Vomiting?

[RICO]

My 20week old GSD pup has been vomiting as of late... Curious to know if your puppies do this too?

It's gross but it's got me a little concered. It's like a yellow/white-ish liquid. He always seems to do it early in the morning when we first get up before he gets his food. My boyfriend and I both work, so we are usually up around 5:30-6:30. He always gets taken outside right after we get up and he will come back inside, play for a little bit, sit down and whine, then throw up. It only happens once a morning, a few times a week... Afterwards he is back to normal, playful, not lethargic at all. I have mentioned it to the vet and they didn't say anything about it, so I figured it was nothing to be worried about, they say he is completely healthy, we've had his stool tested and everything is fine, but since it is continuing to happen I'm getting concerned.

Just curious to know if your puppies/dogs do this too, or if I should take him to the vet and insist something is wrong, and for them to find out what it is. Any feedback would be greatly appriciated.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

It's normal-he's probably throwing up because he is hungry. His stomach juices are going, waiting for food, and he doesn't get any. Try feeding him a snack before bed or earlier in the morning.

[WVGSD]

What you are seeing sounds like bile and it means that his stomach is empty and irritated from the acids. How often are you feeding him? He should be getting at least two if not three meals per day at this age.

One suggestion would be to give him a smaller meal (a 3rd or 4th meal) at bed time so that his stomach is not empty all night.

[RICO]

I really appriciate both of your responses! I'm feeling much better about it, I was kinda stressing over it. But he is being fed about 2.5cups twice a day. I'm going by the chart on the back of his food (Nutro Ultra large breed puppy food), how much to feed him compared to his weight. He is a little less than 40lbs. But in the morning, as of late he hasn't even been finishing his food before I have to leave for work. Like I said, usually up around 6 or 6:30, then I typically leave around 9:30, so he has 3hrs to eat it, but sometimes he just doesn't. I think he starting to get out of that "chow my food all at once" puppy thing, like he used to do when he was a bit younger. But I will definately try giving him a small snack before we go to bed, hopefully that will stop the problem. Thanks again for your quick replys! I really appriciate it. =)

[RICO]

One more quick question, if I keep feeding him his normal 2.5cups twice a day, how much would you recommend I give him for his "snack" before bed?

[WVGSD]

Are you sure that his weight is correct? Just under 40 pounds for a five month old male sounds like he could stand to add a few more pounds for puppy growth and development. Do you know how to post photos so that we can see?

I would give him a cup of food at bedtime and you might want to consider adding some canned food with warm water or something tasty in his kibble to encourage his eating. You will also hear that his food should not be left available for him for more than about 15 minutes as it tends to encourage picky eating. Many of us have picky eaters and you might want to add some canned food, baked or boiled chicken or something else that is tasty in order to encourage him to eat enough so that his stomach settles and he has enough nutrition/calories for his growth and development.

[martemchik]

I think the weight is about right, maybe a little below average but nothing too concerning. 2.5 cups twice a day sounds like a lot, but if he's not over weight he should be fine. Mine eats about that now and he's 17 months old, but he's always eaten a lot and has just now leveled off. I don't know why he doesn't eat all the food, mine has always eaten it no matter what. He has slowed down on how he scarfs but its still all gone within a half hour.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Originally Posted by RICO

One more quick question, if I keep feeding him his normal 2.5cups twice a day, how much would you recommend I give him for his "snack" before bed?

Instead of feeding him 2.5cups twice a day, try feeding the 5 cups split between three meals until he's a little older.

[JakodaCD OA]

ok my 2 cents,,I would change your routine just a tad,,get up in the morning, take him out, come in feed him, and let him chill awhile..I agree it may because of an empty stomache, I tend to not "play" with my dogs 1/2 hour prior to eating and atleast an hour after eating..

2.5 cups sounds like alot to me...I feed my 3 year old 2 cups twice a day. These dogs "can" be picky eaters (tho I've never had one!), and it sounds like he eats what he needs and then he's full so thats it.. I'd change that around a little, I'd feed him 1 cup in the morning, any way you can give him a mid day snack? maybe another 1/2- 1 cup late afternoon? Dinner time I'd try 2 cups and see how that goes..and then a little something before bedtime,

Even try giving him a couple of treats early am before breakfast, take him out, etc..
You probably just have to try a few different things to see what works for him

[ApolloDude]

My 2.5 year old, Apollo, will randomly throw up every couple of weeks for no reason and it is always just stomach acid. He throws up like three or four time and then will be fine. I asked the vet if I should be conserned and he told me just to watch it and if he starts to do it more frequently then to be worried. Some dogs just have a weird stomach!