# Vomiting and Dark Stool



## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

My Havanese Riley is a little over 2 years old. In early January, she got sick for 3 days with a stomach virus. She vomited 3 nights in a row. What really concerned me was that the vomit was very dark (I think they call it "coffee ground"). During the day, she acted totally normal and had a great appetite. During this time, she also had very very dark stool (but it was well-formed and NOT diarrhea). We took her to the vet, and they ran a stool sample and only found "traces of blood" but no parasites or other abnormalities. All of her vital signs and blood work were also normal, and when the vet touched different areas of her stomach she did not seem uncomfortable. He prescribed an anti-vomiting medication and also a medication to heal the esophagus for 10 days. 

She returned to normal on the 4th day, and then 3 weeks later had a bowel movement that consisted of fresh blood + normal colored brown stool. Again, she was acting normally and had a great appetite. The next day, her stool was extremely dark again (no fresh blood, well formed). Finally, her poop was back to normal but, she vomited twice this morning. 

She has not had any changes in her diet recently, and now the vet wants to either: 1) Run some diagnostic tests (upper and lower GI and possible endoscopy). OR 2) Put her on a 1-ingredient diet like Venison or Duck, and also put her back on a stomach med like Pepcid. 

I'm just not sure what to do at this point- She's not showing any signs of discomfort, so it's hard for me to make the decision to subject her to all these tests. Has anyone had a similar situation with their Havanese?? Any ideas on what this could possibly be?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

I'm so sorry your Riley has these issues. No real advice other than to ask the vet which course he thinks would be the best and faster at finding the cause of the stomach disorder.


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

I would do whatever your vet says. My boyfriend is in medicine, and something I've learned from him is that you can literally feel NO symptoms and have something seriously wrong with you. I would definitely suggest having the GI tests done. If it turns out there is nothing serious, great. If there IS something serious, running tests will likely be the only way to figure it out. So, either way it's a good idea to do further testing.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

The coffee ground vomit would concern me the most, that's an indication of bleeding. I would pursue the testing with the vet.


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## TheVintageVamp (Oct 14, 2009)

The coffee grounds emesis and dark stools are indicative of bleeding somewhere in the more central part of the digestive system. If it was low, it would only be fresh blood you were seeing in the stools and likewise if it was quite high, like in esophageal varices it would be bright red in the vomit. With it being quite dark in both, it would have to be centralized, such as gastric ulcers that have caused bleeding or something of that nature.

While a food allergy/irritant could cause these, doing the diet change would only be making a stab in the dark at figuring out what/where the problem was. 

I would advise going with the tests and seeing what they show.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Thank you for posting that, Sally.

Kari, I hope you and Riley get your answer quickly with the tests and that there is a simple solution to this.


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Thank you for all your advice and suggestions. The only thing that's making it difficult for me to go ahead with the testing is that she's only had these "episodes" twice, and they have resolved. So I'm just not sure if I should wait it out and see if by feeding her a bland diet things will just get better. I have a feeling I'll do the testing...I just need a few more days to absorb it all!


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Well Riley has made the decision for me. She just vomited again, about 45 minutes after I fed her a little bit of kibble. She's going for an upper and lower GI series in a few hours, and I'm just praying that it's nothing serious. Very nervous, and will post once I have an answer...


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

My fingers are crossed for a good outcome and an easy resolution. When the body is telling us something is not normal, whether for us or our pets, we have to look for the root cause. Sometimes catching a problem early is less costly in the end and can be life saving.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

I hope that you find out what you need to know from these tests and that Riley gets better fast. Good luck.


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Riley had X-rays taken and the vet did not see anything serious like esophageal diseases, tumors (SIGH of relief!!!), or foreign bodies. He did see inflammation throughout her stomach, and suspects that she is allergic to an ingredient in her food (Instinct Chicken-Meal by Nature's Variety). I was surprised at this, because she's been on the same food for over a year. He told me that allergies can develop over time. He's started her on some Pepcid and anti-vomiting meds, and is switching her to a limited-ingredient diet (Natural Balance Venison LID). I feel somewhat relieved, but I don't think we're out of the woods yet. Will just have to take a "wait-and-see" approach and hope that she tolerates the new food..I will keep posting about her status. Do other Havanese have sensitive stomachs or allergies??


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## TheVintageVamp (Oct 14, 2009)

I am glad to hear there were no tumors or anything like that and very glad you went ahead with the u/l GI series. I hate seeing treatments given without finding out what is going on.

Hopefully this will clear things up and Riley's tummy will heal up in short order.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

I'm glad to hear that the vet didn't find any major problems. 
I do know a dog can develop an allergy to an ingredient in a food over time so the fact that Riley has been on the same food for a year may not mean he hasn't become allergic to something in it. My father-in-law's dog has recently shown signs of allergy (itching) and it may be an ingredient in the food she's been on for awhile.
I hope Riley's symptoms disappear soon.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

There have been many threads on the Havanese allergies to food and environment. My Smarty was a face scratcher and foot chewer. She is now on a form of raw diet. 

Good luck and keep us posted.


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Sandi,

Riley also is a foot chewer. I wonder if the foot-chewing and upset stomach are related? I will curious to see if she stops chewing her feet with the new food. 

-Kari


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Just wanted to give a quick update on Riley. She seems to be doing great on the new food. I'm hoping it was just an allergic reaction to something, and that she continues to feel good!!


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## TheVintageVamp (Oct 14, 2009)

I'm so glad little Riley is feeling better! Thank you for updating us.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Yeah!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

I was sorry to read your first posts about Riley. Very worrisome, but I see the tests showed nothing really wrong. Phew! Yes, allergies can develop over time, when the dog is fed only one type of kibble or one type of protein (say, chicken). It's always a good idea to change flavors and even companies every 3, 4 or 5 months. Allowing the dog to get protein from different sources will help him develop a tolerance to them and not as likely to become allergic to one type. 

Natural Balance LID is a good food, but I'd suggest you change it in 2-3 months' time to see if other foods have Riley reacting the same way as before the Nat'l. Balance. I hope she's feeling good again!


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## kao9016 (Feb 5, 2008)

Riley is now off her medication and still seems to be feeling well. My vet wants Riley to stay on the LID for a while, and said that in about 4-6 weeks I can start to re-introduce one new ingredient per week. 

That is interesting about allergies developing if given only one type of protein. I will discuss the possibility of switching proteins in a few months, but for now I'm scared to change anything!!!


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

You know dogs can have strange maladies. My mother had an old dachound and when she got a new puppy, the old dog started with bloody diarhia. We took her to the vet and he was not concerned. Said the dog was reacting to the new puppy. The blood continued for 2 days and then she and the puppy started playing and all stopped. The old dachound lived another 3 years with no problem.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Oh, I agree with waiting a bit before switching foods! I'd want to keep things going as is to see if it helps and to be sure your puppy is feeling better.


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