Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 1/23/2012

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jana,

My dog is 5 years old and she is a Brittany Spaniel. For the past few months she has been vomiting this yellow bile. Last night she vomited a yellow bile and today she did it twice. I have been feeding her Science Diet sensitive stomach dog food and I pour water over it to make it easier to digest. She hasn't ate at all today and she only ate once yesterday. She also will gag and act like she is going to vomit but nothing comes out. I am very worried about her. She also hates to eat her dog food. I have asked my parents to take her to the vet but they refuse. My parents think that the problem is that she needs to exercise more. It's very cold here and she doesn't get out much. What do you think the problem is? If it is something serious I will talk to my parents and hopefully get her to the vet.

Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Kylie,

Your dog is most likely suffering from gastritis. This can be a very painful condition and it is characterized by vomiting, not eating well and the yellow bile she is vomiting up.

She isn't disliking her food, because you have her on the best diet available out there- but right now she needs a bit of a different diet to get her over this bought of gastro-intestinal pain and vomiting. She could also have pancreatitis, which is very, very serious and is usually caused by people feeding human food to a dog now and then. Pieces of bacon, ham, a little bit of left over dinner, even getting into the cat food, can cause this potentially fatal disease.

She doesn't want to go outside either because she is in PAIN. That is why she won't eat or do much.

Your parents really need to get her to the vets ASAP, preferably today!! This is the kind of condition that can get really serious really fast- especially since it's been cooking in her for a few months.

Call the vet and make the appointment yourself, then tell your parents that you and her need a ride there. Maybe they will realize how serious you are. If that is a bad approach, print out what I said and tell them.

She really needs to see a vet SOON!!
Please let me know how she does once she has seen the vet. Take care!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jana,

I just talked to my parents and I showed them the message from you. Our vet is closed on the weekends so we will be taking her to the vet on Tuesday.

Thanks so much for helping me convince my parents that my dog might be/is sick and for all the advice!

ANSWER: You are very welcome Kylie. Please let me know how she does. In the meantime, cut back on her food a little and mix some white boiled rice into her dinner. The rice is bland and soothing to the stomach. This might help her feel a bit better until she can go to the vets.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jana,

Just thought I would let you know that I brought my dog into the vet today and they did an exam on her, did some blood work, and an x-ray. We found out that she has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. We got some new dog food and medication. Hopefully she gets better! Thanks for all the help.

Kylie

Answer
Thanks for letting me know Kylie. Sounds like you were right all along! She will get better as long as she stays on that new food and doesn't get any treats.

I am really, really happy that your parents took her in and were willing to have some tests done on her. You are all good pet owners!!

I hope that she will get well soon and that you and her can have many fun years together!!

Thanks again for the follow up.

Jana