I have a year and a half old chu/dasch mix. She is the sweetest.. adorable love bug. My problem is she is constantly vomiting. She could go many months without an episode, then will vomit for a few days. We have done everything, ct scans, x-rays, you name it. A problem can't be found. Sometimes there is diarrhea, but not always. You can actually hear her stomach churning when it's at its peak discomfort. Most of the vomiting takes place in the middle of the night. We feed her NO human food, and have her on California Natural dog food. Does anyone else have this kind of problem that may have been answered? We tried not feeding her after a certain time at night, and also feeding her small meals throughout the day.. I love this dog... as many of you know how that love is, but the anxiety, feelings that I am getting over her constant illness.. is unreal! For me it's an emotional toll, and for my husband the emotional and the financial burden is causing HUGE marriage problems. I am desperate... any advice? I talk to her vet weekly, and have been through 3 vets.. they are all scratching their heads.

One of my cats was this way with periodic vomiting and diarrhea. No one could figure out why. Finally, I kept a diary of what he ate and when, what activities he was involved in, how long he slept at various times during the day, his appearance (fur quality) and behavior--in other words, tried to get a snapshot of his life in my house. It turned out a certain type of catfood was causing this.

I hope you will be able to nail down the cause.

ayashe, if three vets can't figure it out, we certainly will be hard pressed to have a definite answer for you. Wondergirl's suggestion is a good one. Keep a journal. That is the best way to figure out what may be triggering it.

That being said, I will tell you that the same thing happens to my "permanent" dog on occasion (I do foster work). It usually happens first thing in the morning and can occur for a few days just once in the morning. So, when you say that she vomits for a few days, is it constant or is it irregular vomiting, once or twice a day, as my dog does? If your dog does what mine does, please don't make yourself sick with worry over this. Sometimes, they can pick up a little virus, or they have foraged something that we aren't aware of, or the air is too dry, or the air is too humid, etc... my point is it can be anything and it isn't a chronic health issue that can be easily diagnosed or fixed. The "fix" to the problem is that whatever is upsetting her stomach she is expelling, either through vomiting or if nothing comes up, it passes when she poops. If her blood panels and organ functions are normal, that is the most important thing.

The other thought I just had as I was typing this is, do you have any houseplants or plants outside that she might nibble on occasionally when you aren't watching her? That could cause this. OR, someone may have sneaked her some people food without your knowledge. Just make sure that everyone living in your home, or visiting, knows the rules, no people food, and tell them that you are strictly enforcing this due to the problem that your dog is experiencing.

ayashe, I hope you don't mind my posting your PM here. Administration expects us to respond publicly to any follow ups on a question so someone else who is experiencing the same issues, will benefit.
Thank you for your advice. The amount of vomiting always varies. Once it was so bad she was in the hospital for several days. Most other times, its only once or twice. She had a bowel movement today, that was not the healthiest looking, but I have been down that road with her as well. I made an appointment for her on Monday, and I hope she stays stable until then. She is playful and normal 99% of the time and then SLAM... very sick girl for a few hours. Thanks again.. and many blessings!
You are welcome. I am sorry that we can't give you a definite response. I do hope that she is fine through the weekend. Watching her feces is important when she is ill. Poop is the best indication to an owner of a dog's health. What you may want to do is pick up that BM that didn't look healthy with a plastic bag, and if your vet's office has hours this morning, call them and tell them that you are going to stop by and drop it off for a fecal exam. This way, they can see that you are not imagining this issue and might have some info waiting for you when you show up for your appointment on Monday. If they don't have office hours today, pick up that poop with a plastic bag and store it in a place that is cool and out of the way. Bring it with you on Monday for an exam.

I can't help thinking from your description of what is going on, that your little girl is managing to eating something that she shouldn't be. Please let us know how she is doing if you get a chance.

Has the vet raised the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease? If the log doesn't show some sort of trigger, that's what I'd be considering.

I am so beyond lost as to what to do with this dog! No matter how closely I watch her, she will SEEK out something to eat that she shouldn't. I take this dog with me EVERYWHERE I go, or kennel her, to even do the basics, such as shower or housework, because I am afraid to turn my back on her. I vacuum and sweep my floors 4-6 times a day, to keep the kids from "dropping" anything she may find. Tonight I am cooking dinner, turn around and the dog is a chomping away on something, I have NO idea what. I pray, it was just a piece of dinner the kids dropped when making their plates. The dog has to be OCD, something? :?! She had been doing better, and then tonight had a bowel movement that was very ugly. It was yellowish, and mucous based. I tried to collect some of the bm, but it was dark outside, and I stumbled and fell ( I have just had knee surgery) so needless to say, I am not sure I got a proper collection. Going to keep the appointment tomorrow, and hope for the best. Thanks for all your advice!

ayashe, I hope you are okay! Please put your own health above scraping up your dog's bm. The coloring suggests to me that your dog ate something that has passed through her system. Some dogs are just little "hoovers" and are constantly looking for food and it sounds like yours is one of them. With children around, you know that the dog will get lucky quite often and there is only so much you can do. The problem is that she is so little and a small amount of fatty food or one of the human foods that are considered poison to a dog's system, can make her very sick.

Let us know how it goes at the vet. Depending on what happens, we may need to discuss the training you have done with your little girl. She needs to know that when you tell her "no" or "drop" she is supposed to leave whatever it is she is picking up. When you are cooking dinner, if you have a little doggy bed in your kitchen, you need to direct her to go lie down on the bed and stay. Do not allow her to beg at the table. It sounds like you may be treating your dog like another child and that is very confusing to a dog. The way they view the world is quite different from the way we view ours. They want a strong leader who will give them directions. I think the reason you might be getting so stressed is because you are trying to get your work done while you have children and a dog underfoot who don't always listen to you. When you get a chance, I want you to take a look at this link and see how many of the steps you are following to let your dog know that you are the top dog: Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm) If you think those rules are too strict, think about how your dog interacts with your husband. How is the dog's response to your husband different from her response to you and your children?

