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Intermittent Bile Vomiting In The Mornings


Guest hanko
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Guest hankodie

so Hank has been having issues lately with vomiting bile in the mornings. It occurs only in the mornings before breakfast, the vomit is usually bright yellow and contains no food. It starts out the same, he will get up and start wretching and eventually vomit up bile.

I'll put these points into a list to keep it concise:

* he occasionally had this issue as a pup. It only got worse recently, I'd say in the past couple of months.

* I thought it might of been his food (holistic select coastal catch) so I switched him to blackhawk this week which seems to have made it worse.

* appetite and behaviour both fine. He puts on weight fine. Eats with gusto and stools are all very normal/healthy looking.

* I have tried the feeding him late thing but I can't tell if it makes a difference or not - he gets fed every day around 8 in the mornings. Dinner is anywhere from 6-8.

* and yes, I've been to the vet just last week. Did not see my regular vet so I might go back. Vet was quite vague (I guess it is a rather vague issue) and told me to switch foods.

Any ideas or help is much appreciated.

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Does he get fat at all? I.e. Chicken skin, bacon, etc?

The reason I asked is that our girl vomits when given any type of fat, including chicken skin. Now all fat is removed and she rarely vomits, instead of every morning like she used to.

Edited by poochmad
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vague vets are worse than someone who says "Sorry , can't help with this - maybe go see vet x " :( My suggestion is to feed a bland hard biscuit or two late at night . I have had this problem with one of my dogs - and it never happened again :) I used the bonio things - a couple of them ...

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Could it be hunger? Gus has been known to have a vom when he's really hungry if breakie is late.

Maybe something to line the tummy isn't a bad idea?

I saw an awesome recipe for sweet potato dog bikkies the other day if you feel like baking.... :D

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Guest hankodie

Thanks all. DOL minds to the rescue as always.

Poochmad he gets the occasional sneaky treat but it's definitely not a routine thing. His weight at the moment is good - could be a touch leaner but he's definitely not overweight.

I think I've tried the biscuit thing on occasion but I need to pay more attention and make a note of if it works. Will try that this week.

Perse I wasn't very impressed with the vet. She went from very vague to telling me to go to a specialist to stick a camera down his stomach :eek: I would do anything for my dogs but I think I want to exhaust all the non-invasive avenues before going down that one.

Trying not to be alarmist here, as some of you know Odie is a sick puppy and anything remotely "wrong" sends me into a bit of a panic overdrive :o

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I hate how the default for some vets is to say change foods! If you have done a hard change to BH then I'd expect to see some more stomach upset while he adjusts but frankly I'd leave him on the better quality food that he was on.

I have heard of other dogs doing this and feeding a very late night snack/ supper helped out.

If you want a more pragmatic vet and don't mind the drive to Sydney then go see Ian Murdoch at Pennant Hills Vet - he starts at the bottom and works up ruling things out.

Edited by Danois
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One of my dogs has bilious vomiting syndrome. But in Maxie's case he doesn't always vomit, it's more the nausea and abdominal pain/discomfort. It started a few months ago and gradually got worse. It got to the stage where some nights he couldn't go overnight without food (despite feeding late before bed) so I was getting up during the night to feed him. Blood tests were fine so he was put on a two week course of ranitidine, and during that time I gradually extended out the time without food. He's finished the ranitidine and now goes 8 or 9 hours without food, and he's only had one instance of it since.

If the problem continues or gets worse with Maxie (touch wood it doesn't) then he'll have an ultrasound, possibly xray, which is really just to rule things out, ranitidine and/or other medication, and last resort would be endoscope and biopsy.

So a few things you can try before you get to the endoscope stage!

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Guest hankodie

Thanks guys, I have heard that blackhawk is rather hit and miss, should I put him back on holistic select maybe? The main protein source for that was fish.

It might be due to hunger since there's never anything in the vomit except for bile so he is definitely vomiting on an empty tummy

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Guest hankodie

One of my dogs has bilious vomiting syndrome. But in Maxie's case he doesn't always vomit, it's more the nausea and abdominal pain/discomfort. It started a few months ago and gradually got worse. It got to the stage where some nights he couldn't go overnight without food (despite feeding late before bed) so I was getting up during the night to feed him. Blood tests were fine so he was put on a two week course of ranitidine, and during that time I gradually extended out the time without food. He's finished the ranitidine and now goes 8 or 9 hours without food, and he's only had one instance of it since.

If the problem continues or gets worse with Maxie (touch wood it doesn't) then he'll have an ultrasound, possibly xray, which is really just to rule things out, ranitidine and/or other medication, and last resort would be endoscope and biopsy.

