[Furbaby's Mommie]

Shoni has always burped a lot, almost every time I pick him up. Now he's 3 and seems increasingly to have a problem with food/liquid coming up with the burp. It usually hurts his throat and causes a lot of coughing afterward. It isn't like vomiting, there is no retching at all, just a sudden spill over. It has nothing to do with having just eaten or being too full. It happens even when he wakes up in the morning and should have an empty stomach. He doesn't have to be picked up to cause it. It happened this morning as he was stepping out of his crate. Can happen at any time.

He has had a large variety of different foods over the 3 years and I don't connect any certain thing he eats as the problem. He usually eats only once a day, sometimes twice in small amounts.

I'm starting to worry about this. I don't want to go so far as exploratory surgery or anything invasive unless it becomes really necessary. It hadn't gotten to the place where I've asked a vet about this--but is now getting there. I don't know that much about a dog's anatomy--esophagus and stomach, so maybe someone who does could suggest what the problem might be. I know I have a hiatal hernia that cause reflux.....!:blink:

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

He probably has a food intolerance or food allergy, just like the majority of people with GERD who are mis-diagnosed.

Have you tried giving probiotics and digestive enzymes for 3 months?

An empty stomach can cause yellow bile vomit. It's very common in dogs in the morning if they didn't eat the night before. I also agree with Suzan that food allergies can cause problems.

Suzan, he has had probiotics & enzymes since he was about a year old.

Brit, when he does this it isn't bile.

He has had so many different foods that it doesn't seem likely it is a particular intolerance.

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

Reflux is stomach contents. It would be whatever is in the stomach at the time. Like when a human baby burps up and some of the formula comes up.

Picking him up would put some pressure on the stomach area and cause the burp or spit up. It has never happened every time. The burping sound happens many times a day, especially after eating, but the spit-up is only occasional and like this morning it was just because he stepped out of his crate--and splat--out it came. It seems like the opening between the stomach and esophagus has a problem.

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

Don't worry Crystal, I know you are trying to help. :wub:

His vet put him on FortiFlora by Purina as a RX and I can now get it without RX. I tried changing to Prozyme and every time he ate food with that on it he threw up. (I have a huge 1 lb. jar of Prozyme if anyone needs it!)

The raw food he has now has probiotics in it also. He's been eating Nature's Variety Raw for several months now. I do think he doesn't digest his food as fast as he should. There have been times when he actually threw up and it was something that still looked like what he ate half a day or more ago. I'm careful about not giving him something again that looks totally undigested--like cooked carrots for instance. I think this is a separate issue.

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

You might want to change him to a plant based probiotic. Many dogs with digestive issues are lactose intolerant and many probiotics that are not plant based have lactose because of the way they are cultured. When I first got Jett, he would throw up his entire breakfast, totally undigested late in the afternoon. He's doing really well on Animal Essential Probiotics with Digestive Enzymes. I don't want to send you a sample from one of my bottles because once it's opened, it needs to be refrigerated and I don't know how I could send it to you in a refigerated container. But I can get you a smaller bottle, 100 mg, for you to try if you are interested. Just PM if you want to try it. I know how frustrating it is to have to try things that don't work. The two things may not be unrelated. I have a friend who slowly got very ill over the course of a couple of years with similar symptoms you are describing for Shonni. After countless tests and several trips to Mayo Clinic, it was discovered that her stomach was not digesting her food properly and the food was literally rotting/fermenting in her stomach.

Thanks Crystal, I'll PM.

Regurgitation is not normal and you should consult your vet.

Of course it isn't normal. I am interested in why. What anatomically would cause it in dogs. I'm personally TOO familiar with what causes it in humans. He has done it to some degree all his life but does seem to have some regurgitation more often now. He will be having his yearly soon so naturally I'll be talking to the vet.

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

Dee, I'm wondering what your vet told you about Shoni's reflux problem. What you described is exactly what Bailey has been doing. He has done it for a few months now and it has gotten more frequent in recent months. I have had him on Animal Essentials probiotics for many months now (however I dont refrigerate it...didnt know I had to! the nutritionist at the store I bought it from said that it didnt need to be) I was wondering if you did see your vet and if you were able to solve this issue with Shoni. Thanks!

The vet wasn't much help. He said I could give Shoni 1/4 of a Prilosec tab. before a meal once a day or let him have Tums. He didn't think in Shoni's case that it was bad enough to X-ray or further test for. It has not been happening recently, so I only give him Tums occasionally and not anything like Prilosec.
I always give Shoni Missing Link on his food (which isn't a Probiotic) but nothing else at this point. I changed to Nature's Variety Raw frozen food and he has really liked that! I think there is probably enough natural occurring intestinal 'flora' in raw meat.
Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[Furbaby's Mommie]

:confused1: "Just my opinion"---I don't think a little molasses flavoring is going to hurt anybody including Shoni. I started feeding my 1st Malt, Frosty, Missing Link because he had skin allergies and it not only helped but he had no red staining. Shoni has no sign of any red staining including when he was teething. Is that why? H**l I don't know, but a little extra Omega acids never hurts and he likes it sprinkled on his food (a mere 1/4 tsp.)