Vomitting and loose stool ?

[loye]

So we just got a new dog yesterday that we took in. He is a Mastiff mix (we were told). Approx. 1.5 years old. Yesterday he pooped in the house 3 times (one was when we left him inside while we were outside with the kids) so I thought maybe it was seperation anxiety or he had to go and couldn't tell us cause we were outside. The other time was when we were putting the kids to bed, then again last night when we were all sleeping. He started to again today but I caught him and took him outside. Then after that when I brought him in, and he started acting like he was going to vomit. I also started to wonder if maybe this is because my husband gave him canned dog food mixed with his food (he was not showing any interest in the food that they sent with him, so he wanted to try to add the canned so he'd eat). He is skinny, his ribs and hips stick out and I'm worried that maybe there is something medical going on. I plan to take him to get checked out this weekend (when I get paid), but in the meantime, any suggestions or thoughts? What can I do?

here is a top view pic of him, doesn't quite show how skinny he is but gives an idea

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

I would take him in sooner than this weekend.

[jamielvsaustin]

That top shot really doesn't look that bad. As far as him not feeling well, it could be any number of things. You guys are a new house to him (stressful), you're giving him new foods (upset stomach), etc. But if it is something serious, waiting until this weekend isn't going to do him any good. If he were my dog-he'd be at the vet today!

Have you guys read the two week shut down thread?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=81654

It may be some thing you want to implement (and even if you've had him a couple days, it's okay to start it now). Do you guys have other animals in the house? If the new dog is contagious it could be a big sickly mess for you guys.

[creiter]

When I first got Duke I had similar issues. He was a little underweight and was not interested in his food at all. He would eat it out of my hand but otherwise he had no interest in the bowl and even if I could coax him to start eating out of the bowl, I would have to stay in the room or else he would follow me. I tried wet food with similar results, runny stool and a couple of accidents in the house (he was potty trained, you could tell it just upset his stomach and ooops out it came; is yours potty trained for sure or is he still confused about where is appropriate to go?). Duke also had a few "vomitting" occassions where he would eat and a couple of hours later he would throw it back up pretty much solid. That made me worry about a blockage, so I of course called my vet (which I suggest you do). It never required a check up because it wasn't a blockage, it was probably just a mixture of stress/anxiety, but it was still great to have the vet aware of the situation so she could tell me when it became a very big issue (blockage is a huge issue).

Duke never lost any of his energy throughout this and drank water with no problems, which was a good sign. To help him get his appetite, instead of using wet food which had negative poop results, I would sprinkle some cheese (shredded or parmesan) to make it more appetizing. I would also sometimes mix peanut butter with water and microwave it and pour that warm mixture over his dry food. The warmth and wetness make it more appealing/easier to digest. My vet also recommended adding canned pumpkin to his food because that hardens a dog's stool. I would definitely have a conversation with your vet about that before using it as your solution, though, just in case there are other issues at hand (worms, blockage, etc).

Introducing a dog to a new environment can be extremely stressful, and that sounds like what may be causing some of your dogs issues. I would definitely call your vet (its free to call!) and get some advice to follow and if he doesn't get better or she suggests a visit, go seek professional help before things get worse. Otherwise, as suggested definitely follow the two week shut down. I didn't do this right away with Duke and it would have helped speed up the "return to normal" process for him had I done it sooner! Think about the world from his perspective, going from one home to a kennel to another home is extremely stressful especially since he is young enough all that happened during his socialization/learning stages (same as Duke, he started life neglected/abused and ended up in a kennel for his toddler to teen stages... not a good intro to how to act as a dog!).

Thank you so much for saving your precious new family member. I hope he feels better soon!

[Mooresmajestic]

Where did you get him from? Do you have vet documented proof of vaccines? Recent fecal test?