My dog ate sand and shells at beach. Why is she vomiting, lethargic?

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to a contact dermatitis, possibly caused by seawater and sand. Severe gastrointestinal impaction and constipation or diarrhoea can result from the ingestion of sand. A check up is needed to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Because sand can cause your puppy to become blocked, it is important that you take her to an emergency veterinarian right away. The veterinarian will want to do x-rays to see if the sand is causing a problem and making her vomit. Good luck!

There are spray-on products such as bitter apple which may deter pets from chewing on furniture, eating seashells in your backyard decor, etc. However in an outdoor setting, such sprays will likely get washed away each time it rains. If Sadie is very persistent about eating the seashells, removing them completely or relocating to a place out of her reach is the safest option. Ingested seashells, even if chewed up, could become a life -threatening gastrointestinal foreign body obstruction/result in a gastrointestinal obstruction that would require an expensive surgery to resolve (with no guarantee of complete recovery). If Sadie continues to vomit, bringing her into your vet for diagnostics and treatment is the safest option. Symptoms of a foreign body obstruction include vomiting shortly after eating, minimal defecation, abdominal pain, and lethargy.

Eating the sand has likely make Roxy sick. Feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If she refuses to eat the bland diet, she vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away.

As long as you have started her vaccinations then I wouldn’t think that you have done anything wrong. She may have consumed a little too much salt water, or it could be completely unrelated. I would consider feeding her a bland diet such as boiled chicken and rice his morning. However, if she doesn’t eat or if she vomits it up then she should be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I am sorry to hear Roxy isn't feeling well. Eating sand doesn't always mean a vitamin deficiency and even though she is defecating some sand out, it doesn't mean it all is coming out. I recommend taking her to a vet to look for intestinal parasites, which can sometimes cause them to eat things they shouldn't. It also sounds like she is nauseous (drooling) from eating too much sand and may need to have the sand removed. The vet may need to take x-rays to make sure she hasn't eaten something else with the sand. After that, I would keep her away from the sand so she doesn't continue to eat it. You may need to walk her on a leash to prevent her from eating it. Good luck and kisses to Roxy!

Sand can cause issues in the G.I. tract including information and potentially an obstruction/blockage. I recommend Tucker be examined by a veterinarian and likely an x-ray done. This is because if he does have an obstruction he will need surgery to remove the sand. If the x-ray looks good did it may be putting him on a bland diet and giving extra fluids will help him get better.