What to do when your dog gets the stomach flu

You've just walked your dog and what came out the back of your beloved pet is an unpleasant puddle of slime and water. When you get home the dog just lies flat out on its side and before long you hear the unmistakable sounds of your best friend vomiting all over the carpet. You rush back into the room just to see your dog giving you the saddest look in the world and when you pet him he feels almost sweaty. 

About a year ago a dog owned by a friend and coworker of mine came to the clinic after having vomited and had diarrhea. He is a Siberian husky called Varg and the breeder is another friend of mine. Here poor Varg is feeling very sick

 Most dog owners will experience this scenario at least once and if (or when) it happens it's good to know what to do. If your dog is weak and vomiting, get it to the vet as soon as possible. The problem could be caused either of something poisonous the dog ate or something that has gotten stuck somewhere in the stomach or intestines, both of which could be life threatening. (It could of course be caused of several other different things, but the dog should either way be seen by the vet.) If the dog "only" has diarrhea but is otherwise in good health you first and foremost have to make sure the dog gets enough water. You can also give it several small servings of "intestinal"-food a day (food specifically made for dogs with sensitive stomachs). Several of the dog food brands that are for sale at veterinarians have these types of food, both dry and wet kinds. In addition you can buy probiotic paste, of which there are also several brands, you can find these at your vet too. Follow the instructions on the package for how often and how much the dog should get. Both the probiotic paste and the dog food for intestinal problems are good to always have at home, since for some reason dogs tend to get sick during weekends or in the middle of the night... If the diarrhea continues in spite of this (more than 1 day) or if the dog at any point gets weak or start vomiting, call your vet.

 This is an x-ray of Varg's intestines a couple of hours after ingestion of the contrast. As you can see, the contrast fluid has passed through most of the small and large intestines but something is absorbing it in the area around the cursor. This could have been a foreign object blocking the intestines, but it turned out not to be the case.

So what typically happens when you get to the vet? First the vet will examine the dog. Often a blood sample is taken, to check for problems with the kidney and liver. Depending on what these blood samples show, additional blood test can be run. The dog is typically then given fluid intravenously to counteract the dehydration caused by the vomiting and the diarrhea. If the vet haven't found the cause of the problem at this point the next step is taking x-rays of the stomach. Especially in young dogs (or adult dogs that are known to eat things they shouldn't) it is important to first take an x-ray to check for foreign objects and then (if nothing obvious is found) take a series of x-rays after giving the dog contrast fluid to check that the root of the problem isn't an object blocking the intestines. If all of these things turn out OK, the problem is simply a so called gastroenteritis, i.e. an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The cause is then most often either a viral or bacterial infection, or the dog has ingested something that causes an inflammation. Examples of the latter can be milk (many dogs cannot break down the lactose in the milk), so called NSAIDs (painkillers) or food that has gone bad.

Varg was given fluid intravenously to counteract the dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea.

 In Varg's case it turned out to be a gastroenteritis and after he had gotten enough fluid and some medicine to calm the stomach he was sent home with "intestinal" food and some probiotic paste. In a couple of days he was back to his normal self.

Poor Varg not feeling well.

Since I've known Varg since he was only one day old I thought that I'd just post some pictures of Varg when he was younger. Varg is the Swedish word for wolf, a very suitable name for this wolf-looking sweetheart!

Varg and his littermates just 1 day old, Varg is in the top right corner. I was allowed to come visit the puppies at this early stage because me and Tessa (the mother dog) know each other so well.

Varg 5 weeks old :)

Varg 5 weeks old and my boyfriend.

Varg 4 months old.

Varg and his two sisters, Vega and Vida.

Ideal Weight in Dogs

We are often blinded by breed standards when assessing whether or not a dog is overweight. We hear things like "Labradors should have a massive body" and "Salukis should be slender". This often leads to too fat retrievers and too skinny sighthounds. I've also heard breeders say things like "puppies should have some extra fat so that they will fare better if they get diarrhea or other diseases". In all this we must keep track of what a normal healthy dog looks like.

Most Labradors, and most Retrievers of the other breeds, have a "heavy" body, not an ideal (see picture above). Most people that has a Retriever will also aim for this body type in their dog. This is the type we are used to seeing, the type that wins dog shows. The "ideal" body type seen in the above picture are by most Retriever owners seen as too skinny.

But what about the other end of the scale? I've been to dog shows where I've seen Salukis and other sighthounds that were so skinny they looked almost emaciated or at least very thin. This is of course not any better. You are supposed to feel the ribs, not see the hipbones sticking out!

So when it comes to weight, no matter what breed of dog, you should be able to feel the ribs easily, but not see them on a dog that is standing. You should be able to see the narrowing of the waist behind the ribs when viewing the dog from above. It is especially important to remember this when it comes to puppies, as too much weight on growing bones and joints can lead to problems in the development of these. It is actually better for puppies to bee a bit too thin than a bit too heavy.

If your dog is overweight or obese, contact your vet. They can help you find the right food and the right amount to feed your dog, both during the weight loss and after.