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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 22, 2016 15:03:50 GMT
1. A couple weeks ago our 3 yr old Corgi-Terrier went off feed and started gagging and vomiting off and on for about 24 hrs. It seemed to resolve itself within about 24 hrs, although his appetite is maybe not quite back to normal. He is now back to his normal activity level (busy!).
2. My 11 yr old red Heeler has been having a few minor symptoms off and on for a few months, this also seemed to resolve itself until last Saturday when she suddenly went off feed and began non-stop vomiting. Emergency vet ran tests and diagnosed her with Stage 2 (Possibly 3) Kidney Failure. She won't eat the prescription food, I've been making her food and she seems to be doing ok.
3. Our 14+yr old German Shepherd began vomiting non-stop on Tuesday night. My vet said she thinks it is the med he takes for arthritis and had me stop the meds and feed homemade food temporarily (rice and meat). She gave him an injection and meds to calm his gut. He's stopped vomiting but still having lots of tummy gurgles (might be due to change in diet).
4. At 3 a.m. this morning my disabled youngest DD's 6 yr old Chihuahua-mix suddenly began vomiting from a sound sleep. She has stopped now but is not feeling great.
All were on the same dog food and treats until the two had to be put on special diets. The Chihuahua has allergy issues but all dogs were healthy and have had almost zero health problems their entire lives. All dogs current on shots, do not go off property, no poisons or other toxins around, have no access to garbage, temperatures are all normal, no diarrhea or other symptoms (except for the dog with kidney failure), and I can find no recalls on anything they've been eating. They all were eating Taste of the Wild (salmon) up until now due to the Chihuahua's allergies. The Chihuahua doesn't even leave the house except to go into a fenced yard, there is no possibility she could have got into anything.
What are the chances of 4 out of 4 dogs becoming ill with almost no symptoms other than vomiting, all at the same time? I can't figure out what is going on, seems strange that this could all be coincidence. I'm taking 2 in to the vet again this morning.
Looking for any ideas.
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Post by shellymay on Jan 22, 2016 15:15:43 GMT
So with all that info, wow hard one there...First I would take them off the treats just to be sure, second might it be a common
denominator in something in the house?? is there something in house they have found and chewing or eating on, dead mouse or rat?
new item you brought in? usually with so many dogs being effected one would think something they are all eating or drinking, sorry
this is happening but make sure vet knows every little thing even if you don't think it is relevant, keep us posted and hope all
are healed quickly and permanently....
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 22, 2016 15:43:59 GMT
Wow, agree there has to be a common denominator. First thing I thought about were all the news reports about dog snacks causing illness last year. Can you take them off all snacks and only feed them food you make for them? That's a big ask, but just wondering.
I'd definitely start googling those treats to see if anyone else is experiencing issues with them.
Beyond that, what does the vet suggest about all 4 dogs with the same symptoms -- something's going on for sure.
Keep us posted.
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Post by solargeek on Jan 22, 2016 16:13:54 GMT
WOW stop all of the regular dog food if you can. How awful for them and you.
We had the exact same issue in late 2008 with our 2 Goldendoodles. Turned out, despite 2 years of lying to us and the whole country, NUTRAMAX and NUTRMAX Gold and all variations including the treats, used the Chinese gluten that had melamine in it. Our vet and the company itself assured us that was not the case at the time (I called company).
8 yr old dog wasted down to nothing after a year of really not eating, tons of tests, suspecting kidneys, etc. At the end she would only eat my homemade bread. Younger dog (3 in 2008) got better slowly. Vet said the melamine just caused multiple system failure.
Even tho they told me and the vets the food was ok IT WASN'T.
Perhaps you can cook for them for a 6 week period, nothing store bought and see if it rights itself.
So hard and so sad. Please let us know what happens.
