My new shelter dog is vomiting and breathing hard. What should I do?

Labored breathing and vomiting are very concerning signs. In an older, large-breed dog like your girl, I would be worried about bloat as a possible cause of her symptoms - this can be a life-threatening emergency, so needs to be treated right away. Many other things can also cause vomiting, including pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease, exposure to something toxic, or an intestinal obstruction. Based on your description, I would recommend taking her to the emergency vet tonight - she may have a serious problem that can't wait until morning.

Poor Baby! I am sorry she isn't feeling good. The symptoms you have mentioned make me concerned that Baby may have some sort of respiratory issue-kennel cough, pneumonia. I would recommend contacting your regular vet and arrange for her to be seen today. Advise them she has just come from a shelter situation, as repsiratory diseases can be quite contagious. They will likely ask for you to keep Baby in the car until they are ready to bring her into an exam room. Your vet will do a thorough exam, listen to Baby's heart and lungs. They may recommend some diagnostics such as X-rays and bloodwork too. Depending on the issues identified treatment may range (assuming it is a respiratory issue) from oral medications and rest at home, to hospitalization with IV fluids, oxygen therapy and injectable medications. I hope Baby starts to feel better soon!

Congrats on your new dog, but I'm sorry Shino is sick! It could be that he may have kennel cough causing his symptoms. He may be up to date on his vaccines but he may not be vaccinated for kennel cough. I would have Shino seen by a vet first thing in the morning for this. While kennel cough is self limiting, his symptoms may be helped with medication. I can give you some stuff for at home that can do for him in conduction with medication from the vet. Any dog with kennel cough should be isolated for at least two weeks, possibly longer depending on the severity of the infection. Keep your dog in a well-humidified area, and use a harness instead of a collar to minimize coughing. Rest your dog for at least seven days to minimize irritation of the airways caused by excessive coughing. You can bring your dog into the bathroom with you while you have a shower, as the steam may help with the respiratory irritation. I hope this helps, have Shino seen by a vet tomorrow!

If she was vaccinated as a puppy, then it would be very unlikely for a dog this age to get distemper. However, what you are describing is concerning. Labored breath along with vomiting can indicate a severe disease that is affecting her heart and/or lungs. Either way, they are both emergencies, because these situations have the potential to be life-threatening if not treated soon enough. I recommend taking her to the emergency vet for this, because it may be too long to wait until normal business hours. The vets will be able to assess the severity of the problem, hopefully find the cause and give her the necessary treatment. I hope that helps and Kate gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am suspicious that this could be something other than gastrointestinal issues from that. It is hard to know what exactly is going on however he is displaying some signs of potentially being sick such as labored breathing, lethargy and vomiting. I highly recommend that you have Harley evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to perform a physical examination and start there depending on what they think could be wrong. For example, if his lung sounds appear abnormal, they may proceed with chest X-rays. They can then treat accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

I highly recommend bringing Luna to a veterinarian to have her heart and lungs listened too. Did the breathing start after she vomited? If so, then she may have aspirated some food. Did it start before? It can be something related to her heart or even her lungs. Without a good physical examination and someone listening to her it is hard to say what it is. I would take her as soon as possible if you feel she is breathing a lot faster and heavier. I get concerned about breathing issues especially in an English Bulldog and is an emergency especially if she is turning blue. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am so sorry Austyn is feeling so badly tonight. The safest thing to do given the severity of his signs would be to bring him to an emergency vet for evaluation. Vomiting can be caused by many things (dietary indiscretion/eating something he shouldn’t for example) and often isn’t too serious. However, given that Austyn is pacing, short of breath, and uncomfortable I worry something more serious could be going on. For example a condition called gastric dilatation and volvulus can be seen especially in large breed dogs where their stomach bloats. Or dogs can aspirate a little on the vomit which can lead to respiratory problems. If he doesn’t settle down over next the 15 minutes, or if his belly is bloated and firm, or the vomiting continues it is important to bring him right away. If his belly is soft and he settles down and he is breathing normally and his gums are pink, you could watch him closely and bring him to his vet tomorrow for evaluation. I hope austyn starts feeling better very soon.