Doggy acid reflux?
Hi. Before I start, I have asked my past and present veterinarians about this and they said "There's no medication or cure yet". I refuse to believe that though. There's got to be some kind of holistic or home remedy I can learn to help my Corgi.
Boscoe is 5years old and this has been happening his whole life...he gets a look on his face where his eyes get real watery, his lips pull back further than normal and this is the "Oh no I'm going to throw up" face. At least once a week and when I'm lucky only once every two weeks, this happens. Then he throws up. It's not due to too much food, type of food, too much water, accidental ingestion of garbage or chemicals, not a hairball, not due to hyper-ness or stress either. There is no specific cause, that's why I can't figure out what to do about it. All that comes out after about five to ten (what look and sound to be extremely painful) dry heaves is gooey, yellow bile. I know - DISGUSTING! But try having to clean it out of the carpet...which in comparison to the feeling I get knowing that there's nothing I can do to help him, is nothing.
I’ve called random veterinarian emergency rooms and help lines, I only got one solid answer once, which was to lightly coat his food with olive oil once a week. It worked so well! He went almost a month before having another episode! I did some research online and the closest examples I can find to what Boscoe goes through is called “Acid Reflux in Dogs”?? Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know what to do? I have acid reflux myself, but I have medicine. I don’t even want to think that my dog has it and has no medicine. That’s got to be so painful.
Boscoe is 5years old and this has been happening his whole life...he gets a look on his face where his eyes get real watery, his lips pull back further than normal and this is the "Oh no I'm going to throw up" face. At least once a week and when I'm lucky only once every two weeks, this happens. Then he throws up. It's not due to too much food, type of food, too much water, accidental ingestion of garbage or chemicals, not a hairball, not due to hyper-ness or stress either. There is no specific cause, that's why I can't figure out what to do about it. All that comes out after about five to ten (what look and sound to be extremely painful) dry heaves is gooey, yellow bile. I know - DISGUSTING! But try having to clean it out of the carpet...which in comparison to the feeling I get knowing that there's nothing I can do to help him, is nothing.
I’ve called random veterinarian emergency rooms and help lines, I only got one solid answer once, which was to lightly coat his food with olive oil once a week. It worked so well! He went almost a month before having another episode! I did some research online and the closest examples I can find to what Boscoe goes through is called “Acid Reflux in Dogs”?? Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know what to do? I have acid reflux myself, but I have medicine. I don’t even want to think that my dog has it and has no medicine. That’s got to be so painful.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hilary C. on
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Um...no particular time of day but then again...I never thought to take note of that. Usually the middle of the day, before dinner. But I always leave food out for my dogs (they don't have an over eating problem). When it does happen, it can be as far between episodes as two weeks or he can have them as close together as three times in two hours. I have no idea what to do. I have been really tempted before to give him half of one of my Prevacid pills but I don't want to do more harm than good.
When I run out of my acid reflux meds (or forget to take it with me on vacation) I know that a tablespoon of baking soda (of baking powder...it's the one kept in the fridge to keep it smelling clean) mixed into an 8oz. glass of warm water really does the trick when the acid reflux comes on too strong. Should I try that???
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I only have one other dog, Dia and she's usually the submissive one. I've tried crating them while my husband and I are out of the house which is only 6 hours max Mon- Thurs. I've tried only feeding them at 5pm everyday. I've tried leaving their food bowls full all day and I've tried only putting one cup of food per bowl to last all day. Neither of them fluctuates in weight ever or ravishes their food once fed with that "OMG I'm so hungry" attitude. They're both really easy dogs. But no matter which technique I use, Boscoe still has the upsets. I'll call the vet this evening about the Pepcid dosage. Thanks for the great idea!
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Permalink Reply by Butter on
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My Butter has acid reflux (self diagnosed). Since I started giving him digestive enzymes with his meal it has almost disappeared.
Whatever you do, don't give him Prevacid without checking with a vet. I've been on that too..pretty powerful stuff. Also, you have to know what you are doing because a stomach needs some acid to digest food. Prevacid might just wipe out too much acid for a dog.
