Golden retriever vomiting and diarrhea & How to fix it

It can surely be a terrible sight to see a golden retriever vomiting and diarrhea episode. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant experience for me and my dog, but today I’m going to share exactly how you can fix this problem if you find that your dog is sick like this too.

The first part and I would say the most important part, is identifying what the cause of the problem is.

Vomiting-And-Diarrhea

Once you can find that, then solving it wl be a whole lot easier. In the following seciton, we are going to run through exactly how you can spot the cause of why your dos sick.

How to spot it?

Start by backtracking what your dog has eaten and then make sure this is not an allergic reaction. Next, you’ll want to feel around the stomach, check their breathing and see if there are any signs of something they have eaten around your home or backyard.

A majority of the time when you notice your dog going through symptoms such as throwing up and diarrhea. It’s usually a sign of gastrointestinal problems. But don’t always jump to conclusions and think that this is a huge problem.

Because more times than not it usually isnt…if that makes any sense haha. There are a few things you should look out for to make a clear assessment of how severe the circumstance may be.

Other things to look out for

When you notice your dog vomiting with diarrhea you should also pay attention to their behavior too. This will give you an indication as to whether they are physically feeling pain or uncomfortable.

A good way I know is by seeing if Bella wants to eat or drink. This will tell me whether she feels normal or not.  But don’t let this fool you to as your dog may need some minerals in this situation just to remain hydrated.

What this may lead to…

This could result in more vomiting purely because when your golden drinks more water in this circumstance.

When a stomach goes through all the crazy ups and downs of vomiting. Your body or a dogs body will then prime itself for releasing anything it withholds.

Which is why you find yourself heaving for no reason after you’ve been sick already. So even something a harmless as water in this situation could potentially stretch the stomach walls further which will result in more puking!

dog-drinking-water

Does water help with this?

Totally it will be fine to provide some water to your dog in this situation but just bear in mind that they might vomit. Instead what I found is if you give them around 50% less then usual then you should be on the right track.

I don’t think it is a great idea to starve your dog completely in this situation. So the water alone for around 12 hours should keep them going whilst their stomach sorts itself out.

Don’t Panic Golden Retriever Vomiting And Diarrhea

Don’t panic: Golden retriever vomiting and diarrhea

Panicking will never help any situation whether its to do with your dog or ‘anything’ of that matter.  The best thing for you to do is remain calm and take appropriate measures to find out exactly what the problem is. Unfortunately, responding to your emotions is not what’s going to help your dog, so instead, remain calculated and get hold of a professional vet as soon as possible.

dog-vomit

What’s inside the vomit? Ewwwwww!

So we get to the fun part…ha. Well unfortunately if you’re squeamish like me then you may not like this type of thing. But it’s so important to check your dogs vomit as it could lead you to an answer on whether you should make a call to the vets immediately.

More often than not, the best way to cure anything is my early diagnosis. So if there is something wrong with your golden then it’s best that you’re able to identify it from early on. There is a list of different things you should be looking out for when your dog vomits. Heres a few common ones that I have come across in my time:

  • Feces that may look darkish or tar-like: this could mean that their blood has been digested before coming out. Which gives it a darkish color.
  • Diarrhea that is watery or covered with mucus: This could mean that there is a problem in the colon area.
  • Streaks of red, undigested blood in feces: This could mean a problem in the rectum or colon area which would indicate issues with the lower digestive area.
  • Vomit that contains dark, gritty material: This could mean that your dog is bleeding in the stomach and could have eaten something they shouldn’t have. Make sure to look for any unusual bones or sticks inside too.

The list could go on forever. But the whole idea of this is to simply take a further look into exactly what they have thrown up. By just doing that with a little common sense, you should be able to quickly see anything unusual that will lead you to make better decisions on what to do next.

what-if

What if other symptoms are present

Unfortunately, if you find any of the above symptoms when looking further into your golden’s vomit. Well, that would mean a call to the veterinarian and speak to a professional.

The reason being is because you do not know what other problems could be further going on. However, by finding these problems you may be able to prevent anything from getting worse or help diagnose other things earlier.

Like I said before, you may not be able to always provide an immediate solution. But the one thing you can do is brush up on your knowledge so that if it does happen. Then you know what to do within your capabilities.

Why does this happen

There are many different reasons as to why things can go wrong. Whilst there is no absolute answer to this. There are most definitely a lot of ways that you can potentially reduce the risk of this happening.

One of the first things is making sure that you are feeding them correct foods. So many parents have met me and said that they are using “foods” that have been recommended by experts only to find that its the cause of the damage. History repeats itself and there are so many things that have worked for years and still continue to work today.

safety-image

You even need to be careful with things like rawhide as even a simple thing like that could cause the problems mentioned above. This is due to pieces of the rawhide breaking into small chunks that may be still big enough to cause internal damage to the stomach.

safety-image

How do you fix this

Well in most cases it is not something that you could really fix. But what you could do is make an accurate assessment to see you will need professional help. If you find that the vomiting is kinda mild. Then you could most probably sit it out and take your dog off foods for 12 – 24 hours.

This will allow your dog’s stomach to recover and their gastrointestinal tract to rest. You may need to consult with a vet if you’re dealing with a small puppy in some cases to.

What to feed your pup after this has fixed

After you have waited for the 12 hours or so you should make another assessment. I use that fancy word but I mean all you should do is check whether they are willing to eat again.

If you find that they are willing to eat. Then I found that you could feed them boiled white meat chicken, or low-fat cottage cheese, mixed with white rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.

bob-the-builder

When is it time to call the vets?

Look there is never any harm in seeking out some professional help. Its probably always the best option to call the vets if you find yourself stuck with what to do. Some vets may get annoyed at the simplicity of the call. But at the end of the day, it is what you think will provide the best and most effective help to your pooch.

In most cases, it’s just most important for you to know what it may be brief. That way you can pass on the correct information for the vets to identify how serious it is. I have had friends that ring me up in a state because something unusual happens and they don’t know what to do. That’s why when something goes wrong with my dog I’m usually able to respond effectively.

It’s a great new thing to have a pet dog. But taking the correct care of them is also part of the job. Just remember hat you signed up for when you decided to bring them into your home.

conclusion

Conclusion

Dealing with a sick dog simply comes down to contacting a professional. From reading the tips above you should now know what steps to take in order to remain calm and help your dog recover from this experience.

Also read: how long do golden retrievers live

Rachael Summers

Rachael Summers

Rachael Summers is the Founder and Senior Editor at Dig Doggy. She is a lifelong canine enthusiast and adores dogs of all shapes and sizes! Rachael also loves iced coffee, hammocks, and puppy-cuddling!

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Rachael Summers

Rachael Summers

Rachael Summers is the Founder and Senior Editor at Dig Doggy. She is a lifelong canine enthusiast and adores dogs of all shapes and sizes! Rachael also loves iced coffee, hammocks, and puppy-cuddling!

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