Astonishing Secrets: Vomiting & Sore tummies...

Every week, vets are getting phone calls and emails about pets who are vomiting, or who have sore tummies.



"I have never vomited up carrots, have you?"

Surprisingly, only half of these phone calls or emails are from people who actually think their pet needs to see a vet about this problem.  And maybe, they are right.

But, even as vets can sometimes underestimate the severity of a pet's tummy issue, and get sued for it, owners can too - and the worst they get is a very sick pet, out of pocket expenses trying to fix the problem at the vets, or a dead pet.

And we don't want any dead pets, or sued vets! Just  happy, healthy pets!

You'll remember that I mentioned in the earlier "Astonishing Secrets" posts, that this is not a "quick fix" post for your pet, but just some handy tips to help you  and your pet until you can get to see a vet.

And, the help your pet needs really depends on what the problem actually is.  Because the strange thing is,  vomiting is what we call a "non specific sign"... that is, so many different things can cause a pet to vomit, from old, or fatty foods, to a middle ear infection, and a million and one conditions in between, that the management of vomiting, tends to be equally "non specific", or what we call "symptomatic therapy"... you are treating the signs, not the disease that caused it.

Rabbits cannot vomit, but they can get
sore tummies.

Well, we all know that if you have a tyre that is constantly going flat, and all you to is pump it up full of air each time it deflates, that you are going to be doing alot of filling up, without actually getting anywhere.  And treating vomiting symptomatically is a bit like that.

As I've mentioned, it is about getting your pet comfortable before vets get a chance to examine them....

Please collect....

1. Your pet's food bowl
2. Your pet's water bowl.
3. All of your pets food and treats.

Place 1, 2 and 3 away from your pet for the time being.  Take it away, hide it up high, put it back in the cupboards.

Oh, and don't forget access to grass, treats, or anything else that they may want to gnaw on.

Why?

Well, think about how they may be feeling.  They may be feeling heartburn from the acid of the stomach contents from vomiting, or they may think that they brought up yummy pre-digested food, so they can go back to eat again.

But the problem comes when their stomach is not feeling any better, and they just continue to vomit up the stuff that they just drank and ate. And some pets will just eat their own vomit.... eeew! True, but eeeew!

And continued vomiting can make your pet worse, so let's not make it worse ourselves by giving them food and water too early!

Once the food is away, it is up to you.... Call your vet, make an appointment,  and  then observe your pet until you can get them in.....

An urgent vet visit is needed if...

1. They cry in pain prior to or just after vomiting
2. If their tummy looks like they are ready to drop puppies all in the matter of hours
3. If they continue to vomit, despite nothing to eat
4. If they just look awful.... they sound awful, and look awful.
5. If the vomiting is projectile - like in the horror movies!
6. Any blood, coffee ground looking appearance to the vomit, and definitely if it looks like bile! The vomit should never be yellow...

Strangely, though, I have never seen carrots in dog's vomit if they are on a commercial diet.... they  must've missed out on the carrot organ (lucky I guess).

Is there anything you can give your pet to help them if they are vomiting?   The best thing you can do is to do nothing... don't force food and water down them, as not wanting to eat when you have a gut ache is actually normal!

And forcing food down them can kill them.... what if they have an obstruction in their oesophagus, and can't swallow, what if they have  pancreatitis, with food stimulating further pancreatic damage. 

And the situations when a vet visit is needed sooner rather than later is if you have....

1. given your pet bones - cooked or raw, we don't like them for most of our pets. bones are not a natural diet.... meat, guts, vegetables, left over grains are the diet that our pets were domesticated on, not bones.
2. given your pet the leftovers from a BBQ, or ham, pork, fatty bits, or anything different

Dietary indiscretion is the most common reason why a pet will be sick.... not necessarily the most common reason why we, as vets, see them, as we don't see every single dog or cat that vomits.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am don't seem to be giving alot away?  It is because I want to stress the point that vomiting, whilst common, and in most cases, most pets cope, it can actually be a sign of something alot more serious, and we just don't know which group your pet may fall in to.

You'll remember I mentioned earlier that vets and owners can underestimate the problems that vomiting may be caused by?

Up to now, you have pulled up all food and water.  Had a serious look at what your pet has eaten or not eaten.  What do you do now?

How soon should you offer food?  How soon should you offer water?  What food?  What else can you give?

Frankly, I don't know the right answer for your pet!  There are no fixed, cook book rules here.  

And, the one who gives the instructions on what is the right time for stuff, is really, your vet..  Naturally, you'll want to offer alot of water, and the pet's normal food, and feel good when they eat.  Avoid that temptation though.

I think you will agree,  as you wouldn't start eating spicy food after a vomiting bug, neither should you feed your pet its normal food straight away.

Introducing food and water.....
I am going to assume here that you have taken your pet to the vet, and it has come back as  a primary gastroenteritis, and this needs home treatment.

1. Offer a small amount of water - I start with a tablespoon of water only - and I don't force the issue either.
2. Offer a small amount of cooked chicken or some other bland protein - like fish - it can be steamed, boiled with a bit of chicken stock - and I would start with about a tablespoon - or a teaspoon if it is a kitten or puppy.

And then I wait a few hours.

I wait, as I want to give an unhappy stomach, time to cope with getting back to the job of digesting food.  Is it up to it? Or is it going to start puking up again?

Once we know things are going to stay down, then over the next few days, I increase the amount of food, and feed maybe 4 times a day.  And I also add natural yoghurt too.... if the pet likes it.


So, a home made recipe for getting  a sore tummy on track...
1. Cooked rice -
2. Steamed or boiled shredded chicken - not raw!
3. Yoghurt to mix it through
4. And you can add it a bit of crumbled fresh bread, or finely chopped up cooked egg for extra flavour.

And feeding 4 smaller meals a day... and after 3 days slowly mix in the pets normal food.

And, of course, ALWAYS follow your own vets instructions, as they have your pet's best interest at heart!

If your vet says your pet needs blood tests, or surgery, then, yes, you can question them about whether it is necessary, but, as vets, we like to know what is going on... we don't like to try this and that, and hope that we grabbed the right treatment.

Just a word of caution - If your vet thinks your pet needs surgery, though, take their advice - very few vets want to open up a dog's abdomen, but all of us do it because we know we need to. We know that in many cases, if we delay intervention (for example, if your pet has an intestinal obstruction), then your pet may die. And we don't like dead pets.

Yours, for happy, healthy pets.... and hope you never need this advice!