belgian malinois

Question
I have a 2months old belgian malinois and is very sick.  He startes vomiting and poop very loose stool, very dark and has a foul smell.  Then i noticed a plastic stuff on his vomit, so he might ate that thing up that caused that condition.  However, he still looks sick.. doesn't want to eat nor drink.  Though he no longer vomits, he still poop the same think.  I am really worried on his condition.  Please help.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Debby,

Your dog obviously ate something he shouldn't have.

When a puppy vomits and also has diarrhea, it's particularly dangerous since it can become dehydrated, which is actually a fairly serious medical condition if it gets out of hand. It's very possible that the puppy has a bowel obstruction form whatever plastic item he ate, which is also a serious medical condition. Very dark stool can also mean internal bleeding.

You can't treat this at home. You need to contact your veterinarian. If your vet does not have holiday or evening hours, you can probably find an emergency vet clinic in your yellow pages. If not, you should definitely see your vet first thing tomorrow.

If this were my dog, I would not wait for tomorrow before seeing treatment.

Until your puppy can be seen by your vet, let his irritated system have a rest. Don't feed him for 24 hours. Allow access to controlled amounts of water, but no food. Too much water will distend his already irritated stomach. Ice cubes are a good way of controlling how much water your puppy gets.

I know you've said your puppy isn't drinking, but try to get a little water or Pedialyte into him. (about 1/4 cup every hour or so). You don't want him to become dehydrated.

After the 24 hour fast, you can try a bland diet of boiled chicken (no fat or skin) OR a lean hamburger OR chicken, beef or turkey baby food that's mixed with boiled white rice.  Mix the rice and meat or baby food in a 1:2 ratio (1 part chicken or baby food to 2 parts rice).

If your puppy continues to vomit and have diarrhea while he's only getting the water/Pedialyte, or starts vomiting and having diarrhea again when food is introduced after the 24 hour fast, do not delay in going to your veterinarian!

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