Diarrhea and vomiting can have a myriad of causes. However, when more than one dog in the same household come down with upset bellies, it narrows down the potential causes.
It boils down to something they all got into or an infection.
We had that happen once when daughter’s Chi caught a bug someplace and then gave it to our guys as they were hanging out together.
The story of Kaiser, Tia, and Dante
Beyond sharing a home, Kaiser, Tia, and Dante also share toys, bowls, and mischief ideas. Do you think that makes them likely to share cooties too? You bet.
Dante gets sick
At first, Dante was the only dog who got sick. Because of his breed, Dante does his individual issues, particularly allergies. Untreated, his allergic skin disease can get quite bad.
The week he became sick, Dante started a new anti-inflammatory medication to control his skin problem—Atopica. However much you might be concerned about this drug; it is safer and has fewer side effects than steroids.
One of the common side effects of Atopica can be a stomach upset, particularly at the beginning. It was reasonable for Dante’s dad to assume that’s what was happening.
The other two dogs get sick
After a couple of days of Dante throwing up and having runny poops, Kaiser threw up his dinner too. And not long after, Tia joined in with an upset belly.
Did you ever have multiple dogs getting sick all over the place? It’s not fun. But because apart from the GI upsets, all three dogs acted healthy and happy, it made sense to figure they should get over it on their own with the help of a bland diet. Many GI upsets are self-limiting and resolve on its own.
Veterinary visit
Two days of bland diet passed, and the dogs kept on getting sick and having diarrhea. It became clear that whatever this was, it wasn’t going away. It was time to see a veterinarian.
The veterinarian checked the housemates thoroughly. They were all in good spirits and generally good health. They didn’t have a fever, weren’t dehydrated, and seemed unaffected by what was happening to their stomachs.
The diagnosis
All three dogs were suffering from inflammation of the stomach and small intestines–gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis is common in dogs due to their nature. The way I like to explain the term is that gastroenteritis happens when something naughty enters the digestive system. The GI tract becomes inflamed, which results in diarrhea and/or vomiting as the body is trying to get rid of it.
Did they find some tasty carcass they decided to munch on? Did they pick up a virus? It could have been either of those things.
The treatment
The veterinarian recommended a prescription diet for upset stomach designed to help out an upset digestive tract to settle down as well as a medication to soothe the irritated tissues.
In a couple of days, the dogs stopped throwing up and their stools firmed up.
Source story:
Kaiser, Tia and Dante All Had Gastroenteritis
Related articles:
Gastroenteritis in Dogs: Gastroenteritis is when …
My Dog’s Vomiting
Diarrhea/Runny Stools in Dogs: Why Is My Dog’s Poop Runny?
Further reading:
Gastroenteritis in Dogs