Duke is my awesome new German Boxer pup whom I have already posted a few questions about. As soon as I can get the camera/picture/internet thing figured out I will post an intro. He is 17 weeks old and developing really well. He is about 30 lbs right now and growing more every day. I am feeding THK Embark twice a day once when I get home in the morning (Appx. 0700 hours) and once in the afternoon (Appx. 1600 hours, However this varies from day to day from 1400-1700).

The question:

Over the past two weeks or so he has vomited in his crate at night approximately five times. The vomit is a white liquid usually about the size of a McDonalds sausage patty (only thing I could think of sorry). There are no chunks or anything. I'm sure with all the incredibly knowledgable people on this site someone has seen this and can help me out.

If there is information that is missing that will help with the puzzle let me know. Is this a major medical concern? An indication of disease or medical condition? Should I add something to his food? Should I change his feeding schedule? Is it possible that he is picking up little sticks/rocks/pebbles/dirt/etc. that I am missing and the vomiting is a result of that?

Well I just got home and he refused to eat. he's taken a couple treats and licked peanut butter out of a kong but he sniffed his food and then just sat there and looked at me. I tried to give him food three times and each time he just sat there and looked at me. He did have his 2nd lyme vaccine and his Rabies on saturday morning... Could that effect his eating and the vomiting? Could it be the teething?

Josh,

Get him to a vet and get him checked out. There is no way to diagnose things over the internet, and why would you take that chance with your beloved puppy?

It could be nothing, but it could be something, and the sooner you know, the better.

good luck,
leih

Lyme and rabies together?

The vomiting could maybe be bile vomiting (empty-stomach vomiting) from the description, but we'd need details of timing.

But not eating -- second vote for vet, as Leih says, and right away.

Let us know!

I was already thinking vet but being labor day I wasn't sure whether it could wait. After reading your post I took him to the local 24hr vet hospital and learned that (as I kind of suspected after hours on the internet) he appears to have an intestinal blockage of some kind. The vet says it appears to be in his large intestine and she thinks that he will pass it, so surgery might not be needed. He's on a no food no water diet with SQ liquid injections. The vet said to walk him every 2 hours to induce bowl movements and keep an eye on his stool (if any) for the foriegn object. If he vomits more than once, becomes lethargic or starts developing pain in his abdomen then we go back to the vet.

It appears that the vomiting over the last 2 weeks might just be related to an empty stomach or some other factor (that's my guess not the vet's). I want to thank everyone on this site for all the many posts and great advice. I am typically the one to say Walk it off, He'll get over it, leave it alone and it'll fix itself. If it wasn't for this site Duke would probably be in a much worse situation. (anyone reading this in the future should note that Duke showed almost no signs of distress other than what was described. He has been running jumping playing fetching etc.

I've owned dogs since I was an early teen and I knew nothing about issues like intestinal obstructions, bloat, etc until getting on this forum. USE THIS SITE AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH YOUR DOG MIGHT DEVELOP)

Thanks...Duke says thanks too

Good catch, Leih.

Josh, that's what the board is for: to pass on its collective wisdom and experience and hope that the less experienced owner will read and consider.

The best thing that can happen to all the folks here who donate their time and energy to giving suggestions to others is to read a post like this. Then they know it's all worth it.

Please keep us posted.

And please stay in contact with the vet, checking for hydration and reporting immediately if you see signs of dehydration (as well as signs of lethargy, distension, or discomfort).

17 weeks is what... four months? He should be eating at least 3 times daily if possible.

 Quote: Angela Burrell

17 weeks is what... four months? He should be eating at least 3 times daily if possible.

You're addressing the possible bile-vomiting, right? (Not the apparent obstruction)

Hi again, Josh,

I'm so glad you took him in. It's always better to know what you're dealing with, and with the refusal to eat, it was just too suspicious not to have professional help.

Of course, the Rule of Puppies is that they get sick on the holiday. I commend you for taking him to the emergency vet, because a lot of people would have wanted to avoid that extra expense and just "wait and see" until Tuesday. Sadly, that's how you can end up with a very sick (or worse) puppy.

I hope his obstruction passes and nothing else is needed. Do let us know.

leih

We're still waiting for a BM. Keep us in your prayers. I actually did the math and he is 18 weeks today. I was feeding him 3x a day however we were having problems with him eleminating in the crate so the vet suggested we reduce his meals to two times a day. We actually increased his daily intake at that time though. I am feeding him 3.5-3 cups of THK Embark a day (that is the dry mesurement, I'm not sure what the amount is after its prepaired) Of course per the vets orders we aren't feeding him anything right now. She said to try 1/2 a cup of water around 2200 and see if he keeps it down. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep today and I'm boin back in to work tonight. I will be back with an update when I can.