# beagle gets sick a lot



## Anderson farms (Mar 26, 2007)

Our beagle, Ruby, is throwing up. She does it usually once a week to every other week. There is always grass in it. We had some friends tell us that maybe it was her feed. We feed her purina. She also coughs sometimes. Can anyone give me some advice. The vets around her have gotten outrageous on visit prices and are really no help. They just like to do tests and charge the big money for them. She doesn't act lethargic, same silly happy dog, just acts like she has an upset belly. Thanks for any help.


----------



## Naturaldane (Apr 24, 2008)

most likely it is the food, foods loaded with corn or other veggie matter dont digest well or at all causing stomach upset, the grass is to make them throw up, it tickles the esphagus and stomach, they dont eat it without reason.

I would try an experimental diet of cooked boneless chicken, or hambuger (lean) and some frozen green beens or cooked rice, (rice and beans are fillers) and try that for a week and see if it happens. Dogs can thrive perfectly on raw meaty bones and organs, even though cooking depletes nutirents, and you cant feed cooked bones, your not malnurishing your dog by doing the above.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I would change to either home cooked food or a higher quality kibble. I would also give probios for a while to get her gut back in order. Here is a good website to help you choose a good kibble if you go that route. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ 
I have 3 dogs....2 get Wellness Puppy kibble and 1 gets home cooked.


----------



## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

As you probably already know....vomiting is a symptom of a problem or disease process so in order to solve the vomiting you have to diagnose the problem.

Some things to consider....

Yes, food is one consideration. Too much grain in cheaper foods isn't a good thing. Or allergies to an ingredient could be causing the problems.

Parasites are a very likely candidate....tape worm causes vomiting. Round worm migrates from the lungs up the throat and then into the stomach. They cause coughing and vomiting and gagging during this stage of the life cycle. Adult dogs often have an immunity to round worms so would suspect this in pups more than adults.

Tumors in older dogs.

Any number of digestive problems.

You could try worming however the over the counter stuff is just about worthless and gives a false sense of security for those who use it and think it is working. There are very few meds that get tape worm and none of them are general wormers. If your Beagle goes out and hunts there is a good chance it is tape worm and the dog will need regular worming thoughout his life to keep them tape worms under control.

While I understand that vets can be very expensive, often one vet visit is far more beneficial than hit or miss diagnosis and treatment. In the end you will end up paying less and finding out for sure what it is instead of continuing to search for problems with the resulting multiple small bills.

Good luck....

Willow101


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Bella actually has heartburn and reflux that cause her to throw up. So in the morning she gets a little kibble and then she get more in the evening and eats at her own pace. I can give her pepto bismal if it's bad but so far she only gets really sick if she eats something strange on an empty stomach. She raided the popcorn bowl before she had kibble and it was, well, yuck. Once she's had some kibble she's fine.


----------



## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

We need to know much more about Bella. How old is she? How long has the intermittent vomiting been going on? Is the vomiting associated with diarrhea or other signs of digestive upset? How often do you feed her? What time of day is the vomiting occurring? Please give us these and any other details you can think of that might be useful.


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Wow, I was just now able to get back on!

Bella is a pug/terrier mix, she's will be 3 we think around the first of October. She was found on the road at about 4 weeks and my vet took her and nursed her back to health. She had tapeworms, ringworm and some respiratory issues plus some sinus issues. She has a snubby nose like a pug but we have no idea what else there is, but she's cute as the dickens. She is a medium built dog with web feet and weighs about 50 lbs.

We noticed after we got her that she threw up about every other day so I started keeping track of everything she ate. The dog also loves cardboard and paper. We don't give her anything anymore on an empty stomach except kibble or for whatever reason, cheese, she never has gotten sick off of cheese. :shrug: We feed a brand of dog food called Meat Lovers with no preservatives. We had fed the big dogs Pedigree for 14 years and they thrived on it, but I do know that they changed their formula after the dogs died. She itched on it so we changed her to this. Both Bella and Bob do very well on it. She never throws up her dog food.

When she has a reflux it's like a human's but it's more on an empty stomach and getting a piece of chip or popcorn, than from eating too much. She also will get nauseous and acts differently, you can tell when she sick. It burns her throat and causes her to go in laryngitis from the irritation sometimes. So the vet recommended pepto bismal tablets for her. She gets about a 1/2 cup of kibble in the morning, some at around 3:00 and then dinner at 5, that's the schedule Bob is on as we are having to feed him more times during the day.

Anyway that's the scoop on Bella.


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Wanted to add, she doesn't get diarrhea with this, it's more of a gastric problem. The worst time was when dh gave her a small piece of hotdog on an empty tummy and all I can say is yuck! Once she eats her kibble she's fine. Sometimes it sounds more like an ulcer but he's looked and there isn't one.


----------



## Dubi (Aug 21, 2007)

Re the OP about the beagle, grass could indicate that's what's making her vomit. Either grass itself or something on it (pesticides?) not agreeing with her stomach. Another beagle thing, because they sniff so much, is inhaling foreign objects through the nose (grass, dirt, gravel, etc.) That can cause excessive honking or coughing to get it out, which in turn can cause vomiting. We paid a pretty penny once to have our beagle's nasal passages cleared when she just couldn't get stuff out. (OK Betho, you can joke about her big nose now.)


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Bella also chokes and gags, raises her nose straight up like something is caught. She usually comes to us and we massage her throat downward to help. I also keep her on an antihistimine in the fall, she has sinus problems and I imagine some drainage too.


----------

