Sick after neuter.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Bubba is having problems. This is a tough case!

Vomiting and diarrhea and not normally associated with kennel cough. I have seen some dogs with kennel cough that look like they're vomiting when actually they are coughing so fiercely that they make themselves vomit. But, if this were the case, it doesn't explain the diarrhea.

There are a great number of things that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Is Bubba fully vaccinated? If not, I would be really worried that he has picked up a serious virus like parvo virus. He possibly picked this up at the spay neuter clinic.

It's also possible that he's dealing with a serious parasite issue. Or he could have eaten a foreign object (which is common for a lab). Or, he could have gotten in the the garbage or had too many treats perhaps.

Blood in the stool isn't always something to be extremely worried about. It can mean that there is inflammation in the colon which can be the result of either stress or of eating something unusual. However, if the stool is very watery, and again if he is not fully vaccinated, then parvo virus can cause very bloody watery diarrhea.

I'm surprised that you need to pay $500 up front to have him seen. That sounds unusual. You may want to call some additional clinics. Even if you can't afford to do blood tests or xrays they should be able to get him some medication to help his symptoms. Additionally, they can help you decide whether he is sick enough to need hospital care.

I don't like to wait too long with a dog who is vomiting several times per day as he really has a risk of getting dehydrated and then he will be even sicker.

Pedialyte (unsweetened) is not going to hurt, but in a lab, it's going to take an awful lot to actually combat dehydration. You're likely not going to make much difference.

If you really can't get him to a vet, then I would give him small amounts of water as frequently as possible. The goal is to see how much he can tolerate without vomiting. Feeding ice cubes can help as well. If he goes several hours without vomiting you can try feeding small amounts of cooked chicken and rice which are both easy on his intestines.

I hope he feels better soon!

Let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.

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