# Max throwing up every evening



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

For the last several days, Max has been throwing up every evening at about the same time of day. He doesn't throw up a little piece of fuz or scrap, he throws up his entire food/stomach content.

I feed him about 1/3 cup Royal Canin Puppy twice a day (he's 11 mo. old, 9.5 lb). I have some Evo samples I planned to feed him as soon as the bag of RC was empty.

Do you think the RC has gone rancid (that didn't dawn on me until last night)? He's been on RC since he was a baby and has had no problems at all until now. I liked that he had one solid poop pile after eating and nothing more until the next feeding time. The only reason I was considering changing to EVO was because of the threads I had been reading.

What do you think? I'm going to call the vet today. Is there a home remedy to try? He doesn't act sick at all.

Janan


----------



## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

No clue, but sure hope he's better soon!


----------



## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

It could be rancid, but it also could be that he needs to get off of puppy food. Some people never feed puppy food while others switch after a few months. It may be just too rich for him. My lab throws up with certain foods because of a sensitve stomach and allergies. She also must eat through out the day instead of all at once, so we feed her 5 cups...two in the AM, one at noon, and two in the PM. (she is 100 lbs). So, I really don't know, but those are some thoughts....


----------



## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

If he's throwing up every night I would immediately take him off that dog food. I hope you find the solution to the problem quickly.


----------



## SmittenHavaneseMommy (Feb 18, 2008)

I think I would take him off the food as well. If all he's throwing up is his food, I would maybe go to an adult small breed food. Puppy food is too rich sometimes. We are in the process of switching Kona right now to big boy food from puppy food. Hope he gets better soon!


----------



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

yes I would stop feeding the RC, could have gone bad, or he could just all of a sudden be reacting to the puppy food richness. So he throws up every night after he eats? i would stop feeding that bag. But I also wouldn't go straight to the EVO either as it is also very rich. you could try either getting one of the rc adult formula's to mix in with the evo or feed him ground chicken and rice for a while and then start mixing the EVO into it. 

I just had another thought. Does Max throw up his morning meal? Does he eat his morning meal? If he doesn't get a morning meal it could be that he is so hungry at night he wolf's his food and then gets an upset stomach because his stomach is empty. I know my jasper will not eat breakfast!!!! he just won't do it. But I need to get something in his stomach or he will throw up bile from hunger, or throw up dinner. So I give him a few treats in the morning so his stomach isn't empty.


----------



## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

That is terrible. I would switch the food, but remember you can only do it slowly over a period of time otherwise their poops go out of wack. If its rancid get a sample bag so you can switch over, if its too rich, adding in the adult food will hopefully solve the problems.


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Missy said:


> I just had another thought. Does Max throw up his morning meal? Does he eat his morning meal? If he doesn't get a morning meal it could be that he is so hungry at night he wolf's his food and then gets an upset stomach because his stomach is empty. I know my jasper will not eat breakfast!!!! he just won't do it. But I need to get something in his stomach or he will throw up bile from hunger, or throw up dinner. So I give him a few treats in the morning so his stomach isn't empty.


Similarly to Missy, I was wondering if Max is eating too fast or eating too much at a time. If he is still eating the same amount as before the regular vomiting stopped, I'd quit feeding that bag of food. Can you get a sample of the same food from the store (many food distributors give samples to their customers and there is a chance that the store has some on hand).

The problem is that there could be several causes: eating too fast, eating too much too fast, bad food, a sudden intolerance to something in the food, etc. If you can get a small amount of the same kind of food and feed him a smaller amount tonight to try two different theories, it may help. If he still vomits, there is no point in even doing a slow switch. The food isn't getting through his system anyway. Just switch.

By the way, what did your veterinarian advise?


----------



## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Poor Max - that sounds awful! 

I'd take him off that food immediately. I'd try to homecook something more bland and easy-to-digest for him, like white potatoes and chicken breast and see if he can tolerate that without vomiting. You can cube up a potato (no skin), boil until tender; add small pieces of cooked chicken breast. Kibble can be harder to digest - I know that it seems to sit in their stomachs for several hours after they've eaten it. 

Please keep us posted on Max's progress! I hope he feels better soon.


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Jane said:


> Kibble can be harder to digest - I know that it seems to sit in their stomachs for several hours after they've eaten it.


And I guess we know that from experience of getting to clean up vomit! :tape:


----------



## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Also, the vet at one of the dog food companies told me that if a food is rancid, most dogs won't touch it. So it's not likely to be bad.


