Vomitting for weeks

This particular food has only duck and rice.  So wish me luck.

There are very few scenarios where a dog will throw up HOURS later all food *totally undigested*.    Things like renal failure and intestinal obstruction come to mind.

However - there is a vast difference between "most" "some" and "all" food.  If enough food is getting thru to be processed as 'waste' (fecal matter) then yes, of course, an allergen could be possible.

A dog that had vomitted all it's food for three weeks would be seriously debilitatedm and would, I'd think, be near death. 

If it were mine, I'd probably be at my state's best vet school -- it's difficult to arrive at a sensible solution from what little we can discern on a web-board.  It would seriously lead me to wonder how a dog could have survived and thrived (particularly given what you've said about its rescue) to that point in life if virtually all foods were allergens. 

However, a dog that simply somehow "landed" in a desert area (perhaps separated from it's family who were tourists) could have significant atopic (inhaled -- hay-fever type allergies) allergies that could cause some severe stress. 

It just strikes me as extremely odd that allergies, only after 3 weeks, are being looked at as an option.  If that's being said, I'd sure be looking at antihistamines to see if you can get the allergy response cooled down enough so the poor thing can eat.  But medical things with dogs tend to truly "make sense" and this honestly doesn't.  Not with what's been described.

The very suggestion to try an "elmination diet" sounds silly ... but the point of that would be to try one or two simple foods -- NOT a packaged diet but literally something like mashed potato and peas or something as a totally novel veg and protein to see if you can get the dog to begin to keep something down. 

That would literally be simply boiled potatos mashed with a masher (no milk, no butter, nothing else).  An elmination diet is done merely for 2-3 weeks -- it is SIMPLY to give a baseline and then you begin adding back in foods one at a time to see what is then well tolerated. 

But I would think you'd have to get something to STAY in the gut so you can at least administer some antihistamines and see if you can begin to make ANY headway.

Kee is my little old lady peke.  No clue how old -- she got ditched by her owner (who was on the street). 

You are absolutely right - some food has to be staying down.  Tuesday his chicken breakfast stayed down from 7am to 5pm, so some of it had to be digested.  He threw up in my husband's truck, so I don't know how much actual chicken came up.  I do know the vomit in the house is still huge chunks of undigested food.  How could the poor guy not keep down 1 cup of chicken baby food??  It is basically liquid!!  He does seem to keep chicken down longer than anything else.

When the Barium was done, it did pass, and the next morning he had a bowel movement. 

He was born in the desert, and lived there (1-1/2 years) until we took him home.  He was hanging out at a house with 6 other dogs, and eating their kibble, until the man told my husband to take him if he wanted to because Jack wasn't wanted there.  All of his brothers and sisters were killed, either by cars or coyotes. 

Maybe his stomach is so damaged from eating anything he could find in the desert, but why wait so long to start vomitting?  We've had him almost 4 months.

When the vets look at him they can't believe he's sick, because he acts totally normal, full of energy, and hungry all the time.  I hope the specialist finds something today when they "scope" him, because none of this makes any sense.

Who could "ditch" that sweet baby!! 

Sometimes people just don't care.  Sometimes their lives simply spiral SO out of control that they do completely idiotic things and just walk away from life. 

SOMETIMES people like you and I find dogs like Kee and Jack and we make the best of it.

You will very likely have to do something COMPLETELY bland for him until you can get this under control.  It may not even be a food 'allergy' as much as a simple intolerance. 

I would be really tempted to do something like making a thin paste out of slippery elm and chammomile tea.  (You can get slippery elm bark in most health stores -- get it in bulk or simply empty a ton of capsules.)  Make up a teaspoon or so of slippery elm bark, and mix it with chammomile tea (just plain chammomile like in the herbal teas -- no extras JUST the herb). 

Slippery elm is actually quite nutritious --- but it will, with the very mild, soothing nsaid in the chammomile -- calm the gut.  Nothing else -- no meats, no nothing.  Just those two.  If he keeps it down make more ... and eventually mix it with white potato (not rice - he's already thrown that up and some dogs don't tolerate rice/grains well) -- but keep it slippery elm, potato and chammomile tea and water. 

When you add in something else, make it peas -- get just plain old split peas.  It is a protein, it is nutritious (and I've seen elmination diets make out of exactly this).  But keep it with way more potato than peas. 

If you don't do anything other than get some nutrition in him this will help.  You might use pedialyte with the slippery elm -- because if he's not eating he's probably borderline dehydrated.

Thank you - you are a God send.  I've been stewing all day about what to try to feed him when he gets home. 

I don't know why I am so amazed at people, I should know by now, not everyone loves animals like I do.

I had 3 strays, Tina a Standard Poodle, Ruby a Queensland Heeler, and Victor a Greyhound/Pit Bull mix.  Tina passed in '03, Ruby in '04, and Vic in '06.  Victor was the worst, he had osteosarcoma of the lower left jaw.  We had the jaw removed (not as bad as it sounds) and decided no chemo or radiation.  He lived 1 year and the cancer came back in his spine and paralyzed him.  The deaths were so hard on me I told my husband "no more pets". 

Now he comes home with Jack, and of course you love them right away.  First we find out he has Valley Fever and Heartworms, and now this.  My worst fear is cancer, again. 

PS - how do I get his picture to come up when I post?

Jacks Mom

The deaths were so hard on me I told my husband "no more pets".  Now he comes home with Jack, and of course you love them right away.

You're an angel !   Jack was just "meant to be" with you, I can tell.  I can't offer any help or advice (but see that Ms Callie is on the case - trust her, she really knows her stuff) but wanted to let you know that I'll be thinking about you and Jack and wishing you well.