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Post by here to stay on Jan 22, 2016 16:40:42 GMT
Are your dogs all inside dogs? I remember an incident in my parent's home where the combustion chamber on their furnace had corroded through and was allowing some carbon monoxide into the air exchange. Since their dog used to lie by a furnace vent to get warm, she was most effected. But even my mother felt better when the vet figured it out and my parents replaced the defective part. And the dog improved hugely.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 22, 2016 21:39:40 GMT
I've had both dogs at the vet's this morning (usual vet, not emergency vet this time). She was quite alarmed at all 4 dogs being sick in so short a time, and with basically just the one symptom. No elevated temperatures again today. She did really thorough exams on both dogs, and asked a ton of questions. Finally said, "Dog food!" She feels it is the treats as Taste of the Wild is known for using good quality ingredients. She wants me to feed only homemade food for one week, and then go back to TOTW and see if the problem recurs or not. She did say to get a new bag on the off chance that I could have got a bad bag somehow last time. After carefully going over my Heeler's lab results ( from the ER vet), she said the diagnosis did not make sense. Although the BUN and a few other things were high, everything else was normal. She was wondering if the food & vomiting episode triggered acute kidney disease, which is reversible. Then she started asking how much and how long the Heeler had vomited that day (frequently for 6 hours). She said the test results could be totally wrong simply due to dehydration...there's a possibility my dog "might" not have chronic kidney disease at all. She thinks the ER vet was just looking at a few tests and not the big picture. She said my Heeler looks far too healthy and things just didn't match up. We are going to give her a week to recuperate, then repeat the kidney function tests and see if they're normal this time. Hoping for good news. SolarGeek, sorry about your dogs.  I think far too many vets just fluff this off and the dog food companies just keep on denying. I've only used this vet for the last 2-3 yrs and have been very impressed by her but didn't know if she would refuse to consider the food. I am really happy with her after today. Best vet I've had in a long time. |
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Post by feather on Jan 22, 2016 21:49:23 GMT
wildhorseluvr, I'm so glad your vet and you are testing whether it is the food, that they all have in common as a possible cause. I don't have any dogs right now but if my family all were sick after my thanksgiving dinner, I'd surely advise them not to eat the left overs. I'm sorry you and the dogs are going through this. Your possible conclusion does seem logical to me. Wishing you all well.
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Post by aoconnor on Jan 23, 2016 0:55:33 GMT
I've had both dogs at the vet's this morning (usual vet, not emergency vet this time). She was quite alarmed at all 4 dogs being sick in so short a time, and with basically just the one symptom. No elevated temperatures again today. She did really thorough exams on both dogs, and asked a ton of questions. Finally said, "Dog food!" She feels it is the treats as Taste of the Wild is known for using good quality ingredients. She wants me to feed only homemade food for one week, and then go back to TOTW and see if the problem recurs or not. She did say to get a new bag on the off chance that I could have got a bad bag somehow last time. After carefully going over my Heeler's lab results ( from the ER vet), she said the diagnosis did not make sense. Although the BUN and a few other things were high, everything else was normal. She was wondering if the food & vomiting episode triggered acute kidney disease, which is reversible. Then she started asking how much and how long the Heeler had vomited that day (frequently for 6 hours). She said the test results could be totally wrong simply due to dehydration...there's a possibility my dog "might" not have chronic kidney disease at all. She thinks the ER vet was just looking at a few tests and not the big picture. She said my Heeler looks far too healthy and things just didn't match up. We are going to give her a week to recuperate, then repeat the kidney function tests and see if they're normal this time. Hoping for good news. SolarGeek, sorry about your dogs. I think far too many vets just fluff this off and the dog food companies just keep on denying. I've only used this vet for the last 2-3 yrs and have been very impressed by her but didn't know if she would refuse to consider the food. I am really happy with her after today. Best vet I've had in a long time. Ah, dang, I should have read your post earlier about your Red Heeler, I could have offered the dehydration theory for the kidney issue. I'm so glad you got to your regular vet who was able to sort through some of the symptoms and figure out what might really be happening. I would do just the same as the vet advised, no commercial food for a week for all, then slowly re-introduce the TOTW. Hopefully you will see a return to health for each dog very soon! |
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 23, 2016 11:35:26 GMT
wildhorseluvr, it sounds like you have good news on the horizon with the retesting for the kdney issues - hoping those retests come back normal and the problem was the dehydration. Good news on the vet being thorough, listening to you and considering all the particulars. Please do come back and let us know how your pups are doing.
