Throwing up

[alyssa23]

My yorkie, Harley, is 7 months old. I feed him Wellness Just for Puppy and he's ate it since he was 9 weeks old. He has been throwing up his food for a week and a half now. I took him to the vet and they did blood work and told me it was all fine and gave him an antinausea shot. He still acts normal and playful and drinks and eats. He throws up about 30 minutes to an hour each time after he eats and it looks like just blown up pieces of his food. I tried feeding him smaller portions throughout the day, but that didn't seem to help much and just seems like he's starving now. Any ideas on what else I could do for him or what kind of food to swap him to??
Thanks!!

[Maximo]

Poor Harley. Glad you had your vet check him. How much does he weigh and how much do you feed him per day? Does he get any additional food or treats?

Do you give probiotics or plain yogurt? Sometimes these solve tummy problems.

Has he always been on Wellness? I have read a number of cases on this site and others about Wellness/vomiting. It's a great food, but it may not be for every dog....even if they have been eating it for some time.

[Maximo]

Sorry, I thought I deleted the question about how long he has been on Wellness.

Check the sticky at the top of this section for suggestions on premium pet foods.

[alyssa23]

He weighs 5.5 lbs and I feed him about a cup of food or less throughout the day. He gets Zuke's mini bakes and the Wellness just for puppy soft bits treats after he goes out to use the bathroom.

I got some probiotics powder from the vet that was crazy expensive but when I put it on his food he won't eat any of it or he'll pick out the ones that have it on them and put them in the floor beside his bowl.

I have always fed him Wellness. I wanted a food that had good ingredients with no grains or byproducts so I thought it would be okay for him. I will swap him to something else though. Do you have any suggestions on what I should try?

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by alyssa23

He weighs 5.5 lbs and I feed him about a cup of food or less throughout the day. He gets Zuke's mini bakes and the Wellness just for puppy soft bits treats after he goes out to use the bathroom.

I got some probiotics powder from the vet that was crazy expensive but when I put it on his food he won't eat any of it or he'll pick out the ones that have it on them and put them in the floor beside his bowl.

I have always fed him Wellness. I wanted a food that had good ingredients with no grains or byproducts so I thought it would be okay for him. I will swap him to something else though. Do you have any suggestions on what I should try?

I believe a cup is way too much for a 5.5 pound dog, especially with the addition of the treats. My 8 pounder eats three quarters cup of a food that is higher in calories, so he doesn't need as much, and he is an adult while yours is still a puppy, but still, I wouldn't give your guy a full cup of any food.

Maybe someone else can suggest a means to hide the probiotic powder, something other than kibble.

Some other food possibilities that are grain free and good: Orijen, Acana, Merrick Before Grain, Go! Grain Free Endurance Formula, Fromm Surf and Turf. There are many more and other people can make some suggestions. If you have a pet food specialty shop in your area, they are often willing to give you free samples.

[alyssa23]

Okay thanks so much. I will give him less for sure then and get one of the foods you listed to feed him. He is my first puppy so I had no idea.

[Maximo]

My Yorkies are my first puppies. Everything has a learning curve.

Most kibble bags have feeding guidelines that suggest feeding way too much food. When you decide which food you want to try next, post a thread asking for other people's experience -- how much their dogs weigh and how much they feed. Watching your dog's weight is also a good way to determine proper amount. You should be able to feel his ribs easily and he should have a good waistline with no bulging stomach.

When you change kibbles, mix the Wellness and the new food together and make the change gradually. In other words, start with just a little and see how your pup tolerates it. Some dogs go straight to the new food without any problem.

If no one comes along in this thread, post another asking for suggestions for treats that you can hide the probiotics in. Any additional food should only be given in tiny amounts, a teaspoon or half a teaspoon.

Good luck. I hope you can resolve your boy's tummy issues soon.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Maximo

My Yorkies are my first puppies. Everything has a learning curve.

Most kibble bags have feeding guidelines that suggest feeding way too much food. When you decide which food you want to try next, post a thread asking for other people's experience -- how much their dogs weigh and how much they feed. Watching your dog's weight is also a good way to determine proper amount. You should be able to feel his ribs easily and he should have a good waistline with no bulging stomach.

