Signs of nausea in dogs

[Lone]

I was wondering if anyone could offer any tips on how to recognize nausea in dogs- besides the obvious vomiting.

I have a middle aged yellow lab who is having lots of joint problems. We’ve been struggling to find a medication that helps with his pain but won’t make him sick. Right now he’s on Previcoxx and also gets a Pepsid tablet each day.

For his diet, he gets Taste of the Wild and some green beans with each meal. He also eats a little bit of fresh fruits and veggies during the day (he just gets a chunk of what I’m eating- usually that includes some carrots, celery, apple or banana). I’ve noticed lately that he’s eating a TON of grass, to the point where it’s making him have a hard time having a bowel movement.

Anyway, I’ve done some googleing and have seen very conflicting lists of what the symptoms of nausea are and I was hoping some COTH’ers could help me out!

[SquishTheBunny]

Dogs eat grass sometimeswhen they want to vomit…others graze on grass just because. Now the reasons of wanting to vomit can vary from something as simple as IBD or a simple irritation to a tumor growing the GI tract. Definately somethng to monitor for actual nausea:

Other signs are drooling, licking lips, “smiling”, lethargy and anorexia.

I know this sounds strange, but I am not a huge fan of feeding fruit to dogs - veggies tend to sit better in their bellies…not sure if its an acid or sugar content that bothers them but we see if fairly frequently after dogs are given fruit as treats. Actually had to hospitalize a schnauzer because he ate 4 apples - his gut was not happy at all! Not quite sure why the owners felt the need to feed him 4 apples though…?!

Hopefully your dog is otherwise well and just likes to graze - Ive got 3 dogs and ones a grazer…she has eaten grass since she was a puppy and is now 11. If it was an acute thing with your dog I would be a little more worried, but if she has been doing it for quite some time she’s likely just enjoying her greens

[Lone]

That’s good to know about the fruit- thanks! Usually he only gets a bite or two of apple or banana, but I’ll be sure to cut back on the fruit and focus on the veggies. Is there anything else I could add to his diet that would help settle his stomach and make the medication less harsh on the system? We’ve tried quite a few other drugs (at least 5 or 6) and they’ve all made him sick within a few weeks. The Previcoxx seems to be helping, but it’s making my already tight budget even tighter. I’d love to figure out a way to make him feel better so we could to back to a less expensive medication.

He started vomiting again last weekend which is when we added the Pepsid. He seemed to be doing better for a few days, but has seemed a little ‘off’ today. I’ll keep an eye on him for the symptoms you mentioned. Thanks again for the help!

[SquishTheBunny]

Well, any NSAID (including previcox) can cause gastric ulcers. If he s vomiting, I would stop all nsaids and “extra” foods. You need to figure out where the nausea is coming from. An NSAID ulcer which perforates can cause near immediate death. Hopefully this is not going on with your pup, but ideally you sould do this:

Stop previcox, continue famotadine (pepcid) or sucralfate
Stop feeding him a buffet of people food…sure they can be healthy for dogs, but they can also cause a lot of irritation to their GI system in compromised dogs.
Get a bland diet (if you homecook for him, rice and hamburger/ground chicken) No veggies, fruits, treats.
If you are ok with commercial food, get an intestinal diet such as medical gasto, hills I/D or a sensitivity diet.
Some people will say to feed a grain free diet - well, to be honest I think thats absolute BS and that will not help your dog if he has NSAID related ulcers, tumor, lymphoma, etc.

You NEED to rule out NSAID ulcers, and if there are some - you need to treat before they perforate.

As far as keeping him comfortable in the joints…once this issue is resolved you will likely have to use something other than an NSAID (if its related).

Again, might be completely unrelated to the previcox, but the only way you are going to know if your dog will get better is to stop everything and monitor. If he’s still not right, then you will really need to consider having a further workup.

Other things you can look for (assuming he is a medium to large dog)

• heart rate > 120bmp at rest can be pain/nausea related
• mucous membranes should be pink and moist, any jaundice, pale or a CRT > 2 is abnomal.
• resp rate, should not be elevated at rest (geneally 12-24 bmp)
• decreased appetite
• coffee ground flecks in vomit
  -dark red, black stool
  If any of these - get him to a vet

Good luck with him!

[wendy]

if he’s eating his meals I doubt he is nauseated; the grass-eating might just be because it’s very tasty right now, my canines are grazing like cows in certain locations.
I thought the best way to prevent stomach upset with these pain meds was to give the med immediately after the dog eats a meal.