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Post by Maura on Jan 25, 2016 0:02:16 GMT
Sounds like a good vet. I’ve been to vets who did not even seem to know there was a difference between dog foods. She has a good head on her shoulders. Hope your guys are all feeling better.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jan 26, 2016 0:35:41 GMT
How are the dogs doing today? I know it's been a few days on the homemade food now, was hoping you'd have good news for us.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 26, 2016 2:25:54 GMT
The dogs are doing fine, thanks.  The old Shepherd is still doing a little coughing/gagging now and then but other than that all four seem to be back to normal. The younger 3 are bouncing around like usual, much to the cats' dismay. All are eating well with no more vomiting. I should be able to start 3 of the dogs back on regular dog food in a few days, the Heeler will stay on the homemade diet until we repeat the kidney function tests next Monday. I plan to start experimenting with making homemade dog treats tomorrow, not buying any more store bought treats unless they're made in the USA and I've researched them carefully. Took 2 cats in this afternoon for checkups and updates on vaccinations. One needs dental work, usually expensive but this vet only charges $99 (about 1/2 or less what the other vets charge). Then 2 more cats in for checkups/shots and hopefully I'm done with vet visits for awhile! i've been using this vet for nearly 3 yrs but haven't had a real emergency until now. After this incident I'm even happier with her. She really likes the animals too, gets down on the floor and plays with them and is usually covered in dog hair by the time we're done. |
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 30, 2016 2:27:27 GMT
Got bad news tonight. The little Heeler didn't want to eat this morning, so I got her in to my vet this afternoon and had the kidney function test repeated. It came back much worse, the vet said there's no question she is in end stage kidney failure. She said she was quite surprised at how much worse the tests were in less than 2 weeks. She also said she's never seen a dog look so good at this stage of the disease. When we got home, the dog went outside to "help" with chores, and she ran the young terrier down and rolled him just for fun. Came back in later dancing around and with her eyes sparkling. Hard to believe she's so sick.
Not going to do anything to try to extend her time. She hates the special diet she should be on, she hates shots...I'm just going to feed her all her favorite foods and give her lots of attention for the next few weeks. When she loses interest in eating, I'll take her back to the vet for the last time.
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Post by aoconnor on Jan 30, 2016 12:53:43 GMT
I'm sorry about your heeler. It's sad when they get so old...hoping for a few good weeks for you both.
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 30, 2016 19:01:09 GMT
wildhorseluvr, I'm sad for the bad news but it made me smile to hear that you're just going to love on her all the way through and not force the shots or yucky food (in her mind) on her. Hoping for a miracle like Possum got.
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Post by motdaugrnds on Jan 30, 2016 19:05:27 GMT
wildhorseluvr, When I first read your initial post, the first thing that came to my mind was that your dogs must have gotten into some anti-freeze. I do know that can poison animals and it sounded to me like symptoms of poisoning. So sorry about the kidney failure in your heeler. ((hugs)) I know you must be in agony.
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I think far too many vets just fluff this off and the dog food companies just keep on denying. 
The old Shepherd is still doing a little coughing/gagging now and then but other than that all four seem to be back to normal. The younger 3 are bouncing around like usual, much to the cats' dismay. All are eating well with no more vomiting. I should be able to start 3 of the dogs back on regular dog food in a few days, the Heeler will stay on the homemade diet until we repeat the kidney function tests next Monday. I plan to start experimenting with making homemade dog treats tomorrow, not buying any more store bought treats unless they're made in the USA and I've researched them carefully. 