Dear Dr. Fox: I have a wonderful Yorkshire terrier who is now 15 months old. The problem is that she seems to have a delicate stomach.
About once a month she will have an episode of vomiting, for no apparent reason. Usually, before the vomiting, there will be a few hours when she acts a bit lethargic or tired.
I wonder if taking her to the vet to have her nails trimmed has anything to do with it - she gets very nervous and frightened when I do this. I took her yesterday afternoon, and all evening she acted tired, slept all night and then vomited this morning.
My need for reassurance comes from an episode that occurred when she was about six months old. I thought she had ingested something (a small rubber band) and I called my vet, who said it was OK to give her some hydrogen peroxide to make her vomit. I did that and then really regretted it - she hadn't ingested anything and the peroxide made her vomit until she vomited blood. - S.M., High Point, N.C.
Dear S.M.: Your dog could have a food allergy that can be corrected with the help of an informed veterinarian. Her stomach and perhaps her small intestine were possibly damaged by the hydrogen peroxide treatment. Only the most diluted peroxide should be given to induce vomiting, otherwise the lining of the digestive system may be destroyed or scarred.
Stress (as when she has her nails trimmed) could also upset your dog's appetite and digestive system. I advise a bland, homemade diet (for a recipe, visit my Web site at
http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id19.html) before going through the dietary regimen to identify and eliminate ingredients in her diet that might upset her system.
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