Hi guys! My girl is a 5-month-old blue heeler and this morning she woke up throwing up. She was fine yesterday and now she is not. She is lethargic. She will not touch food, she will not touch water. There is nothing in her throw up and I can just tell she is not feeling well. I know this is not a place to get medical advice. I have already called vets around me, and asked r/AskVet but I never get an answer from that community anyway. She is fully vaccinated. She has not been around unvaccinated or sick dogs. She does not have a fever. I checked it with the help of a little water-based lube and a thermometer. Her temp was 101.5 F (normal). I called my usual vet, no answer. I called another vet, and they send me in to a panic and tell me it sounds like she has parvo, and they need a $500 deposit for her to be seen. I thought that was weird so then I called another vet, and they tell me it sounds like it is just an upset stomach and to watch her for another 24 hours. Don't feed her, just watch her. If she stops throwing up, boil some plain chicken and rice and continue to watch her. Her stool was normal until just about 5 minutes ago. She had a little bit of diarrhea. Nothing crazy, nothing super runny, just soft. I can tell she is not feeling well from the way she is looking at me and it's stressing me out. I cannot afford to take her to the vet right now, and my boyfriend is anxious about it. He just got laid off, and we just had to pay rent out of my pocket, so I do not have the funds either. Again, I am not looking for a diagnosis, maybe just some reassurance or to see if this has happened to anyone else. I know that she did get into a raw ground beef wrapper last night out of the trash while I was cooking, and she ingested some of it before I could grab it from her. I assume this is what caused her to feel sick. I am stressing out. I do not want my baby to die.
Puppy sick, reassurance please?
- Thread starter mn_of_stl
- Start date
@mn_of_stl Firstly, I am not a vet but I do work in the industry. How long has she been sick for?
Puppies get sick for so many different reasons. The issue with diarrhea and vomiting is that they are very non-specific, and could be something as benign as an upset tummy to something like parvo, or if she had an obstruction. I can’t outright reassure you, and I’ll be honest and say that she needs to see a vet in some capacity if she does not drink some water soon. That’s what I would do for my dog if I were in your shoes. She is losing fluids with the vomiting and diarrhea, so that’s my main concern - her being dehydrated. Please DO NOT try to force water into her. It’s dangerous. Please do look into any options you may have for covering a vet visit. Do you have family or friends who could help out?
I really am sorry this is happening. I wanted to be honest about my take on the situation, even if it’s not as reassuring like you asked for.
Puppies get sick for so many different reasons. The issue with diarrhea and vomiting is that they are very non-specific, and could be something as benign as an upset tummy to something like parvo, or if she had an obstruction. I can’t outright reassure you, and I’ll be honest and say that she needs to see a vet in some capacity if she does not drink some water soon. That’s what I would do for my dog if I were in your shoes. She is losing fluids with the vomiting and diarrhea, so that’s my main concern - her being dehydrated. Please DO NOT try to force water into her. It’s dangerous. Please do look into any options you may have for covering a vet visit. Do you have family or friends who could help out?
I really am sorry this is happening. I wanted to be honest about my take on the situation, even if it’s not as reassuring like you asked for.
@teaspring She has been sick for 5 hours. I plan to see if my mom/dad can help me. After all, I am only 20, they are used to helping me unfortunately. I plan to take her first thing in the morning (7am) if she does not get better by tonight.
@mn_of_stl That sounds like a great plan. I am sorry you are seeing her like this - my own acd just had surgery and it’s hard to see their spirits down.
humbleservant46
New member
@mn_of_stl I’ve been giving my puppy pieces of crushed ice- she’s also sick but she thinks it’s a treat and likes the crunch and it keeps her hydrated
@mn_of_stl Also not a vet, but just left the industry after many years. $500 deposit sounds like they wanted to scare you off or not deal with it, in case it is parvo.
The clinic where I used to work would do the last parvo vaccine at 20 weeks or later. There is data to support another booster at that age because the mama dogs are generally well vaccinated for parvo now and it takes longer for the maternal antibodies to wear off and dogs that finished vaccines at 16 weeks still had a percentage that didn't have sufficient protection to parvo.
Also, it's usually a week or two after the last vaccine that they would be considered 'immunized' because the body needs time to make the antibodies.
Parvo also lives a long time in the environment, it's usually referenced to be infectious between 6 and 9 months, so a direct exposure to a sick animal isn't necessary.
All that being said, the fact she ate some raw ground beef is more likely to be the culprit with the given information. Raw ground beef can have some nasty bacteria in it that can make them sicker than just a dietary upset.
I'd encourage you to get her in to the vet sooner than later. The less sick she is when treatment is started the better the outcomes and you can maybe start with less dramatic interventions.
I'd try your regular vet again and start with mentioning the raw beef. They will probably still recommend a fecal and parvo test. Be upfront about what you can afford to do and most places will try to work within that.
Leave water available but don't force anything down her, she is nauseous and probably just vomit it up anyway.
Fingers crossed it's just some stomach upset and will pass but I wouldn't wait more than 24 hours to get her in if her symptoms persist.
