Intermittent Mild Vomiting

[desperate dane]

Hi DOL members

Just wondering if anyone has had a similar problem to this. Jolson my beautiful big black Dane has recently started intermittently having the following symptoms, most often when he's snoozing or lying down.I hear his stomach gurgling , then a gagging / cough, followed sometimes but not always by vomiting of clear egg white looking liquid. Not a huge amount, sometimes has a bit of residue in, once it looked like soil, but only just visible-there is no smell, or blood evident. Other than looking a bt sheepish when it happens, he doesn;t seem to have any other problem. We do have a palm tree from next door which is dropping the small brown seed pods and one time I saw something that could have been a bit of pod in the vomit-but nothing more. Been to the vet for a check up and his heart lungs etc all clear, no sign of obstructions, temp up a little bit so amoxyclav and metacam for 5 days. Symptoms went away for a week but have now returned. He eats well, wants to walk, will play with the other Dane, is otherwise fine, not any more lethargic than usual for a 10 year old Dane.....His weight is stable at around 65kg. If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences I would really welcome hearing about them. I will have to take him back for blood work if it doesn't subside, but was thinking about trying him on zantac, as the event is almost always preceded by a (loud) gurgly tummy. Thanks!

[Guest Ams]

I was thinking the same thing. May be reflux?

[pipsqueak]

one of our dogs vomits clear/bile if I am late with their breakfast, as for some reason for him an empty tum causes it. can you feed smaller more frequent meals so his tum isn't empty?

[desperate dane]

Thanks for your responses, Ams and futuredogtrainer :)

I have wondered about reflux, as it's more common when he's lying down.

The smaller meals option is one I hadn't thought of, I'll try to take note of when in the day it happens in relation to his feed, and see if it might be an empty tum causing more stomach acid, so smaller more frequent meals might help him. Both Danes always gets fed morning and evening, at roughly the same time each day

[BlackJaq]

What do you feed? Sorry if you already said and I missed it

[desperate dane]

What do you feed? Sorry if you already said and I missed it

Hi BlackJaq

They both have IAMS large breed/ chicken necks/fresh vegetables. When we first rescued them (both arrived at the same time) Jolson was 4 yrs old and Frankie was a rescue aged 18 months) it was hard to find something they would both eat and would suit them, but this seems to be fine.

[BlackJaq]

I am asking because my dog (Weimaraner) sometimes seems to do the same thing and I have put it down to acid reflux. She will sometimes do it if OH slips her table scraps or when she eats a lot of lamb for some reason. There must be other triggers but it happens very rarely so I don't honestly know what they are lol

There are others on this forum who know way more than me about diet and I'd say they will pop in at some stage, but I would also assume it to be acid reflux and maybe try to take notes or pay extra attention on what comes before the vomiting. Excessive exercise too close before dinner will sometimes do it to ours, too

If you take notes it might be easier to figure out if there is something triggering it that you might not have noticed before

Edited May 27, 2013 by BlackJaq

[minimax]

Try posting in the Dane thread too, there are some great knowledgeable Dane people in there.

[trinabean]

I am asking because my dog (Weimaraner) sometimes seems to do the same thing and I have put it down to acid reflux. She will sometimes do it if OH slips her table scraps or when she eats a lot of lamb for some reason. There must be other triggers but it happens very rarely so I don't honestly know what they are lol

There are others on this forum who know way more than me about diet and I'd say they will pop in at some stage, but I would also assume it to be acid reflux and maybe try to take notes or pay extra attention on what comes before the vomiting. Excessive exercise too close before dinner will sometimes do it to ours, too

If you take notes it might be easier to figure out if there is something triggering it that you might not have noticed before

Noting down the daily routine is a great idea. I have a daily diary of food and medications given/ applied and always note any vomiting/diahorria. It's the only way I can remember if I've given all his medications. As an added bonus, it shows some patterns that are helpful for the vet, as my dog has a few health problems (and some of the symptoms overlap).

As Futuredogtrainer already mentioned, some dogs vomit if they have an empty tummy for too long. My dog does this. I feed several smaller meals a day and try not to run late with breakfast. The 'clear egg white' vomit with no smell' you described, is the sort of vomit my dog does when his tummy is empty.

I agree with Minimax too, ask the people in the Dane thread about it.