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

Thanks everybody for your answers. Jane, I may use your suggestion on cooking some bland food, although I have felt so lucky to not have any finicky issues when it comes to Max and food. I hope I don't spoil him! 

You're right, Kimberly! I shampooed carpet today. uke: 

The vet recommends I change the food gradually, but if he continues to throw up after the transition, he may need an x-ray to make sure he doesn't have a congenital esophageal disorder. You can google it and find out more because I've learned the hard way you get all kinds of information on the net, sometimes accurate and sometimes not. It's like Max stores all his food in his belly until the end of the day and then he has to throw it all up! The amount he throws up is huge compared to the amount of food I give him.

To answer a couple of questions, I feed Max only twice a day and he doesn't throw up in the morning and he eats all I give him in one sitting each time. 

One thing I have also considered, thanks to Kimberly's feedback, is that maybe he is getting into our lab's food when I'm not looking. I feed Gabe (my lab) only in the evening, but he tends to eat a little and then hold out eating the rest until late evening. I'm wondering if Max sneaks Gabe's food. Maybe that's why he throws up so much. Beginning today, I am going to remove Gabe's bowl after 30 minutes. He will have to learn to eat it all in one sitting.

I'll keep you informed on what works. Right now, he's milking the attention for all it's worth. He's great at looking pathetic. 

Janan


----------



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Oh dear, if he's milking it with looking pathetic, I may not try chicken in rice...sure to milk that too...LOL(from someone who does have finicky havs) I hope it's as simple as getting into Gabes food. that is an easy fix.


----------



## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Havtahava said:


> And I guess we know that from experience of getting to clean up vomit! :tape:


Yep! Even 5 hours after eating a kibble meal, it is still in there - but the pieces are huge, having absorbed a lot of fluid! OK, TMI, I know. :wink:


----------



## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

Although Max is vomiting every night, he is holding down every breakfast. He is not acting sick. Thus I would rule out rancid food or food intolerance (since he keeps it down in the morning.) Is he eating too fast? (Time him in the am and the evening if you are not sure.) Is he getting into something unhealthy during the day? Is he eating too much at night (you mentioned your other dog's food...)


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

With your last post of information, I don't think it is the food. There is something going on with Max. I think the time he takes to eat it (too fast) or the amount (including the potential of getting into Gabe's food) is the culprit.

If it were my dogs, I'd cut down the amount that I fed Max (by cutting the evening meal into half of the usual - or maybe even two-thirds) AND be sure to totally separate the food of both dogs so that Max cannot get to Gabe's. Hopefully, that will create your solution.


----------



## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Is there anything else Max is eating? Treats or chewies that might not be mixing well with his kibble. When you take him outside, does he eat the grass?


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

It may have been my imagination, but I believe Max had fever last night. There was no way I could get him to play. So I gave him a baby aspirin (I hope that was ok). At least he didn't throw up! Can I take his temperature with a regular thermometer? WHat is normal?

This morning he is playing (warting Gabe to death) and eating fine. Yesterday, I gave him smaller amounts of food to eat (introducing Evo) and fed him three times, instead of two. I also removed Gabe's food from his reach.

One other thing I did was start him on Geneflora, a probiotic. I used to faithfully give it to him daily, but laziness took over and I haven't given him any in over a month.

If he gets listless (sp) and feverish again tonight, then I will take him to the vet for an x-ray.

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions.

Janan


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

You'll need a rectal thermometer and some lubricant is helpful. A normal temp for a dog is 101 to 102.5, but like humans, some dogs fluctuate a little bit from that. Over 103 is probably cause for concern.


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

Thank you so much everybody! I really appreciate all your concern and tips.

I am happy to say that Max appears to be doing fine now. He has done well with the Evo and has not thrown up since the day I sent the first post.

I guess I'll never know for sure why Max threw up for two whole weeks. I've removed Gabe's food bowl and changed Max's food to Evo mini bites. My groomer was kind enough to load me up with all kinds of sample foods, in case the Evo didn't agree with him.

I bought the yellow bag of Evo (chicken, turkey, etc.). She also gave me red meat small bite samples. Is one better than the other?


----------



## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

Well darn. He just threw up again, only just a little.

I had put Gabe's food bowl down and sat down to send a quick email before going to bed. I have no idea if Max got into the food. I wasn't watching. :frusty:


----------



## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

How is Max doing?
Carole


----------

