Re: Charlie being sick Oh dear he's not on any meds or supplements is he? let us know how it goes....
Re: Charlie being sick Just his joint supplements. I've ruled out the time after exercise etc (50g of kibble 30mins after a lead walk should not make a healthy dog sick). I'm pretty sure it's a bug. OH in big trouble for not taking a poo sample in yesterday. I think the common is just so, so, very busy with other dogs they can pick up all manner of bugs. Can't wait to get him back to Cornwall for the summer.
Re: Charlie being sick Hope Charlie recovers soon - it's such a worry when they're ill isn't it. I wonder if there's a bug going around as it took Molly nearly a week to get properly well from her stomach upset - she would seem better for half a day or so and then deteriorate again. (Thankfully really well now.)
Re: Charlie being sick Hope Charlie gets better soon. Let us know what vet says. They're such a worry to us, bless them.
Re: Charlie being sick I got to see my most favourite labrador owning vet (don't always get to see him, as there are a few vets at the practice, and I don't have confidence in all of them). Anyway, he spent ages with us, nearly 45 minutes (which is one reason I like him) going through everything. No chance this is related to the long period on metacam - if it had been, poo and vomit would be black/tarry and contain blood. And it would have happened before, not 5 weeks after stopping the metacam. Big phew! Very, very unlike to be the joint supplements - would have happened before. It's either: Just "mechanical" eg eating food too fast and so on, but Charlie has always inhaled his food. It's still possible though, because of his restricted diet which is fed largely in kongs, and he has always been fed in a bowl on the days he has been sick. But a bit unlikely because if this is the cause dogs are usually sick right away, and Charlie has been sick 20 to 30 minutes after food. Or A bug. Or An irritated stomach lining, perhaps related to a very low volume of food and so too much stomach acid produced. He was vomiting bile today, after his tummy was empty. So he is now on Royal Canin sensitive for a while, in 3 meals a day, plus Zantac and the vet gave OH two pairs of disposable gloves, looked him in the eye, and told him to bring in a poo sample on Monday. ;D ;D ;D He has just had 40g in a kong wobbler, ate it slowly, and is fine for now. If we rule out a bug, and he stops vomiting, then Charlie will change food (from junior) in the next month anyway so we'll decide what he moves onto - something with a higher volume for the same calories. Had a long chat with the vet about this. He said Royal Canin, Hills, or James Wellbeloved were what he recommended (he sells Royal Canin, but feeds Hills as that's whathis dog has always been on, and recommends both). He went into great detail about the research programmes of these companies, and I thought he had genuinely looked into this in some depth. He said he would never recommend a raw diet if he thought the owner would try to keep the costs down by feeding poor quality or not the freshest meat, and that's often the main reason vets say not to feed raw. Which I thought was really interesting. He said since he reckoned I wouldn't do that, there was no reason not to feed a raw food diet. He said raw meaty bones were fine, but said there was a risk of perforating the stomach - and it was all very well to say dingos and village dogs eat bones, but they have a life expectancy of about three years, and it's easy to do the maths of increasing risk for a dog expected to live between 13 and 16 years. Anyway, I don't know what diet I'm going to feed next now!
Re: Charlie being sick It's a big worry for you Julie, on top of everything else. I certainly wouldn't consider swapping to raw until his stomach issue has cleared up completely.
Re: Charlie being sick Julie, have you thought of scattering Charlie's remaining food on the floor or on a flat tray which reduces inhaling? My Charlie could inhale 450 g of food in a matter of seconds now he is much slower with the use of a tray. Glad it's nothing serious for your boy. xx
Re: Charlie being sick Sounds like it could be similar to Riley's problem a little way back.... The vet felt it probably started as a bug but he irritated his stomach with the vomiting and grass eating that he just couldn't get right again. We went onto sensitive stomach wet food from the vet which gradually got us back onto an even keel. Took a week or two but he's been pretty robust since (fingers crossed ) Hoping everything works out quickly for you and my chocolate chum x
Re: Charlie being sick [quote author=charlie link=topic=5730.msg75654#msg75654 date=1399729903] Julie, have you thought of scattering Charlie's remaining food on the floor or on a flat tray which reduces inhaling? My Charlie could inhale 450 g of food in a matter of seconds now he is much slower with the use of a tray. Glad it's nothing serious for your boy. xx [/quote] Yes, Charlie very rarely gets to see his bowl, it's really, really unusual for him to have his food this way - it's was just a rushed schedule on a few mornings recently. It might be the speed of eating, although the vet though he would have been sick sooner if so, within 5 minutes. We'll feed in kongs and wobblers and find it's and see how we go.
Re: Charlie being sick [quote author=bbrown link=topic=5730.msg75656#msg75656 date=1399730108] Sounds like it could be similar to Riley's problem a little way back.... The vet felt it probably started as a bug but he irritated his stomach with the vomiting and grass eating that he just couldn't get right again. [/quote] Yes, it very well could be, I think the vet was coming down on the side of stomach irritation. A bit, anyway.
Re: Charlie being sick Glad you got plenty of time to go through everything....if the RC sensitive is the same as the gastro,Dex does really well on it.....although I know it's had a bit of a negative bashing this week on another thread :-\ I hope he gets over it in the next couple of days so he can enjoy the extra off lead excercise he's earning by handling his post op recovery so well to Charlie xxx
Re: Charlie being sick There is a bug going round; just had a very big dog show here in Malvern, a 4 day show and some of the dogs were walked where a friend and I walk ours, both had loose poo and were sick a couple of times. So the bug could be all over the country! Try not to worry as long as Charlie stays happy, it is when they refuse to eat and look lethargic it is more serious and perhaps need an antibiotic.
Re: Charlie being sick Glad to hear that it is nothing to worry about. We had a problem with one of ours eating ( or should I say inhaling food) to quickly, we tried one of these and she still uses it today. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europet-Ber...399731029&sr=1-15&keywords=slow+feed+dog+bowl
Re: Charlie being sick [quote author=Karen link=topic=5730.msg75651#msg75651 date=1399729800] I certainly wouldn't consider swapping to raw until his stomach issue has cleared up completely. [/quote] Exactly what the vet said - get him settled, then decide what to do. So I'll keep him on the royal Canin sensitive until I decide (no point going back to junior then onto something else). Angela, I think Royal Canin is good food, with a wide range to choose from, depending on what suits your dog. I looked into the company, and I think they are a company with a good spend on well conducted research, with reasonable ethical standards. Kibble is what it is, it's a processed food including some form of carbohydrate. I prefer a scientific approach to making processed food than any other. I think if I swap it will be to raw, not a different kibble.
Re: Charlie being sick Hi Julie, Glad its nothing to serious, he sounds like a good vet. Look at all the stuff Pippa has put on the website about raw feeding, its really informative, and she recommends some books one of which I have orderd. I know you are really good at researching. One intersting thing is that a raw diet is good for anal glands and teeth, i know Charlie had a problem with his anal glands recently. This isnt speculative, its fact. Although your vet is right about the stomach being perforated, it is extremely rare, I feed Oatsy a small amount of fruit and veg to help the passage of food. Bone is digested by powerful acids in the dogs stomach, and excreted as powder in poo. He makes a good point about the quality of meat, but we know consciientious you are so this shouldnt be a problem. Best not to change to a raw diet now, as you are doing, just lke kibble the change needs to be slow, and introduce different foods gradually. I think you might find it fun to do though, and have the satisfaction of knowing you are feeding your dog good nourishing food xx