Thank you so much, I've peeled Jack's potatoes, and am on my way to pick him up at the vet.  I'm really nervous, part of me wants them to have found something, so we can fix it, and part of me hopes they didn't find anything, so it can't be anything bad.  I'll stop at Sprouts on the way to get the herbs and tea.

Wish me luck!

Don't give him potato tonight -- and when you do make it really thin.  Keep this LIQUID, not solid.  let's get a bit of nutrition in this boy and see where we go from there. 

See -- we have to keep thinking "POSSIBLE obstruction" -- and it's possible it's getting 'around' an obstruction but nothing bulky or solid will. 

So keep it all really liquidy -- the slippery elm is kinda like "silicone" for the gut -- it lines the whole intestinal tract/gut and soothes it.  It is an anti-inflammatory on it's own and will soothe and coat all the way thru.

Chammomile as an herb is a light "nsaid" -- but unusually for an nsaid it is NOT going to cause stomach upset or stomach bleeding.  Actually, one of the chief uses of chammomile is to calm an upset stomach.

 So actually make the slippery elm *with* chammomile tea. (About a cup or half cup of strong chammomile tea to a teaspoon or two of slippery elm powder

Don't put potato in that tonight.  JUST give him slippery elm and chammomile and see if he'll keep that down.  Neither should be an allergen and both should be VERY soothing. 

Then if he keeps that down all night -- make up the same thing but then add cooked, mashed potato to it but still keep it VERY liquidy.  I wouldn't even try to add the peas until tomorrow night IF he doesn't vomit at all.

this is a weirdo elmination diet but it should give him some good nutrition and help stabilize him.

Then -- to be truly honest, either I'd be at your state's best vet hospital (teaching hospital -- as in the state vet school) .... OR a vet that does TCVM -- traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.  Acupuncture and Chinese herbals. 

He needs to heal -- and stablize.  He's thrown up too long -- it would seem to me you need to get him stable first before you go much further.  I'm no vet, but I've done trenches rescue for a long time and when an animal is this stressed you have to revert back to some really seriously 'simple' stuff sometimes when you're not having any luck doing anything else.

Thanks Callie - I picked up Jack.  No surprise - the "scope" only showed a tiny bit of inflammation.  They sent me home with Prednisone and something called Reglan.  I am thankful they didn't find a big old tumor or anything, but I can't believe they only saw a "little" inflammation.

I'm getting ready to brew the tea - they told me not to - but at this point they really haven't helped him so I have to take matters into my own hands. 

The poor guy is frantic, he won't leave my side, I keep tripping over him walking around the house.  I know he is STARVING and I feel so bad, he looks so pitiful.  His daddy is out of town, which doesn't help, since he has bonded to Tom, more than me.  Tom takes him to work every day with him and he loves it. 

I bought some enzymes today, I have a feeling being on the Valley Fever meds have contributed to this somehow.  I know regular vets don't believe it, but the antibiotics could have killed the good bacteria in his stomach.  What do you think?  Would you try the enzymes?

Thanks for all of your help.

Cheryl 

By the way - the vet who talked to me when I picked him up (not his primary vet) gave me some BS about Slippery Elm Bark has salisic acid in it which can upset the stomach.

I think I'm going to have to find a holistic vet.............

Salicylic acid -- that's white willow bark -- which is very like aspirin (which is one of those things that WILL cause stomach bleeding).  NOT slippery elm bark. 

 Try http://www.tcvm.com -- their standards are extremely high -- it should help you find a vet who is good at what he does (not just someone who has 'taken a couple of classes';).  bad holistic vets ARE very bad.  finding a good one is important.

Jacks Mom

Thanks Callie - I picked up Jack.  No surprise - the "scope" only showed a tiny bit of inflammation.  They sent me home with Prednisone and something called Reglan.  I am thankful they didn't find a big old tumor or anything, but I can't believe they only saw a "little" inflammation.

I'm getting ready to brew the tea - they told me not to - but at this point they really haven't helped him so I have to take matters into my own hands. 

The poor guy is frantic, he won't leave my side, I keep tripping over him walking around the house.  I know he is STARVING and I feel so bad, he looks so pitiful.  His daddy is out of town, which doesn't help, since he has bonded to Tom, more than me.  Tom takes him to work every day with him and he loves it. 

I bought some enzymes today, I have a feeling being on the Valley Fever meds have contributed to this somehow.  I know regular vets don't believe it, but the antibiotics could have killed the good bacteria in his stomach.  What do you think?  Would you try the enzymes?

Thanks for all of your help.

Cheryl 

What sort of enzymes?  Prozyme?  there are zillions of different enzymes.

What meds is he on now?  Are you giving him anything? 

Most any antibiotic will kill the 'good bacteria' in the gut.  However -- you can't just give tons of probiotics, but a good probiotic right now might be really needed -- but before we tell you to do that, honestly we need to get a whole picture of what this dog is being treated for, by what and when.  Generally, if the 'good bacteria' has been killed you'll see diarreha. 

I would think if this was all a side effect of the anti-biotics that would have been considered, but maybe not.  Can you tell us exactly when he started treatment, and what were the signs before he started vomitting so much.

When did he have vaccines?  Treated for Valley Fever when and how?  Everything all works together. 

Can you back up and give us a 'history' of what he was treated for and when?  That's likely to be a huge factor in all of this.  You can't figure something out without all the pieces being there.

Reglan is an anti-nausea drug. 

How is Jack doing?