So a few things you can try before you get to the endoscope stage!

Oh thank you Kayla this is so helpful! Yes I remember the vet did mention something about medication. Does maxie have a normal appetite?

That reminds me, another thing I forgot to mention is I got Hankie's bloods done and they came back fine, nothing sinister going on there which is good.

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Yes Maxie has a very good appetite! The only time he doesn't is when he is nauseous during one of the morning episodes.

My vets recommended ranitidine over other meds because ranitidine inhibits stomach acid as well as helping motility.

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I hate how the default for some vets is to say change foods! If you have done a hard change to BH then I'd expect to see some more stomach upset while he adjusts but frankly I'd leave him on the better quality food that he was on.

I have heard of other dogs doing this and feeding a very late night snack/ supper helped out.

If you want a more pragmatic vet and don't mind the drive to Sydney then go see Ian Murdoch at Pennant Hills Vet - he starts at the bottom and works up ruling things out.

HO did not see her regular vet at the clinic, no need to be driving to Sydney when Michael Jones is the best vet on the coast. I know this as I've been going to Michael for 20 years.

HO go back and see Michael or maybe Antony, I think you usually see Antony anyway don't you? and make sure Michael knows you were not impressed with who you saw and why. Hope you get it sorted.

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Guest hankodie

Thanks Kayla, I will definitely write that down and mention it for the next vet visit. Bought some plain biscuits so I'll see how I go with that.

Thanks for the rec danois. Hazy yes I usually see Anthony who is fantastic and very thorough, I'm really fond of him as he was so supportive and fantastic when Odie was first diagnosed. I also see Michael when I can't get in with Anthony and he is also awesome. Couldn't get in with either of them last week as it was really busy so ill schedule another appointment soon.

Neither one of them speak to me like I'm an idiot, they use medical terminology and not fluffy owner speak which I'm very grateful for.

I might give it a week and see how I go feeding him a snack. I'm sure playing around with his food didn't help either like danois said

Edited by hankodie
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I hate how the default for some vets is to say change foods! If you have done a hard change to BH then I'd expect to see some more stomach upset while he adjusts but frankly I'd leave him on the better quality food that he was on.

I have heard of other dogs doing this and feeding a very late night snack/ supper helped out.

If you want a more pragmatic vet and don't mind the drive to Sydney then go see Ian Murdoch at Pennant Hills Vet - he starts at the bottom and works up ruling things out.

HO did not see her regular vet at the clinic, no need to be driving to Sydney when Michael Jones is the best vet on the coast. I know this as I've been going to Michael for 20 years.

HO go back and see Michael or maybe Antony, I think you usually see Antony anyway don't you? and make sure Michael knows you were not impressed with who you saw and why. Hope you get it sorted.

Good to know but obviously information that I could not have known. Never heard of Michael Jones - all HO said was she saw a vet who was vague but was not her usual vet.

Edited by Danois
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I also have a boy here who bile vomits if he gets his breakfast last. I feed him his joint supplements at nights (we call them his lollies) and that pretty much stops it. I would definitely try a small snack before bed for a week or two and see how he goes.

Re the Blackhawk, my girl did ok on it, but Cooper skin was shocking so both are on Canidae and raw.

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Thanks guys, I have heard that blackhawk is rather hit and miss, should I put him back on holistic select maybe? The main protein source for that was fish.

It might be due to hunger since there's never anything in the vomit except for bile so he is definitely vomiting on an empty tummy

When You pick a kibble get one with a lower fat% as fat increases the stomach acids, Have you looked at "Holistic Select" Grainfree Adult/Puppy Salmon Anchovy & Sardine meal sold at Pet Stock & Pet Barn or on-line, its easy to digest & the fat% is only 13% fat & protein is 28%, here's their link, http://www.holisticselect.com/product.aspx?pet=dog&cat=5&pid=71#guaranteed-analysis also I give a snack at 9pm low fat biscuits & feed 3 small meals a day instead of just the 2 meals a day that way there's something in the stomach, so the acid doesn't start noring at the stomach, also Zantac (Ranitidine) not the 12 hour tablets the normal Zantac, 1/3 tablet for a 18 kilo dog, its given 1 hour before food every 12 hours only, see vet if after changing food to a lower fat% doesn't help.

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vague vets are worse than someone who says "Sorry , can't help with this - maybe go see vet x " :( My suggestion is to feed a bland hard biscuit or two late at night . I have had this problem with one of my dogs - and it never happened again :) I used the bonio things - a couple of them ...

I agree with perse and others, mine always get a late night snack half hour before bedtime and they no longer get upset tummies in the morning.

I use what ever treat I have and as a last resort a ham sandwich does the job.

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