My dog is vomiting and has diarrhea. Does he need emergency care?

Hi there. So sorry to hear that Ozzy is not well. Vomiting and diarrhea are not very specific signs for any one disease process or illness so I can't tell you what is wrong with him. I can tell you that he needs to be seen by your vet at this time. Multiple episodes of vomiting in a short period of time can be a sign of something serious underlying. You did the right thing by treating the diarrhea with a bland diet but now with the vomiting I think he needs to be examined. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-vomiting-in-dogs-when-to-call-your-veterinarian/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor guy! Pancreatitis can cause vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia and belly pain. It is a cause of vomiting and diarrhea but it isn't the only cause. Other causes are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, toxin ingestion, IBD, food allergy/intolerance or reaction to eating something outside or a new treat/food/people food. Since he has been low grade vomiting now for 2 days it is best to have him seen soon if it continues. It is encouraging that he is eating. I would be sure you fasted him for 12-24 hours then resume feeding with a very bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Make the meals very small. Only offer small amounts of water. If he is lethargic, won't eat and the vomiting continues even on a low grade scale he should be seen before the weekend. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that he is not feeling well. The symptoms you are describing could be due to multiple possibilities. If you have recently switched his food or added in a new treat it could be dietary indiscretion causing this. If this were the case, I would withhold food for 12 hours and introduce a bland diet as outlined below. If, however, there has been no recent switch to his food and he has been on the same thing his whole life this is likely something else. My recommendation would be to have a veterinarian take a look at him and run some testing such as blood work to see if there are any concerning changes that need to be addressed. If you are concerned about money, then you can start the bland diet as outlined below but if the vomiting and lethargy persist for more than 24 hours I would strongly recommend he be seen by a vet. CareCredit is a good option to look into. This option will allow you to put Veterinary expenses on a line of credit specifically for that purpose and you will pay Care Credit on a monthly basis. I would call and check to see if the vet clinic accepts Care Credit First. If he is one that choose toys and things that he shouldn't, then there is a chance this could also be a intestinal foreign body obstruction. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other concerns. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm.

Combined vomiting and diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration so you should monitor very closely for weakness which would indicate the need for an emergency vet visit. Rice and water does not provide enough nutrition to promote bowel healing - I recommend a specialist intestinal canned diet or boiled chicken/fish/eggs added to the rice.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! I am sorry to hear that suenos is not feeling well. If she is still not improving with what you have done I would get her to the vet as soon as you can. She may have become quite dehydrated from vomiting and having diarrhea. Your vet can replenish the fluid that she has lost with IV fluids or fluids under her skin. I would also want to know why she started having the vomiting and diarrhea in the first place. I would also recommend she have blood work run to ensure nothing systemic is wrong with her. Pancreatitis can show these symptoms and can cause quite a bit of discomfort in animals that are affected by it. There are blood tests that can be performed to confirm pancreatitis and your vet can surely check for this. X-rays might not be a bad idea to rule out an obstruction in the GI tract as a possible cause as well. Especially if she is a scavenger and eats random things, I would push to have abdominal x-rays done right away. I hope this helps and that she gets better! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have. I am also available via phone or text consultation if needed. Please remember to rate this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Logan! I think Logan needs to be examined by a Vet, if he is worse today then take him to an Emergency Vet. If he is the same maybe consider taking him as soon as your Vet opens tomorrow. I worry that he may have a foreign body and may require surgery to have it removed. It is always better to do this sooner than later to prevent complications like bowel resection or perforation of the bowel. Other possible causes are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, toxin ingestion, Addison's disease, food allergy/intolerance, pancreatitis. The Vet, after examining Logan, will likely want to take belly X-rays and do blood work. I hope this helps and I wish Logan a speedy recovery!

If your dog is [vomiting](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/vomiting-1/), not eating and extremely lethargic, these are very concerning signs. I would be worried that he may have a serious problem such as an [intestinal obstruction](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-things-you-should-know-about-foreign-bodies-in-dogs), [pancreatitis](https://www.petcoach.co/article/pancreatitis-inflammation-in-dogs), or even [parvovirus](https://www.petcoach.co/article/canine-parvovirus-7-things-to-know) depending on his age. I would recommend having him seen by a vet right away - he/she can palpate his belly to check for any abnormalities, and may also need to do blood work and x-rays to determine the problem. Caramelo will likely need IV fluids for dehydration and may need to be hospitalized for further treatment depending on what's wrong.