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Vomiting Golden Retriever.

Species: Dog
Breed: GoldenDoodle
Age: 6-12 months
We went up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend, both of our dogs receive home made food, cooked beef, chicken, rice, split peas etc. Been doing so for about 2 months. Yesterday our Doodle would not eat dinner, we did take him for a 25 min car ride, each way to a camp ground Oktoberfest, on leash and in my sight entire time. He does get bad car sickness, drools heavily etc. usually gets a sedative and Cerinia for LONG car rides but for short he usually does ok other than drooling. So we come back home and he won't eat dinner, he did eat some vanilla ice cream later but threw up liquid water on floor around 9:30 pm. His tummy is growling, when he belches it is a foul smell almost as if he is passing gas. Something is in his system that does not agree with him bad. His gums look ok but he is weak and as of 5 AM our local time now is laying in bed with me but still not feeling good. Our VET is 2 hours away any suggestions? We will be taking him to the emergency room when we go home this morning but I am afraid of how the car ride may effect him, there is no way I will give him the sedative and cerinia on an empty stomach

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Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I'm sorry that your dog is not feeling well.

There are a number of things that can cause the symptoms that you have described.

The most common reason would be a gastritis which would be an upset stomach as a result of eating something that disagrees with him. Some dogs can get very depressed looking with gastritis but it is usually not serious.

Another more serious possibility would be pancreatitis which usually results from eating something fatty. (For example, if he got into some butter.)

Unfortunately with a Golden puppy I also get worried about ingestion of a foreign object like a toy or a sock. If your vet is suspicious of this they will likely take an xray.

Another thing that could cause a dog to be really lethargic is ingestion of something toxic such as certain plants, anything containing the sweetener xylitol, or other toxins. From what you have described this seems unlikely though.

The cerenia may actually help him if he is feeling this way because of nauseau. However, I would recommend waiting to give it as it may actually make things more difficult for your vet when they are trying to examine him as it might mask some of the symptoms.

Has your dog received all of his vaccines? If not then I would be a little concerned about a virus such as parvo virus.


One thing that would help, and will not help is famotidine (pepcid AC). You can buy this at the pharmacy and the dose is .25 mg per pound. It comes in a 10mg tablet. So, if your Golden weighs 10 lbs he would take 1/4 tablet, a 20lb dog would take 1/2 tablet. This will help if there is any stomach upset.

I hope everything goes ok for him!

Dr. Marie



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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Customer reply:

Dear Dr. Marie,

Thank you for your reply. We do have some scrub plants in our Tahoe back yard I think Manzanita but he has never chewed on any of them before. The one thing that concerns me you mentioned, is the sock thing. 4 days ago he actually got a hold of a short but whole sweat sock and ingested the whole thing as we only found out when he regergitated the sock the next morning, WHOLE!

During our stay in Tahoe he has hardly if ever been away from one of us my wife stated she always cleans up our clothes the rooms after the sock incident but either something we gave him as a treat is not agreeing or he swallowed some clothing. We will get X Rays if he has not improved the next few hours when we get back to our emergency care and main vet later this morning. Yes he has all shots including Kennel Cough, rabies, parvo etc.

We will watch him every second until we get him to his primary care VET thank you again!


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

It sounds like your little one is well looked after! Hopefully it's not another sock but even if it is you have caught things early and he should be just fine.

My guess is that it is nothing serious but I still recommend a visit today.

Dr. Marie.



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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.