17 Month Old Black Lab Acting Strangely, Stomach Upset?

[5tumpy]

Hi All,

As above, my girl is a Black Lab, 17 months old, usually a really happy go lucky type of dog. She's an outside dog at the moment, although she has the run of the laundry (but everything in the laundry that she could get into is 6 foot off the ground).

This evening, she's been pretty sooky, I keep hearing her whimpering loudly, which is unusual for her. If I go out there with her, and give her a scratch, she's her normal, jumpy, hyperactive self. She's off her food, and I can see a couple of vomits on the grass. I've checked her stomach, she feels a little firm, but not visibly so. My wife thinks that she just has a upset stomach, but I'm not convinced, there's something nagging at me to not let her out of my sight...

My question is, do these symptoms sound like something to worry about? Is there anything in particular that I should be looking for in terms of further symptoms?

Thank you in advance!

[MissMonaro]

Check her mouth to make sure she has nothing stuck in her teeth or the roof of her mouth that is causing her distress.

Also you said she can get into the laundry........by some chance could she have gotten hold of a sock ??

My labs are notorious sock theives and will eat them if given half a chance.

I'd be keeping an eye on her too. My labs rarely whinge for no reason at all.

[persephone]

What was the vomit like,... runny, frothy, a lot, coloured yellow/red/black.......... and could you see anything in it???

Close inspection can be VERY informative!!

[Erny]

This evening, she's been pretty sooky, I keep hearing her whimpering loudly, which is unusual for her. ... She's off her food, and I can see a couple of vomits on the grass. I've checked her stomach, she feels a little firm...

These are the bits that would concern me, as they do you too.

• "firm belly" .... is it like a drum? Not a conclusive test, but place your index and middle finger side by side and rest them to the side of the belly. Now tap firmly on your two fingers with the same fingers of your other hand. Does it sound hollow, drum like?
  
• What's in the vomit? Food and bile? Or just froth?
  
• Is she drinking?
  
• Does she have a temperature?
  
• Has she pooped recently? If so, is the poop normal?
  

I am thinking possibly these things, although I don't wish to have you panicking for no reason as (a) I can't see your dog and (b) I am not a Vet :

• Bloat - this is an urgent condition and needs immediate Veterinary attention.
  
• Blockage - depending on what it is and where it is as to whether it manages to 'move' through the system. Still something that deserves Veterinary attention asap.
  
• Stomach bug. Might need antibiotics.
  

It could be nothing. But I am inclined to let myself trust my instincts, even though sometimes they are wrong I have been thankful when I haven't ignored them on other occasions. I can only suggest you do the same. You know your dog better than any of us. There's no shame in being wrong and getting professional help to tell you that your dog is fine.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Erny

[5tumpy]

This evening, she's been pretty sooky, I keep hearing her whimpering loudly, which is unusual for her. ... She's off her food, and I can see a couple of vomits on the grass. I've checked her stomach, she feels a little firm...

These are the bits that would concern me, as they do you too.

• "firm belly" .... is it like a drum? Not a conclusive test, but place your index and middle finger side by side and rest them to the side of the belly. Now tap firmly on your two fingers with the same fingers of your other hand. Does it sound hollow, drum like?
  
• What's in the vomit? Food and bile? Or just froth?
  
• Is she drinking?
  
• Does she have a temperature?
  
• Has she pooped recently? If so, is the poop normal?
  

I am thinking possibly these things, although I don't wish to have you panicking for no reason as (a) I can't see your dog and (b) I am not a Vet :

• Bloat - this is an urgent condition and needs immediate Veterinary attention.
  
• Blockage - depending on what it is and where it is as to whether it manages to 'move' through the system. Still something that deserves Veterinary attention asap.
  
• Stomach bug. Might need antibiotics.
  

It could be nothing. But I am inclined to let myself trust my instincts, even though sometimes they are wrong I have been thankful when I haven't ignored them on other occasions. I can only suggest you do the same. You know your dog better than any of us. There's no shame in being wrong and getting professional help to tell you that your dog is fine.

Thanks for the quick replies guys! To be honest, with the firm belly, I think I may be just being paranoid, she seems be to be a little tender, but tapping it doesn't really create any noise.

The vomit was bright orange, and looked to me to be undigested food... The colour is also similar to some of her dry food... The vomit looks very similar to her poop, except for the clearly defined undigested food. In terms of her poop, it's hard to tell what's fresh and what's been there since Saturday when I did the last clean up, but nothing looks out of the ordinary there...

She's drinking a bit, not as much as usual, but going back for water as often as she normally would, just not taking as big a drink as normal...

To be honest, I have no idea how to check her temperature, but to the touch, she seems her normal "hot water bottle" self when sitting in my lap...

I don't think that she could have gotten a sock, although I know exactly what you mean, she loves them if we're not looking when doing the washing! And as far as I can tell, she's not eaten anything unusual, although we do have a few mice running around the place, but she's usually too scared of them to even try to get one.

We gave her some natural, plain unflavoured yoghurt for dinner, and she ate about half of that.

She's sitting here with me in her crate, curled up next to the heater at the moment, as it's pretty cold here in Penrith tonight, and hasn't whimpered for a while, so I'm starting to relax a little bit... Is there any other behaviours I should be watching out for as the night progresses?

[Erny]

It could be blockage (full or partial) .... and if faecal matter is vomitted it might suggest that it is in the lower GI tract. A distended abdomen can also be a symptom.

I would clean up your yard (tonight) so that you can keep it inspected for newer poops. That's the advantage of a daily clean up - you always know then what your dogs done (or not done) from day to day.

Dogs can still poop if it is a partial blockage. But I think the poop would be smaller and/or softer/runnier if this was the case. Don't take my word for it though.

