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Yorkie - Diarrhea and Vomiting

My yorkie (named Boo) started acting strange last night and today he’s had diarrhea nonstop and just threw up (bright yellow). I tried giving him a “cookie” (his favorite dog treat) and he wouldn’t eat that. I’ve also tried to give him water and he didn’t drink. I have a full rx of metronidazole the vet gave me when we were traveling over the holidays. Boo sometimes gets sick from stress when he travels and since we were going to be done for 2 weeks I asked for something just in case. He did fine on the travel and we didn’t need it.
Should I give him the metronidazole or should I take him to the vet to have his stool tested? Or should I wait until tomorrow to see how he’s feeling?

Symptoms: Vomiting, Diarrhea

•   Ashley Harris says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 03:15 PM

   Hey, I'm so sorry your Boo isn't feeling well. In my opinion if he really is acting not like himself then I would take him in and have a vet go ahead and do an exam. Metronidazole I wouldnt' give right now unless you get it okayed through your vet. He's presenting signs of vomiting and diarrhea not just diarrhea. The yellowish color is mostly just bile produced. I don't necessarily think his stool should be tested at this time.Usually that is a protocol in most clinics though when you take him in just to make sure there isn't anything that could be causing the diarrhea per se such as an overgrowth of bacteria ,worms,protozoan parasites.The main thing you really need to be careful of ,because he is so little with the vomiting and diarrhea is becoming dehydrated. This can lead to other issues. You can try and hold off the food for the day. Let his stomach settle and give him a bland diet of White meat chicken boiled with no skin and bones and add some cooked white rice no salt added and mix it together. Give him a little bit of that and see if he eats. Usually after holding off on food and giving them a bland diet the next day he will eat it. You can also try your vet and see if you can pick up some I/D canned food. It is usually prescription but if you have been seen for the diarrhea you may have already tried some and they should let you get it. If all else fails and you think you really need to take him in then please do so. I feel for the little dogs that present with these symptoms. Nonetheless It could be something other than just an upset stomach.

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• Whitney says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 03:33 PM

  Ashley, Thank you so much for the response and information. I will hold off on taking him to the vet and I have a can of I/D that I can give him from another time he was sick and the expiration date is still good. Thank you for letting me know about the vomit. I never knew it is bile when it is that color. Last night Boo used the bathroom (solid stool) in the house, which seldom happens. My boyfriend was really hard on him about it and made him go in "time out" for about 30 minutes. I told him that I believe this is what caused Boo to be sick. Boo has a history of developing these symptoms when we do excessive travel (such as moving to another state) or if he is put a situation where he is stressed out. Is there a possibility that Boo got stressed out last night after my boyfriend made him sit in timeout for about 30 minutes and caused him to be sick? I told my boyfriend that when I try to correct behavior and put Boo in time, I only leave him there for one minute for every year he is (he's currently 5 y/o). I took this theory from a baby book my sister had. I know he's not a child, but he knows when he is in trouble and when he goes to "time out". Is 30 minutes too long for a dog? I just want to make sure we are being the best parents and not stressing him out; and at the same time using methods of corrective action that are suitable for him. Thank you! -Whitney

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•   Ashley Harris says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 03:58 PM

  Whitney,

   That could be a possibility but not a complete rule out. If he gets stressed out in certain situations that cause him to be sick, we must try not to do them but in your case certain situations cannot be prevented. It's fine to correct behavior in whatever manner( humanely) that works well and is tolerable. Is he being put in a crate when he is put in time out? Dogs are the sweetest things because they do really want to please their masters. You are very true in saying he knows when he has done wrong. They definitely do and will do anything to try and make it up to you so you aren't mad at them.  The 30 minutes in time out to most pets usually isn't a big deal. If you find he is getting stressed out and gets sick after every time you do that ,then you may want to lessen the minutes up like you do or find a different alternative to disciplining him. Stressing out in the long run can be bad for their health and sometimes can create mental and behavior issues , something we don't want. I hope this helps some. I was trying to put it together that If he had normal stool last night and now diarrhea and you made sure he didn't get into anything he isn't use to then it may just be the stress of the discipline. Good you have I/D on hand. It's very useful isn't it?

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  We are a small animal hospital specializing in emergency and anesthesia care.We take on a broad variety of cases with the utmost confidence and care. Our staff is highly qualified with Doctors also spending extra time on Reproduction and Penn Hip cases.

  

• Whitney says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 04:14 PM

  My boyfriend just moved in together so he is starting to take on a bigger role with Boo. I don’t put Boo in a crate; he has a bed that he goes to when he is in “time out”. The only time I tell him to go to the bed is when he is in trouble or if he chooses to go on his own. It’s funny, when he knows he’s in trouble (which is very seldom) he will automatically go to the bed. I talked to my boyfriend last night after it happened and told him that I didn’t like that he was in trouble for 30 minutes and thought it should only be about 5 minutes. This was the first time he disciplined Boo and I do think it stressed Boo out - but wanted a professional opinion. He was really mad because Boo pooped in the bed – and he’s never done that before. I still thought he was too hard on him. Boo is very sweet and I hate when he is sick. Thank you so much for all the advice. I truly appreciate it... and yes, I/D is wonderful! It’s great to have on hand.

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