This week, my little pup Chloe has been throwing up every morning. Not the same way she would if she would've eaten a toy or something sketch in the back yard, she's been sick like clock work every morning when she wakes up. I hesitate in making a vet appointment every time she acts a little funny because we'd seriously be there every other week. On the other hand, I'd die if something happened to her so it's better to be safe than sorry. See the pickle I'm in? I'm sure it's the struggle every puppy (or baby) parent faces.
A few days ago I Googled her symptoms and All-Knowing Internet said she likely has an irritated stomach from not eating frequently enough. I scaled back the quantity of food I give her each day to 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening and increased the frequency. However, it didn't seem to help. Finally this morning - day 7 of the throwing up - I bit the bullet and called the vet.
Who's smarter you think - the folks at Google or the Animal Medical Clinic?
I think it's a tie.
The vet said the same thing I'd self-diagnosed. She seems to have an upset tummy from not eating frequently enough. And do you know what they prescribed her? Pepcid AC. Isn't that strange? I guess it doesn't hurt dogs. My co-worker suggested earlier today I give her some Pepto-Bismal. Maybe I should've done that and saved myself the $200 vet bill. At least they checked all her vitals and all tests came back normal.
So it sounds like she just needs to eat more to get better. The thing is, she's not one of those dogs who eats very much. Some dogs devour their dog food as fast as you dump it into their bowl. Chloe? She maybe eats a bite or two, maybe. So I'm not really sure what I can do to ensure she eats more frequently (aside from smearing peanut butter in her dish!).
Hope my little Chloe girl feels better soon. Breaks my heart so see her under the weather...
We have one like that here's what helped:
ReplyDeletePick a schedule and stick to it; for us we feed at 7 am and 7 pm. When we switched to 2X a day feeding instead of just letting him graze whenever he felt like it (or not) we'd put out the food for 15 minutes and if he didn't eat we'd take it away. After a week of getting hungry if he didn't eat at dinner/breakfast time he figured it out. On really bad days when I was worried about him not wanting to eat some yogurt mixed in with the dry food did the trick. And no treats until he was eating on a schedule. And be consistent- if you don't stick to it, neither will they.
And that is my unsolicited opinion on that.
Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try. The vet suggested I feed her once in the morning, when I get home from work and before bed so I think I'll try that ... but take the food away afterwards instead of letting it sit out all the time.
ReplyDeleteI hope she gets to feeling better soon! It is hard to have a sick pet - you just feel so bad for them - and it isn't like they can exactly tell you either : (
ReplyDelete