Hello~
I have a 6 month old Wheaten Terrier. He was less than excited about his breakfast 2 days ago. That night, he wouldn't eat his dinner at all, then began vomiting at about 8pm. The vomiting continued for about 4 hours, but he never threw up anything substantial other than white, foamy stomach bile. We gave him 20mg of pepcid AC (per our vets advice last time he was sick). Several times that night, he would squat to poop, but nothing would come out. This was Friday night. Throughout Saturday, he refused any food, including white rice and yogurt. He threw up again at about noon (just white foamy bile). We gave him a tsp of pepto dismal every 4 hours (again, according to our vet last time he was sick). Finally at about 2 pm on Saturday, he ate a couple of tsp of cottage cheese and kept that down. He then ate a couple of tsp of white rice with a bit of kibble a couple hours later. We also gave him 10mg of the pepcid. His energy seemed better. We didn't give him more food in order to let his stomach settle. This morning, he ate 1/2 his normal food with a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese and drank a lot of water. His energy is WAY up. He pooped, but only a small, runny amount. But then he was doing the squatting thing with nothing coming out again. Should I be concerned, or is this something that will work itself out throughout the day? With it being Sunday, it would be a huge "emergency" vet bill to take him in today. I would so that, if necessary... but don't want to be a "helicopter puppy parent" if everything is just going normally for the pup with an upset stomach. PS... it's not likely, but slightly possible that he chewed a leaf to a privot tree on Friday sometime. He also dug a big hole in the yard and came in with a muddy snout, so he could have ingested something in the soil.

You keep saying that your puppy was sick before. Was it the same symptoms? Or was it something different?

From your description, it sounds IBD. There are some tests you can have run to verify if this is indeed IBD.. you should talk to your vet about these chances.

The famotidine should help with the nausea. And since you are getting her to eat and keep water down, unless she turns for the worse during the day, I'd save you some money and wait until Monday to take her in. Maybe just call your vet and tell them what she is doing, what you are doing and the results of everything so that way you have the permission of the vet themselves to bring your pup in first thing in the morning.

Thank you! I just read up on IBD and it certainly sounds like Wilson has those signs.
The last time he was sick like this was on x-mas eve... so not too long ago, but that was the first time ever that he's vomited ever. And that time, he didn't have the straining to poop. I just now took him outside and he had super runny diarrhea.
Ever since we got him, we've had on-going issues with loose stools (but not diarrhea and not all the time). The vet prescribed 1/2 tablet of metronidazole to be given when he starts getting loose poops. He's also had on-going issues with coprophagia and gas ever since we got him when he was 7 weeks old. It seems to have gotten worse since we had him neutered.
He is on a high quality dog food, specially recommended by the breeder (who is VERY reputable and owns 7 Wheatens herself). And it seems like any treats or variations in his diet cause him to have "tummy issues", so we've been pretty strict about giving him ONLY his dog food (even as training treats) and then a couple of tsp of non-fat, organic yogurt each day. He seemed to be getting better with that regimen, but then this illness happened!
I feel so sorry for him to have an upset belly all the time and just want to do whatever it takes to help him feel better.
Thanks for your advice. I will call the vet first thing on Mon and definitely ask about IBD! If you have any suggestions on how to help him through today, I would appreciate it!

Oh... and I forgot to mention that the vet also has him on 10mg of pepcid AC daily until some of the issues clear up. My husband is of the firm opinion that this is making the dog constipated and that's what made him vomit this time. I disagree... but it's worth mentioning!

Pepcid is also known as Famotidine. Some dogs need to remain on it once a day for the rest of their lives. It helps keep the major symptoms away. Pepcid shouldn't make him constipated, it should actually increase his want to eat. But then again, you never know with dogs with belly issues.

What type of food are you feeding? If he does indeed have IBD, than he should be on a sensitive stomach formula.. And you should talk to your vet on which brand is best.. either prescription or store bought. It's a good thing that you're not giving him any treats.. it really does help narrow things down. Once you have more of a handle on his problem, you can look into cooking him treats with specific ingredients that agree with his tummy.

Another thing that might be possible for your pup would be Addison's Disease. Weaton Terrier's are on the list of breeds that is most susceptible to the disease.

Addison's disease in canines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with your pup. Both IBD and Addison's aren't diseases that can be cured, but they can be controlled and episodes minimized.

Great! Thank you so much for your help! You are amazing!
One last question for you: A friend of mine who is a vet tech suggested that Wilson may have an allergy to grains. I have been keeping her up with all of the tummy issues that we've had with him since we got him. Her pretty firm opinion was that he has a grain allergy and she suggested that we try Van Patten's sweet potato and venison dog food along with the daily pepcid. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks so much!

It wouldn't hurt to try it. Although food allergies take a long time to pin point what they're allergic to exactly. But going onto a diet with no grains would help figure out what is going on. If he's not allergic to grains, a hypoallergenic/sensitive skin & stomach diet wouldn't hurt him at all.

Van Patten's is a pretty good dog food. Although every dog is different in how it reacts to an allergen, but my understanding with food allergies in dogs would be extreme itching, flaky skin, hair loss due to itching, gas and sometimes diarrhea (but not always). He would be having more frequent BMs, but mainly you would be noticing issues with the skin.. not so much the actual GI tract in a way that you are describing.

But like I said.. it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. He may do better on a grain free diet. There are many different brands out there. Van Patten's is a good brand but you can do better still. I'm a fan of EVO. It's grain free and is said to be an alternative to feeding the raw diet. Petco and Petsmart both are starting to carry the higher quality brands of food.. you can also find some of these foods in feed stores that are more directed towards carrying the higher quality dog and cat foods.

I hope you figure this out! Poor guy :(