I think I forgot to mention that I actually have 5 dogs under foot! It does get stressful, and hubby and I have discussed placing the 3 smaller dogs in the kennel during food preparing and meal times ( for many reasons, and one being I am tripping all over them with my bad knee) we do not allow begging, they do not sit at our table, but they do indeed hoover around under the table and in the kitchen, and with 4-5 kids in my house at anytime, your right they get lucky all too often. I am going to read that link you sent me as soon as I get back from the Vet today, because in many ways I do treat her as a child, I adore her FAR too much ( I know many say this isn't possible but it is, and the reasoning behind the strong attachment to her is long) but one of the main reasons I take her every where and watch her so closely, is if I don't it seems she gets into something, and is sick for a few days, and I am trying very hard to avoid that from happening again. When I am not home and we do have to leave her, she is placed into a crate ( crate training I started on the very first night we brought her home) and actually she now has company since I brought in 2 other small dogs, and it makes leaving her a little easier. She gets along great with all our family members, and does "drop it" on command, but she's FAST and often hoovers it in before I can get the words out. She really does seek out anything to put in her mouth, my family jokingly calls her the "tweaker" because that is how she behaves. Now I know some of it is lack of exercise (since my accident walking her is now harder to do) and she was used to walking long distances with me and it suddenly stopped for her. ( Recovery is going well and soon we will get back on that routine).. I will let you know what the Vet says in the next few days, but let me tell you how much of a relief just having you guys to talk to has been, the support alone, has been amazing, BLESS YOU ALL!

Took Missy in today to the vet, and she was put on antibiotics, pepcid, and a cottage cheese/rice diet for a week. Stool sample will be sent off, and crossing my fingers, no bad news. The vet seems to think Missy got into something, but if she gets sick again in the next few months, it's time for the dog to see a Internal Medicine Doctor. Her stools are still very unhealthy looking, and her stomach sounds, at times can be loud... it seems when it's time to lay down and sleep and be inactive, her stomach really begins its rumbles.

Ayashe, from your description I am pretty sure she ate something that she shouldn't have. I know it can be hard to do but you have to have a serious talk with your children regarding being careful with food and giving Missy absolutely no people food, and other items that are poison to a dog's system. It is important to keep her that bland diet only, no treats, then if she gets past this hurdle, keeping her on her chow only. As much as it pains you, I think it will be a good idea to either crate the dogs or just shut them out of the kitchen, during meal times. Check the floors after everyone is done eating and all the dishes are put away. If there is a health issue outside of her getting into something, the vets need to be able to isolate it. If it is food or foraging outside, then you will be resolving her issues by closely monitoring her intake. I know it is hard to see what small dogs are eating outside, especially when you have so many dogs, but you need to keep an eye on her. I don't know how old your children are, but I am assuming they are young. With the older ones, see if you can turn it into a game or something in which they get a special treat -- "watch Missy, make sure she doesn't eat anything she isn't supposed to and whoever does the best job gets,......" Keep a chart for them to see of who stopped her and what the food was. I am not sure what else to recommend to you. That little dog's health might be in jeopardy and you need to either rule out items or isolate the cause. Do you have a list of all the household hazards (food & otherwise) that your dogs need to avoid? If not, please review this link. Print out the page and post it in a place where everyone in the house can see it. http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/hazards/household_brochure.asp

My vet had a few days off, and someone who filled in called me this last Friday. She told me to start mixing the regular chow with rice, and that the stool sample showed a very small amount of larva. She then said, it didn't concern her, and thought the sample was contaminated. Of course, Missy's stools were hard for a short time, and are now runny, and just unhealthy yet again. I left yet another message for her regular vet (she returns tomorrow) and I hope she will treat for parasites and we can be done with this. It doesn't seem to me, like a good idea to give her pepcid every night. There has to be an answer! I keep the dog out of the kitchen now, I have always followed her around the yard, to assure she is not eating anything, and am now watching her even closer. She is active, happy, and running around. Once we lay down for bed, you hear the stomach churn, and she just seems so unhappy. We have turned to switching the TV on at night, so we are not woken by her stomach churning.

If they found larva, she may have picked up a case of worms. Not sure why she would think the stool sample might have been contaminated. When talking with your vet tomorrow, mention the larva comment and the churning sound in the stomach. Ask him/her if they recommend a deworming and/or if they tested for Giardia or any other parasites. You might need to bring in another stool sample. I hope your regular vet is able to give you some solid answers this week.

The regular vet has put her on medications for worms. She also extended the amount of antibiotics to be on the safe side. Come to find out, they didn't handle the feces properly, so when it was sent off, it may have been contaminated. I am still just besides myself with this dog, and her licking, chewing, eating habit of anything and everything her mouth can get. Tonight she is eating pieces of the dog bed. I have never had a dog like this. She will lick my pillows until they are soaking wet, and chew on everything. It is almost too much work to have to watch her 24/7! I hope she changes these habits with a little more age, before I pull out all of my hair!

This is my first time on this site and I have the same dog chu/dasch mix named Chance and he has been sick since December. I received him in November from a coworker and he has the same symptoms your dog has. He will fine for a couple of days or a week or two and then he will start with the vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. I have taken him to 2 different vets and no one seems to know what is wrong with him. I'm at a lost right now and have no idea what to do next. My husband is frustrated and sometimes wants to get rid of him, but he is a loving dog and I hope and pray he just gets well.