# Boris vomits but not food



## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

I have a 9 month old Havanese named Boris. He has had a problem since we got him that he vomits bile from time to time. There is never food in the discharge, it is usually a yellowish or clear color. We've change his foods, toys, shampoo's and watch for things he might be eating but he continues to do this and we cannot figure out what is wrong. Has anyone else seen this in Hananese?


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## boo2352 (Dec 18, 2006)

This happens to MacGyver if he hasn't eaten and is very active during the day (e.g., when he goes to daycare). The vet said not to worry, but we try to make sure he eats on those days, and it seems to have solved the problem.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Like Boo, said, they vomit bile if they haven't eaten. Does it usually happen in the mornings or after he hasn't eaten all day? I would make sure to give him a biscuit or some treats at night before bed time and during the day between meals so his stomach isn't empty. That should stop it.

Oh and welcome to the forum!


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## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

Thank you, and Hi! 
It does seem to happen more often in the mornings and definitely while on an empty stomach. We did notice that as well and we try to keep him from having an empty stomach but most of the time that is easier said than done. Boris is very picky about his eating and basically eats on "his" time. We tried to feed him at specfic times of the day but he would just refuse to eat and then gorge himself when we feed him later on. Then he would throw up food because he'd eat to much! He's such a pain but we love him to death


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

Welcome to the Forum!

Maddie vomited yellow bile in the mornings a couple of time when she was younger. I gave her a few "treats" just before going to bed, and it never happened again. I don't have to do that anymore now that she's older.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Have you tried giving Boris a really great treat like boiled chicken? Or find something that he really LOVES. If you can give him a few pieces at night and during the day, this should stop.


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## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

Is boiled chicken good for a dog? I was brought up that dogs should not eat people food and this is the first dog of my own so I never really looked into it. I know people who feed their animals people food but I always worried about things being bad for the dog. What are some good alternatives to dog food that are healthy for a puppy?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

I never feed Kubrick my people food. By that I mean that he is not allowed food from the table. And he knows it. He has never ever begged for food. The boiled chicken is made especially for him... I boil boneless, skinless chicken breasts and put some garlic powder in the water. I usually make 8 breasts and put two in the fridge and freeze the rest. He knows they're his and when I make chicken for myself he totally knows the difference.

People food is NOT bad for dogs, you just have to know what to give him. Chicken is fine, turkey is good unless he gets diarrhea off of it (some dogs do), cheese is AWESOME - Kubrick LOVES cheese - just don't give him too much of it as it can give diarrhea. Kubrick also loves cream cheese (just a little bit on the tip of my finger) and he is a fan of steak, though he's only had that once on a special occasion. 

Also, some dogs LOVE peanut butter. Kubrick likes it, but he's more partial to cream cheese.

Just wanted to add, that I only give these things as TREATS an in VERY small quantities. Don't feed him too much of these things as there's no need for it if he's eating his kibble or whatever it is you normally feed him. You don't want him to gain weight or to think that whenever he doesn't eat his regular food you will give him the special food.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Bile puking is a sign of empty stomach, however, if Boris continues to have bile puking after night snacks and his eating is erratic, please check if all his teeth have come out and there are no puppy teeth left. 

My Benji had the same issue during 6-7 months, nothing worked. It was scary to see him not eat and puke bile. The vet prescribed Pedsid too and he would cough it up and puke. Finally my breeder's vet found his puppy tooth hanging way, way back in the mouth. The poor guy was in pain and couldn't eat. After removing the tooth, he started eating well and no more bile pukes. 

Good luck!


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## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

Well thank you for all of your advise! It's nice to be able to talk with people who are having some of the same issues. There aren't many Havanese where I live and the vets here are clueless because of that. We will have to keep a closer watch and see if the timing of his throw up is around the empty stomach times. I like the boiled chicken treat idea as well since you never know what you are getting with those store bought treats!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!

Well, what do you consider 'people food'? Boiled chicken is just plain chicken breast boiled.. It's not like a totally prepared meal, like a lasagna or a Big Mac..


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Shelby used to do that when she was a pup. If she had an empty stomach, like first thing in the a.m, she would vomit. She hasn't done it in a long time.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Welcome to you and to Boris! He looks like such a cutiepie. Don't be shy about posting pictures of your Hav. We can never get enough. 