So keep your eye on it and if she gives any hint of worsening and/or if she fails to poop, then I'd be getting her to a Vet.

If she's not drinking as much as normal, try adding some honey (Active Manuka Honey is good for them, but ordinary will do if you don't have any of that) to her water to see if that will encourage her to drink a bit more. Don't give her large quantities of water at a time as guzzling too much (which they sometimes will do because they like the taste of the honey) can be just as detrimental as not drinking enough.

Check her gums - are they pale or a normal, healthy looking pink?

Check for capillary refill response - press on the gum, it will go pale where the blood has left it as a result of the pressure of your finger, but should refill almost instantaneously. If it is slow to return, I'd get her to the Vet.

That's just me. I'm not a Vet. And I'm sometimes inclined to act even sometimes when there turns out to be no need to hurry. It is good that she's inside with you as you can keep a closer eye and ear out for her through the night.

ETA: A blockage can also cause painful/uncomfortable abdominal spasms. This might or might not be accompanied by a postering where the back appears a bit arched.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Erny

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i agree with everything Erny has said, especially about trusting your instincts and trusting your knowledge of your dog.

if you think she needs to go to the vet, take her now....i have previously ignored my gut instincts and have ended up taking the dog to the vet at 3:00am!!!

[Bullbreedlover]

Very good advice Erny.

I know when my Bullmastiff bitch ate her bedding her toilets became filtered(for want of a better word over a period of a day or so) which will happen if there is a blockage. And by god she digested a heap of bedding. She did vomit it back up on the same day we were going to operate on her.

Keep a close eye on her.

[dancinbcs]

I agree with "trust your instinct that something is wrong" and ring the vet now.

It may not be bloat or an obstruction but if it is you don't have any time to lose. Tomorrow morning could be too late.

Below are the symptoms of bloat or gastric torsion. If there is even a remote chance that this could be the problem get to a vet asap.

Typical symptoms often include some (but not necessarily all) of the following, according to the links below. Unfortunately, from the onset of the first symptoms you have very little time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) to get immediate medical attention for your dog. Know your dog and know when it's not acting right.

Attempts to vomit (usually unsuccessful); may occur every 5-30 minutes

This seems to be one of the most common symptoms & has been referred to as the "hallmark symptom"

"Unsuccessful vomiting" means either nothing comes up or possibly just foam and/or mucous comes up

Doesn't act like usual self

Perhaps the earliest warning sign and may be the only sign that almost always occurs

We've had several reports that dogs who bloated asked to go outside in the middle of the night. If this is combined with frequent attempts to vomit, and if your dog doesn't typically ask to go outside in the middle of the night, bloat is a very real possibility.

Significant anxiety and restlessness

One of the earliest warning signs and seems fairly typical

"Hunched up" or "roached up" appearance

This seems to occur fairly frequently

Lack of normal gurgling and digestive sounds in the tummy

Many dog owners report this after putting their ear to their dog's tummy.

If your dog shows any bloat symptoms, you may want to try this immediately.

Bloated abdomen that may feel tight (like a drum)

Despite the term "bloat," many times this symptom never occurs or is not apparent

Pale or off-color gums

Dark red in early stages, white or blue in later stages

Coughing

Unproductive gagging

Heavy salivating or drooling

Foamy mucous around the lips, or vomiting foamy mucous

Unproductive attempts to defecate

Whining

Pacing

Licking the air

Seeking a hiding place

Looking at their side or other evidence of abdominal pain or discomfort

May refuse to lie down or even sit down

May stand spread-legged

May curl up in a ball or go into a praying or crouched position

May attempt to eat small stones and twigs

Drinking excessively

Heavy or rapid panting

Shallow breathing

Cold mouth membranes

Apparent weakness; unable to stand or has a spread-legged stance

Especially in advanced stage

Accelerated heartbeat

Heart rate increases as bloating progresses

Weak pulse

Collapse

[5tumpy]

Thanks guys... Since I brought her in and put her in her crate with me, she's been asleep the whole time, just like usual... I've just put her back in the laundry... She hasn't shown any of the whimpering and hasn't vomited for hours, and is back to her normal self!

I tried to check her gums, and all she wanted to do was turn it into a game... LOL... I managed to check them out though, and nothing is any different than usual there... So looks like it might another case of a paranoid "father" with the woman always being right! lol

Thanks again for your help, some really, really valuable info there that I searched for hours for... Practical symptoms, not just the text book ones you see!

Bryce and Mackenzie (the Black Lab)

[Jen21]

Take your dog to the vet - everytime I have had a gut feeling something hasn't been right, there has been a reason to be concerned, and I've always been glad I took him to the Vet.

Vomiting for more than a day or being off his food would be enough of a reason for concern for me.

[puggy_puggy]

The ''whimpering loudly'' would be a concern to me.

A stomach bug with a few vomits, runny poo, off her food and sookyness wouldn't make me to worried but the fact that your girl is crying does make me think it's something more then a bug.

[persephone]

How is she going now?

[5tumpy]

She's back to her normal self today... When she wants our attention, she barks, not whimpers... LOL...

I went out and had a look around this morning, and she'd been eating grass as well, so she must've just eaten something that smelled good but didn't sit well!

Thanks again for your help guys!

[puggy_puggy]

Could have also been a tummy bug picked up from walks.

[persephone]

Glad to hear it! Take it easy with food for a day or so...

[MissMonaro]

glad to hear that she is feeling better

[Kirislin]

Glad she's OK but you were right to be concerned. Sounds like she did have an upset tummy and thankfully it's passed now. It's good that you are observant and know her moods and ways. Never just shrug it off, this probably wont be the last time she has an off day. You sound like a good "dad"