From my own experience with acid reflux...an empty stomach is an acidic stomach. If I go too long between meals I start getting a lot of pain.
We feed Butter on a schedule (7 am and 5 pm and a snack at bedime) Since we have started with a snack he doesn't vomit in the morning. Good luck. Joy and Butter
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Thanks so much for the advice. I just ordered NaturVet Enzymes & Probiotics because the description sounded like it could help out the Boss' (Boscoe's) tummy. Have you had an experience with that brand? Also, Boss is kind of a "nibble here, nibble there" type of eater, that's why I like to keep the food available 24/7. If this is because of an empty stomach, how can I get him ot actually fill up without adding really fatty things like shredded cheese and such?
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I just give him digestive enzymes for people. I live in Canada so we don't always have the same brands; haven't heard of that one but I am sure it is fine. You should message Aloha...she helps me a lot with nutrition problems. I don't know the answer for the type of eater he is...she will probably know what to do. Take care, Joy and Butter PS I give Butter baby carrots and frozen or fresh green beans to help fill up...low calorie but the beans would have more fibre. Maybe that would cause problems, maybe not. I really find the enzymes help...way less gas and I rarely see him burp now. PPS I see some people on this site write that if the dog doesn't eat within 10 minutes of feeding then you should take his bowl away. If he isn't eating a full meal...not sure how the enzymes would work on just bits of food. Again, I say I would ask Aloha.
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HA! I grew up in Port Huron, Michigan US...so if you know where the Blue Water Bridge is and Prince Edward Casino by Saginaw (Canada) then I grew up three blocks from there.
Anyhow, how can I reach Aloha?
PS 1800PetMeds.com is where I get my pup stuff...they deliver to Canada ( i think ). Check them out...cheap.
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Hi, I live on Prince Edward Island which is in the east of Canada...you grew up closer to Ontario, which is half a big country away.
You can reach Aloha by hitting "members" at the top of the page, then type in "Aloha". 3 pics come up, she is in the middle...a pic of a little, small dark corgi.
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately in Canada things are always more expensive even if we order from the US. Right now our dollar is worth about 85 cents to a US dollar so it is cheaper for me to buy stuff in Canada. The enzymes I get are from our grocery store and are pretty cheap. Thanks for the tip though...Hope you can get some help soon. Let me know what you find out. Happy New Year, Joy and Butter
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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Another question, what are you feeding? Is it good, natural food? We changed the Clan over to a more natural, nutritious food and it helped a lot. Our catahoula, Ayla, hacks up bile in between feedings. She's the nervous type, too. But the new food has helped. You can get probiotics at your local PetCo or PetSmart, too. Patti (CorgiMom) gets ours at the local health food store. That's a big help, too.
As for feeding on a schedule, they do get used to it. Once they realize the food is only down for a time, at our house that's 25-30 minutes, they get to eating. Recently, Tank has taken to not wanting his kibble. But, one night I took it up after 20 minutes and he didn't get it again until the next feeding. He ate it. He figured it out quickly. I stopped free-feeding because, with so many dogs, it was impossible to make sure they all got the right amount of food.
Do try the probiotics and making sure he gets fed twice a day. It should cut down on the bile.
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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on
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Alot of these suggestions sound great..I feed all my guys twice a day and I give a tbsp. of yogurt daily. At night just before bed I give alittle snack. My one girl started doing what your dog is doing and she had dropped weight by a touch so I increased her food just a bit and the issue has been solved. You can also give pepcid or tums.
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Okay....Boscoe has been on the Enzymes for about three days now. Everything's going great so far. Will keep updates on this discussion for anyone who has the same issues with their Corgis.
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Boscoe has been on the Enzymes and Probiotics for 2 weeks now. He has thrown up the bile five times which is as often as he did before the enzymes and probiotics. No success with this method. I have tried to feed treats or cookies before bed and initially it did help. Back to square one I guess..
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