[thamill691]

My puppy bodhi, just started throwing up three nights ago, for the second time. What I mean is when he was four months old he did the same thing. Every time he ate he threw up. I took him to the vet and spent a fortune with no results. I ended up trying everything I could until eventually he slowed to a stop. After weeks of eating boiled rice, chicken, and cottage cheese, I found a puppy food he liked and could keep down. Now it is starting all over again. The vet said the blood test reults indicated weak kidneys, I need to know anything and everything I can about how to help he. It is obvious he is uncomfortable and his stomach is churning so loud I can hear it in the other room. Also he eats a lot of grass and I always thought that helped to calm their stomachs, am I wrong and what can I give him to calm his stomach. ANYTHING Please. Thank you.

[RubyPitbull]

I am so sorry your dog is having so much trouble.

Dogs eat grass due to upset stomachs. The grass makes them vomit so that whatever is bothering them will be brought up.

What has your vet said about the weak kidneys? Does he feel this is a health problem from birth? Did he speak with you about what your options are? What kind of food are you feeding him? The food is very important. Please list any human food as well as dog food.

Please answer the questions I have asked. It will help us in giving you some direction.

[labman]

I think you might have a far better chance of finding some relief by going to a different vet, than from anybody here. You need to find the cause of your dog's problem. What may have worked for somebody else's dog, isn't likely to work for yours.

Just why dogs eat grass is hard to say. In some cases they seem to seek out a coarse grass to induce vomiting when their stomach is bothering. Other times they may just eat it because it is there, or they enjoy it.

[thamill691]

I am so sorry your dog is having so much trouble.

Dogs eat grass due to upset stomachs. The grass makes them vomit so that whatever is bothering them will be brought up.

What has your vet said about the weak kidneys? Does he feel this is a a health problem from birth? Did he speak with you about what your options are? What kind of food are you feeding him? The food is very important. Please list any human food as well as dog food.

Please answer the questions I have asked. It will help us in giving you some direction.

After several x-rays and examinations and even exploritory surgery, The only thing my vet could tell me is that his blood test results showed his kidneys were weak and so he couldn't filter the toxins from his body properly. He said since bodhi was showing signs of imporovement then, to keep his on his diet, and other than that I would have to see a specialist. He never mentioned if it was a birth defect or not. After trying several foods I found bodhi reacted best to Nutro Puppy natures choice chicken and rice with oatmeal for sensative digestive systems. He has been doing great with only minor signs every now and then, like turning pink. I could always tell when he wasn't feeling that great cause he bacame very flush. Being a rednose he has light skin anyway but it is a very obvious pink. Other than that we have had no problems until now. He also gets a piece of toast every now and then from the folks who can't help but spoil him when I am still asleep. I told them as long as it is just toast and nothing else it was OK sometimes. And besides a dog treat maybe once a day that is all I give him. I put him back on the boiled rice and chicken yesterday, but he is even throwing that up along with all the grass he eats. Should I keep him out of the grass?

[RubyPitbull]

No. The grass isn't causing a problem. He is looking for a way to relieve the discomfort he is feeling.

It seems it has been a while since the vet has done testing, if you have faith in the vet, then you need to bring your dog in for another blood test and evaluation. Discuss the food Bodhi has been eating. I would recommend doing this as soon as possible since he seems to be in distress. You don't want to wait around to see if it clears up on it's own. If you don't have much faith in the vet, find another one and get Bodhi in there for an exam. Something is going on and without being able to examine him here online, you need to find someone who can give you concrete answers. If you do bring him back to the first vet, and he doesn't give you a satisfactory explanation, definitely find another vet. You need to figure out what is causing this problem and get proper treatment for it.

[labman]

I was just answering a question on mulch. I remembered the problems from a year ago with dogs eating cocoa hull mulch and dying. Is the problem back because the snow no longer covers the mulch? You need to look at all the possibilities of him foraging anything indigestible.

Are his problems on top of some other things in your life? It is possible to worry your dog sick, and tough for the vet to identify it. I definitely see this with my one friend.

[RubyPitbull]

You have brought up some very good issues labman. Regarding the cocoa mulch, a dog has to eat quite a lot of it for it to die from it. But, he doesn't need that large an amount to become ill.

Thamill, are there any issues that are making you more worried than usual that might have caused this?

Normally, I don't like suggesting people run to the vet every time a dog vomits. Sometimes they get a hold of something and they need to expel it. Is it possible that is what has happened? Maybe you are not aware of anything. But, due to his kidney history I wouldn't take any chances. I would want to find out if his kidney disease is getting worse and if there is anything that you can do for it.

I also just realized something else as I am writing this. He is 1 year old. You should not be feeding him Nutro puppy food anymore. It may be too rich for his system. He needs to be switched to adult food. Get him checked out by the vet first to make sure the kidney problem is still at the same level. Then, find the adult equivalent of what you are feeding. Over a one week period, mix in a little of the new food with the old, gradually decreasing the old, increasing the new at every feeding. Over the course of a few days to a week, he will adjust to the new chow. Just feed him the kibble. No wet foods, no additions or variations. Make it clear to your family. NO SNACKS. You need to start weeding out what he may be reacting to. Best way is to get back to ground zero with only one food in his diet. See if that doesn't calm his stomach down a bit and straighten out his system.