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  #1  
Old January 13th, 2008, 12:06 PM
hbk hbk is offline
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Dog eats grass - vomits frequently - Answered by Dr. Van Lienden

My 10 year old min. poodle, Josie, has been eating grass and vomiting for years, but relatively infrequently (maybe once a month). I have had her checked out at the vet (blood tests, physical exam) with no positive results for any problems. Recently (within the past month or so) she has been doing this at least three times a week. She doesn't act like she feels bad, she will ring to go out and then eat grass, sit down and throw it up (yellow), and come back in and go back to her normal business (sleeping, mostly, but if she throws up first thing in the morning she then eats her breakfast). She has been eating the same food for 1-2 years (NutroMax senior mixed with weight control). She was 3-4 pounds overweight but has lost that since I added the weight control and quit letting her lick dishes. I am concerned that she may be damaging her esophagus. Also, my younger poodle, Annie (1 year old), who learns from Josie, has started copying the grass eating (maybe once every two weeks). Any suggestions?

Thanks!
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  #2  
Old January 13th, 2008, 12:10 PM
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Winston Winston is offline
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I think most dogs eat grass when they have an upset stomach,,,my guy eats a certain type of grass only and not all the time...but thank dawg! he usually doesnt throw it up! I usually know because his tummy makes funny noises..

Cindy
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Old January 14th, 2008, 05:16 AM
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I wouldn't worry about the grass eating but I would change her food. There have been lots of cases of dogs being fed Nutro that vomit bile several times a week. My previous dogs did this and once I switched their food the vomitting stopped. Many other people reported the same thing. Please check out the Food Forum here for some great information on what to feed your dog.
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Old January 14th, 2008, 03:33 PM
hbk hbk is offline
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Thanks for the info, I'll look at the Food Forum.
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Old January 25th, 2008, 10:45 AM
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Chronic vomiting/regurgitation need to be addressed, because, yes, she may be suffering from esophageal/dental damage/metabolic disease if there is a gastric acid component.

Vomiting is different than regurgitation: vomiting is the stomach violently contracting to expel contents, regurgitation is the passive return of esophageal contents--there is no stomach component involved.

Routine blood work may not show any abnormalities, however further testing such as fluoroscopy/endoscopy may reveal the answer.

Alternatively, hypoallergenic/bland low-fat food trial may be of benefit if the situation warrants. There are numerous antiemetic (anti-vomiting) drugs available, but a firm diagnosis before medication makes the most sense.

Please consult your veterinarian for further diagnostics/assessments/treatment plans.


Dr. Van Lienden

Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM
The Animal Clinic of Clifton
12702 Chapel Road, Clifton
Virginia, U.S.A. 20124
703-802-0490
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  #6  
Old January 27th, 2008, 03:06 PM
hbk hbk is offline
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Update to "dog eats grass-vomits frequently"

Thanks for the replies. I started Josie on Royal Canin Special 30 for "sensitive, fussy" dogs. I started mixing it 1/2 and 1/2 with her previous food and after two weeks she's on the Royal Canin straight. No vomiting (self-induced or otherwise) since we started the switch! I wonder if there is something in the food that settles her stomach enough that the Nutro doesn't bother it anymore. I hope that takes care of the problem!
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  #7  
Old June 4th, 2008, 11:04 PM
natural_person natural_person is offline
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Hello,

One of my dogs eat grass a lot but does not vomit. Indigestion ? Otherwise they eat well: Beneful brand, Friskies, soft bones, a lot of carrots as treats, some biscuits. Is there any possible problem ?
He looks unhappy somethimes...
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Old June 5th, 2008, 07:14 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Not sure about the grass-eating, but I would like to point out that Beneful is a truly horrible food. Not only is it low on meat and high on grains, it actually contains sugar! Here are the ingredients of Beneful Original dry:

Quote:
INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol,.... added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2),
You might want to find a food that actually has meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have so many carbohydrates or food colouring. Here is some info on choosing a dog food: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ and a list of ingredients to avoid: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index....badingredients

Also, the bones you feed are raw, right?
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  #9  
Old June 5th, 2008, 09:41 AM
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Yes. despite all the stupid tv advertising, Beneful is truely a nasty thing to feed an animal. There are even unadvertised grocery store brands that have better ingredients for heavens sake. It is amazing what lies the big companies get away with when people do not do the research.
Please follow the above links and check out what ingredients are in the foods.
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  #10  
Old June 6th, 2008, 12:16 AM
natural_person natural_person is offline
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Thankyou for the responses!

No, the bones are not raw, they are cooked bones...they eat the cartilage parts and soft chicken bones. Just to keep them happy.

I thought the friskies would be a greater problem than the beneful!
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  #11  
Old June 6th, 2008, 12:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natural_person View Post
No, the bones are not raw, they are cooked bones...they eat the cartilage parts and soft chicken bones. Just to keep them happy.
Chicken bones should never be fed cooked, ONLY raw. Cooked chicken bones will splinter easily and can cause alot of internal damage. Raw bones are much softer and easier for them to digest.

*Meal Bones; carcass, backs, necks, wings- chicken, duck, lamb, ostrich, quail, turkey etc. These bones are softer, meaty and packed with nutrients. Again, these bones will aid in dental health and the bone waste will aid in cleansing the anal sacs. They provide an essential balance of calcium, phosphorous and other vital minerals and nutrients.

*Be wary of poultry leg bones (the drum) they are long and hollow, some pets don’t chew these properly and therefore do not digest properly.
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Old June 6th, 2008, 07:12 AM
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Definitely stop feeding cooked bones. Raw is fine, but like growler said, cooked bones can splinter into deadly sharp shards.

And about that Friskies . . . . sorry to be a food nag, but no cat should be eating Friskies . In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find any decent pet food in a grocery store. Please read this link on what a more appropriate diet for a cat would be: http://www.catinfo.org/

As a quick comparison, here are the ingredients in Friskies Indoor dry:

Quote:
Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), turkey by-product meal, powdered cellulose, animal liver flavor, soybean hulls, malt extract, ... salt, dried cheese powder, ....added color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2 and other color),....
There isn't a single worthwhile ingredient in this crap. Now check out the ingredients in By Nature Organics chicken canned (available at PetSmart):

Quote:
Ingredients: Organic Chicken, Natural Well Water, Organic Chicken Liver, ....
Much simpler, no grains, no salt or food colouring or by-products, and most importantly, WATER! Cat's need water with their food. Please reconsider your pets' diets, check out the links, and try to find something better for their health. They'll thank you.
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  #13  
Old June 6th, 2008, 07:15 PM
natural_person natural_person is offline
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I really try to be aware all the time but I really had no idea about all the "dirty secrets" of the food industry. How many like me ?

Thank you many times !

I will do my best to replace some of the stuff. I did know about the splinters. I remove all the long bones. I use kitcken scissors and "adjust" all bones.

I suppose Max eating grass makes sense, and maybe his dry skin...
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Old June 6th, 2008, 11:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natural_person View Post
I did know about the splinters. I remove all the long bones. I use kitcken scissors and "adjust" all bones.
The thing is it's not just the long leg bones that will splinter when cooked - they all will.

If you want to feed bones please only give raw bones.
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