's great and he recovered. If vomiting continues on beyond this time a dog will become dehydrated which is life-threatening and needs the help of a vet to treat, regardless of what the cause of vomiting is.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]