Carecredit is a credit card for medical expenses many vets accept, you can apply online at home and if you are approved they provide the account number to begin using immediately. Many places offer promotional interest rates, like no interest for 6 months if it meets a minimum (usually around $300). Other vets offer scratch pay but I am not as familiar with that one, and other financing options are sometimes available.
The clinic where I used to work would do the last parvo vaccine at 20 weeks or later. There is data to support another booster at that age because the mama dogs are generally well vaccinated for parvo now and it takes longer for the maternal antibodies to wear off and dogs that finished vaccines at 16 weeks still had a percentage that didn't have sufficient protection to parvo.
Also, it's usually a week or two after the last vaccine that they would be considered 'immunized' because the body needs time to make the antibodies.
Parvo also lives a long time in the environment, it's usually referenced to be infectious between 6 and 9 months, so a direct exposure to a sick animal isn't necessary.
All that being said, the fact she ate some raw ground beef is more likely to be the culprit with the given information. Raw ground beef can have some nasty bacteria in it that can make them sicker than just a dietary upset.
I'd encourage you to get her in to the vet sooner than later. The less sick she is when treatment is started the better the outcomes and you can maybe start with less dramatic interventions.
I'd try your regular vet again and start with mentioning the raw beef. They will probably still recommend a fecal and parvo test. Be upfront about what you can afford to do and most places will try to work within that.
Leave water available but don't force anything down her, she is nauseous and probably just vomit it up anyway.
Fingers crossed it's just some stomach upset and will pass but I wouldn't wait more than 24 hours to get her in if her symptoms persist.
Carecredit is a credit card for medical expenses many vets accept, you can apply online at home and if you are approved they provide the account number to begin using immediately. Many places offer promotional interest rates, like no interest for 6 months if it meets a minimum (usually around $300). Other vets offer scratch pay but I am not as familiar with that one, and other financing options are sometimes available.
@bubble5 Update: She is currently trying to herd/stalk a fly and playing with it. She still won't drink water; I am not going to feed her. I am just going to watch her and see if she continues to vomit. If she does not, the next morning I will feed her plain chicken/rice. I will probably try beef broth to avoid dehydration. If she does vomit again, I will take her to the vet first thing in the morning. Most clinics are already closed at the moment.
flowersontherubbishheap
New member
@mn_of_stl Mine got sick when he was a pup. Throwing up, diarrhea, lethargic, sounds like yours. I took him to the ER vet and they just gave him fluids cuz he was dehydrated. Told me to give him chicken and rice. He was better in a day or two. I paid $300 for them to tell me he had an upset tummy. They wanted to do X-rays in fear he had an obstruction but I declined because I didn’t think he had eaten anything weird.
@flowersontherubbishheap I believe this is the case with her as well. Although, still trying to figure out what to do about the dehydration part. I did 3 years of pre-vet in university, but after all I never finished so I am by no means a professional. I might dry some beef bone broth to help her out with the dehydration part. Praying she won't throw it up. If she does, I will just take her to the vet anyway.
flowersontherubbishheap
New member
@mn_of_stl Maybe try adding some water to the chicken and rice mixture if she will eat it
@flowersontherubbishheap Definitely will!
oblivionxx
New member
@mn_of_stl Sending you all the best. It’s SO stressful when they get sick. You’ve gotten a lot of good advice here, and I hope she perks back up quickly. I know that, when my older pup was very sick, not taking water for a long time was certainly a sign of that. It seems like you know that if this continues she needs to see a vet at any cost. And i hope it doesn’t go that way!
That being said, you asked for reassurance, and - puppies all get sick all the time for tons of reasons and they are, quite often, totally fine - resilient little babies. And I saw you say she’s playing now - that seems like a good sign. (I’m not a vet, but on the THREE (yes three) times I have taken my puppy to the vet in a panic, they have looked at her and said “well, she seems pretty spry…” - so maybe she’s okay!)
I hope it all goes well. Keep us posted! They are more resilient than you think.
That being said, you asked for reassurance, and - puppies all get sick all the time for tons of reasons and they are, quite often, totally fine - resilient little babies. And I saw you say she’s playing now - that seems like a good sign. (I’m not a vet, but on the THREE (yes three) times I have taken my puppy to the vet in a panic, they have looked at her and said “well, she seems pretty spry…” - so maybe she’s okay!)
I hope it all goes well. Keep us posted! They are more resilient than you think.
@oblivionxx thank you! will do!
ambereyes12
New member
@mn_of_stl Sending love to you and your pup! For what it’s worth my Heeler had relentless stomach issues basically the whole first year we had her and we realized she is super allergic/sensitive to both beef and chicken. Just made me think of it because you mentioned the wrapper! Also our vet always advised that no appetite/not eating was the biggest reason/symptom to be seen. Hope she feels better soon! 
@ambereyes12 thank you!!!
@mn_of_stl The chicken and rice is a great idea. She will get some water out of the rice. Make sure her water bowl is always there and full of fresh water. Even if she’s not drinking it. Try to give her the broth from cooking the chicken. Unless the beef was tainted, I highly doubt the ground beef caused it though. And both of you would have gotten sick from it. I’ve had dogs on raw diets and they were fine. If she has diarrhea for more than two to three days, then it’s time to bring her in. It sounds like an upset tummy, not parvo. I swear some of these vets nowadays are just trying to make people bleed money.