Q

My 3 year old Lhasa Apso has been throwing up orange liquid only in the morning.  He eats normally and has normal bowel movements.  I’m befuddled.  Thank you.

From Maura

A

Hi, Maura!  Hopefully you’ll be able to get his ‘morning sickness’ resolved.

If you are at all concerned that your dog may have eaten something, be sure to take him to your veterinarian for a physical examination and possibly even radiographs or further workup. 

Dogs can consume objects or material that become lodged in the stomach or other portions of the gastrointestinal tract that can cause intermittent vomiting while still allowing normal eating and bowel movements.  There are many other conditions that can cause vomiting, and a workup should always be performed first to make sure there isn’t something going on. 

Since the vomiting appears to be orange liquid and occurs in the morning, then there are some things you can try.  The first thing I would recommend would be to feed smaller, more frequent meals.  This can improve or resolve many cases of vomiting like what you are describing.  If your dog eats larger meals less frequently (especially when fed only once a day), then bile can build up overnight and can cause irritation as your dog’s hunger builds first thing in the morning in anticipation of the first meal of the day, leading to vomiting of bile (yellow/orange liquid). 

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Feeding smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day, with at least one of those meals occurring later in the evening, can help prevent this.  Make sure you know the amount of food to be fed daily appropriate for your dog’s weight.  This information should be available on the bag of food.  Divide that amount by the number of meals you are going to feed, (e.g. divide the daily amount of food by 3 for 3 meals per day, divide by 4 for 4 meals per day). 

Sometimes a change in diet may  also help but you should consult with your veterinarian prior to any diet change as they would be most familiar with any special dietary needs your dog may have.  Some dogs do have sensitivities to certain ingredients and choosing a diet with a novel protein and carbohydrate source can sometimes help. 

Hopefully you can improve things for your dog, yourself, and your floors with some of these suggestions.

Craig Galbraith, DVM

Q

I’m having a problem with my dog, Brownie.  He seems to be scared when my boyfriend is around.  I just don’t know what to do.  Please help me.

From Lupita

A

Hi, Lupita!  Let’s see what we can do about getting Brownie warmed up to your boyfriend.

You should focus on creating positive interactions between Brownie and your boyfriend.  When your boyfriend is over any time near any of Brownie’s regular meal times, have him feed Brownie his meal.  You could also try picking up a new, special toy that only comes out when your boyfriend is over and only have your boyfriend give it to him.  Make sure it a toy that you think Brownie would really like! 

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Also, if your boyfriend doesn’t mind when he is over, have him perform behavior training exercises with Brownie much like ones you would have had with Brownie when he was a puppy.  Have your boyfriend get out a bag of small treats (nothing too high in calories if you can) and do some ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘lie down’, and ‘stay’ type of exercises where Brownie gets rewarded with treats from your boyfriend.  Start as simple as possible where perhaps Brownie simply gets a treat for approaching or even looking at your boyfriend and work your way up to commands.  Hopefully, these positive interactions will lead to Brownie getting excited and happy when your boyfriend is around, and then you can start having him pat and give positive social attention to Brownie as he becomes more amenable to being approached by him. 

Hopefully these suggestions help improve the relationship between Brownie and your boyfriend!

Craig Galbraith, DVM

Q

From Barbara

I have a yorkie pup almost 4 months old. He tears up everything, barks and bites a lot, and chases my 3 yr old. How can I calm him down?  Also, what is the way to groom him a certain look? His hair is oily is that right? 

A

Hi Barbara!  Sounds like your new puppy is keeping you busy.

The short answer is that your puppy has a lot of excess energy and drive and until he matures a bit, you may need to provide him with an outlet.  I highly recommend 'busy' toys such as feeding cubes and balls in which you place your dog's regular meals and he has to work at getting the food out by rolling or nosing the cube/ball around.  If you feed your puppy 3 times a day this way, it can really get those chewing/biting tendencies out.  Also, my favorite toy for dogs who like to chew is a Kong toy (those hollow rubber beehive looking toys).  Put a teaspoon of peanut butter inside and freeze it.  Once frozen, it will keep your puppy busy until it thaws as it soothes those sore gums during teething.

As for the barking, it is one of the most difficult behaviors to work with.  I can only recommend that you do not scold or yell at the puppy when he barks, as that tends to excite or confuse them.  Ignoring him and turning your back to him when he barks may help.  Try to lather him with praise during his quiet periods (but try not to get him excited to the point of barking) and he will learn that being quiet means getting extra attention.

Puppies like to chase and bark at young children because their jerky movements and intermittent sounds excite, interest, or sometimes startle them.  If you focus on the above recommendations, it should help distract your puppy.  However, make sure you never leave your child alone with your dog.

As for the oily skin, this may change as he develops, but I would have him examined by your veterinarian prior to making any changes.  Although supplements high in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E may help.

Enjoy your new puppy and take care!

Craig Galbraith, DVM

Q

Posted by Carolyn

I was given two toy poodles and they have never been outside so they were taught to go on a rug (and now pee on my rug). How do I house break them to go in the litter box?  Thanks so much

A

I will do my best to help you with your canine litterbox training challenge.  This type of training can be very time consuming so try not to get frustrated if you do not see immediate results.  Since your new dogs were previously trained to go on a rug and you have carpeting in your house that you do not want them using, then your first roadblock will be to teach them to switch to a new ‘substrate’ (material on which you want them to urinate).  If you are keeping them on a tiled surface, then try placing a newspaper near or on the rug and when they need to urinate (after waking up, eating/drinking, etc) try to redirect them to the newspaper.  You may even need to have them on a leash indoors while you are doing this.  Use lots of praise and reward when they show any interest in the newspaper and hopefully they will began to urinate near it or hopefully on it.  Avoid punishment whey they do go on the carpet as it will only cause stress and confusion.  Once they start using the newspaper, then start moving the newspaper closer and closer each day to the litterbox you have set up.  Do not put a lid on it at first.  Only try a lid if you feel that they are ready, and even then, they may not like it.  If newspaper does not work out as a substrate, consider other substrates or purchase a substrate specifically designed for indoor dogs. Remember LOTS of praise, positive reinforcement and patience are key.

Good luck with your project and I hope you have lots of fun with your new toy poodles!

Craig Galbraith, DVM