Ricky has also vomitted bile (that yellow, frothy liquid) and as everyone has said, it is usually from having an empty stomach for too long. As to canine nutrition, well... it's an ongoing subject for many dog owners and there are many, many threads on that in this forum, the 'general' forum and the 'alternative diet' forum so you should be able to find quite a lot on what people think and what they do. There are just as many views as there are members here it seems! lol 

I hope that with a little more food in his tummy, maybe a biscuit or meat later in the evening, Boris will no longer have this problem. If it happens too often, you might want to ask the vet to run some blood tests, but for now, it doesn't seem to be cause for worry.


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## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

This is great feedback! I'm glad I came here. Thanks again. Since everyone seems knowledgeable in Havanese I have one more question that has been bothering me. Boris likes to chew on his back left leg. So much so that he will leave it completely bare. It doesn't look irritated or have a rash or anything he just seem to like to chew it. We've tried the "bitter" spray and that doesn't work. We've tried antiseptic spray and that doesn't seem to work. I've read in other places that this breed just seems to do this but I wanted to find out if anyone else has this situation as well?

Oh and here is another picture Boris, he so cute I could cry.
http://picasaweb.google.com/weencookie/NewPictures/photo#5199597007618325250


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

There are several reasons as to why he is chewing on his back leg. It could be an allergy or a hot spot. Did you ask your vet about it? The other reason could be that he is bored. Do you give him plenty of chews? Merrick flossies are wonderful at keeping them busy and allows them to direct their chewing energy into the right thing.

Boris really is a cutie!


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Lizzie chews her left paw and has thinned out the coat. The vet made sure that it wasn't an insect bite or allergy. It appears that the left paw is her "worry foot", anytime she is anxious or bored she chews on it. When I ask her to stop, she stops. 

Benji and Lizzie are allergic to grain and a few protein sources. I feed them Natural Balance Potato and Duck kibble. 

I recommend that getting Boris checked up for insect bites or allergies.


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## JanB (Oct 26, 2007)

Welcome to you and Boris!!

Tessa will also throw up bile when her stomach is empty.

Boiled chicken breast and Bailey's K-9 jerky treats are favorites here! I avoid any treats from the big chain stores. And I only use treats for training and when she goes in her crate at night. 

As Marj said there are lots of opinions and differences in what we all feed our Havs but one thing we all agree on is to avoid the commercial kibble that is full of grains. If you have a small independent pet store they are the ones who carry the higher quality pet foods and often have samples to try.


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## weencookie (May 10, 2008)

*Doing better*

Hello again. Well I'm pleased to report that Boris is doing much better now that I am giving him something to eat at night before bed. He still throws up every once and a while but not nearly as much as he used to. His back paw seems to be doing better too. He is not chewing on it as much, we think the antiseptic is working for him. I do have new question I'd like to run past you guys.

Are Frontline and Hearguard good products for the Havanese?

I just want to see if anyone has had any bad experiences with either of these products. Thanks again!eace:


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

May I ask what food are you feeding Boris? Could it be something in his food? You might want to visit www.dogfoodanalysis.com for a review of different pet foods.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

weencookie said:


> Are Frontline and Hearguard good products for the Havanese?
> 
> I just want to see if anyone has had any bad experiences with either of these products. Thanks again!eace:


Hi again! 

You should find quite a lot of opinions/info on heartworm/flea products in other threads. If you go to this forum, "Health Issues and Questions" and go to "Search this forum" on the far right (above 'replies' and 'views'), you can type in "heartworm" and it will find threads where this was discussed. Do the same for "flea" and you'll find more threads on that too.

Here are some to get you started...  : http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=1178&highlight=heartworm

http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=1498&highlight=heartworm

http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=515&highlight=heartworm

Let us know if you need more help finding these threads, o.k.?

Boris is a cutie in that picture, btw!!


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

Boris is a cutie pie and welcome to the forum. Glad that people have been able to help you. Do read through the threads that Marj has provided - some smaller dogs do have troubles with the flea and tick products. I've had great success with Advantage and it doesn't seem to cause a problem on my dogs or cats. But I don't have to deal with ticks. You can consider food grade diatomaceous earth - here's a link for it.


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## JCChaplin (Oct 2, 2007)

Hi,
welcome to the forum I had the exact problem with my Hav. We also tried giving him a treat at night to avoid the empty stomach. I think that was definitely part of the problem, however, we found out that he still needed more de-worming. Once we did that, we never had another problem. by the way, his stool samples were negative, but the Vet treated him anyway because she said it doesn't always show. She was right! Good Luck!
Jackie Chaplin


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