When you change kibbles, mix the Wellness and the new food together and make the change gradually. In other words, start with just a little and see how your pup tolerates it. Some dogs go straight to the new food without any problem.

If no one comes along in this thread, post another asking for suggestions for treats that you can hide the probiotics in. Any additional food should only be given in tiny amounts, a teaspoon or half a teaspoon.

Good luck. I hope you can resolve your boy's tummy issues soon.

Jackson is 15lbs and at a healthy weight and he eats 1/2 cup of kibble per day mixed with wet food, or raw medallions for breakfast. Still not totaling 1 cup of food. I think you're just feeding too much.

[alyssa23]

I did use the bags chart as a feeding guideline haha. I'm glad you told me about that. I'm sure too much food just makes it worse.

I want to definately use the probiotics I've already bought if I can, but I looked up some of the dog foods you listed and most of them have it listed in their ingredients.

He also loves carrots and little pieces of apple. I stopped letting him have them when he began vomiting though. Are those okay to give him every now and then in small amounts?

[ArmaniMan]

It does seem like you are feeding too much.

But something else to consider if this continues is to have is liver checked- has he ever had a bile acid test run? Considering the prevalence of liver disease in this breed combined with the fact that this is happening so close to each meal, this is something I would want tested if it were my dog.

Good Luck.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by alyssa23

I did use the bags chart as a feeding guideline haha. I'm glad you told me about that. I'm sure too much food just makes it worse.

I want to definately use the probiotics I've already bought if I can, but I looked up some of the dog foods you listed and most of them have it listed in their ingredients.

He also loves carrots and little pieces of apple. I stopped letting him have them when he began vomiting though. Are those okay to give him every now and then in small amounts?

I think you are smart to withhold the carrots and apple for now. Most people here feed them with great success. My boys can't have either because they experienced very painful gas and bloating with them. Every dog is different.

I hope someone else can answer your question about the probiotics. Although they are included in most of the good foods, I do know many people here still give the additional probiotics powder/caps or plain yogurt. I give yogurt, but I have read that it isn't a sufficient source for probiotics. If you ever do give yogurt, btw, you can overdo that. My little guy was vomiting recently when grandpa gave him too much yogurt.

There are no easy answers when it comes to diet. It's all about figuring out what is best for your pup, finding the balance.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

It does seem like you are feeding too much.

But something else to consider if this continues is to have is liver checked- has he ever had a bile acid test run? Considering the prevalence of liver disease in this breed combined with the fact that this is happening so close to each meal, this is something I would want tested if it were my dog.

Good Luck.

Good advice.

[citygirl123]

It is interesting to see that others have had trouble with Wellness food.

I felt that it was probably time to switch to adult food...so I went to buy adult kibble to mix with the puppy kibble and gradually start the process. One of the Pet Smart people recommended Wellness and I bought into the "natural product" stuff. The guy I talked to didn't think much of the prouduct I was using.

All well and good, but the Wellness food did not agree with Copper even though I was introducing small portions mixed in. I took the bag back and bought the adult brand of the kibble (Royal Canine)I was using. We are still doing the mix...no problems. Copper likes it, is healthy and energetic...so good or bad, we are sticking with what we started with.

[alyssa23]

UPDATE on Harley
I started giving him less food, and I swapped over to a food called Earthborn Holistic Puppy Vantage. It has probiotics already in it (I bought the powder from the vet for $40 and he wouldn't touch his food with that on it! Haha) and smaller kibble than the Wellness. In a few days he stopped vomiting altogether. There was a little bit of the Wellness left and when we were at my parents my Mom dumped it into his new food. Now when he eats, he picks out the pieces of Welless and puts them on the floor beside his bowl!!!! How crazy is that?? I guess he knows what made him sick. Now since I feed him less, 3 times a day, he eats slower so I think that helped out, too. Thanks for everyones' help in figuring out what I was doing wrong!

[Sammy Mommy]

I'm glad that Harley is doing better!! How smart is he to pick out the old food that didn't agree with him! That's one smart pup!!