Puppy Boxer Continues to Vomit

Question
We have had our puppy for 2 days and he is  8 weeks old. The breeder fed him Puppy Chow and be bought Iams instead because that was the advice from the local pet store. After eating he would vomit maybe 30 minutes later and with the Iams it appeared to not be digested. We then bought Puppy Chow today and he is still vomiting. We reached out to the breeder and she stated that this was not an issue for them and now recommends that we soften his food and to feed him smaller amounts. We plan to take our pup to the Vet on Tuesday.  Can it be that he misses his family, he's in a strange place or could it be anixiety? Can you give us any advice?

Answer

Hi Katrina,

An upset stomach (or even diarrhea) is common when you switch a dog's or puppy's food abruptly. The correct way to change a dog's food is to do so gradually, over a period of 5-7 days.

Because his stomach is already upset, give your puppy a chance for his belly to settle down, by not feeding him for 6 hours, during this time give him small amounts of water (or an ice cube to lick) so he doesn't become dehydrated, or distend his already sore stomach. It's important to prevent dehydration in puppies, because it is a serious condition!
After the short fast, start your puppy on a bland diet. Begin by very small amounts of a bland diet (like a teaspoon or two every few hours). If your puppy can keep this down, give him a little more. If he starts vomiting, go back to the short fast, followed by small amounts of water before offering food again. This can't be rushed.

A bland diet would be 3 parts cooked white rice, or cottage cheese to one part boiled hamburger or skinless chicken (no bones). You can also used boiled potatoes as a substitute for the rice. This is meant for short time settling a dog's digestive tract. It is not the complete and balanced diet they need long term. I have seen it work. After a day or two of being on the bland diet, S-L-O-W-L-Y transition your puppy back onto the Puppy Chow. In about a week, you can start your gradual transition onto whatever new puppy food you choose.

You should keep your vet appointment on Tuesday. No matter what a breeder tells you, having your own vet examine a new puppy is always a good idea. You want to have a vet you trust, who knows your dog.

Regarding which brand of puppy food to use, neither Puppy Chow or Iams are premium diets, but of the two, Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy is a better choice. Ideally, a dog or puppy food will have a named source of protein (such as Beef, Chicken, Turkey, etc.) as the first ingredient listed on the package list of ingredients. Avoid a food with any generic meat ingredients (such as meat or poultry byproducts and meat or poultry byproduct meal). There should also be a named source of fat (not just "animal fat" or " poultry fat") in the food. Lesser quality foods contain corn (ground or otherwise), gluten meal, or soybean meal within the first 5 ingredients listed on the package.

Learn more about what to look for in a dog or puppy food here:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=betterproducts

A good rule of thumb is feed your dog or puppy the best food you can afford. A couple of really good puppy foods to consider are: Wellness Just for Puppy, Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe for puppies, Nutro Ultra Holistic dry puppy food. You can compare dog and puppy foods by the ingredients they contain here:

http://www.evopet.com/pet-food-comparison

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti