Q. He won’t sleep. Heavy panting, Vomited twice.

ANSWER : A. Vomiting is a common symptom of many illnesses which can range anywhere from minor digestive upset, to mores serious problems such as disease, illness or even bloat.

If your Dane Mix has only vomited once or twice, it may just indicate a minor stomach upset. Picking up food for a few hours then feeding a bland meal of boiled chicken and plain rice can help soothe the stomach and entice eating. However, if the vomiting continues or symptoms persist for more than a day, it may indicate something more serious going on and should be looked at by your vet.

Large and giant breed dogs are more prone to a condition called Bloat, which is considered a medical emergency. Signs of bloat in a dog include a large distended abdomen, pain in the abdomen, signs of distress such as heavy panting, pale gums or tongue, vomiting and diarrhea, or attempting to vomit or defecate without success. If you suspect your dog may be experiencing bloat, contacting your vet or emergency clinic immediately is best.

ANSWER : A. I don’t typically associate panting with Addison’s disease. I do see panting (it’s a primary symptom) of the disease that’s the opposite of Addison’s disease, which is Cushing’s disease. Cushing’s disease involves having an overactive adrenal gland, as opposed to a non-active or under active adrenal gland. Panting can also happen with steroid administration. If you’ve upped the dose of prednisone that your dog normally takes to combat holiday stress that may be the cause of the panting.

Panting can be a sign of stress, so evaluate the environment and see if there’s something that could have your dog agitated – fireworks, small children visiting, etc. This is especially important with an addisonian dog, as I’m sure you know.

Other causes of panting could include primary respiratory problems or heart disease, since low oxygen states can trigger panting. Definitely mention this to your vet (a phone call isn’t a bad idea) for this reason, just to see if he’ like to examine your dog to make sure everything’s OK>

ANSWER : A. Vomiting is a common symptom that can be a sign of numerous health issues ranging from minor digestive upset, to bloat or internal illness. If the vomiting has only occurred once and everything else is normal, a bland diet of plain boiled chicken and white rice can help.

Since your Frenchie is having other issues such as trouble breathing and lethargy, it may be a good idea to contact your vet for advice. Minor digestive upset can cause lethargy due to the energy expended in vomiting, however prolonged symptoms usually indicate something more serious is going on.

Bulldogs are one breed that are prone to bloat (though any breed of dog can be affected), a serious medical emergency. Signs of bloat can include a suddenly painful and bloated abdomen, signs of distress such as heavy panting, whining, or trouble breathing, pale gums and tongue, vomiting and diarrhea, or attempting to vomit or defecate without success. If you suspect your dog may be experiencing bloat please contact your vet or emergency clinic immediately.

ANSWER : A. How long has he been doing this? Ongoing vomiting (>2 weeks) warrants a vet visit, but if it’s a one-off, or happens very infrequently then it could be due to something he ate disagreeing with him. Is he is bright, alert and happy in himself I would monitor him, start keeping a vomit journal (seriously) of when he vomits, how much, what the vomit was like, what he was doing before and any other notes. This will be really useful for your vet if it requires further investigatoon. You can also try bland food – boiled chicken and white rice – in small amounts on his vomit days to give his tummy a rest. Withhold for 8h after a vomit and reintroduce the bland diet in small, frequent meals.

ANSWER : A. Vomiting is a sign of several diseases like gastritis, gastrointestinal infection, gastrointestinal foreign body. Vomiting may be due to kidney or liver disease, pancreatitis and many more. You should take your dog to your vet as one of the common problems in vomiting dogs is dehydration and dogs do go downhill quickly if they loose plenty of fluids through vomiting.

ANSWER : A. Causes of not eating and vomiting can be many. Gastrointestinal infection, caused by bacteria (salmonella, for example) or viruses or parasites (although parasite infections tend to be more mild, but giardia can make them feel pretty bad) can be a cause. Eating something he shouldn’t have, like the trash or rotten food can cause it. Intestinal obstruction can cause vomiting as well. Other causes (non-GI) of vomiting include kidney failure (can be due to many things, such as toxins, kidney stones, cancer) or liver diseases or liver failure.

The vomiting is concerning, however the weakness and lack of energy implies that he’s either seriously dehydrated or there’s a lot more going on than just s simple case of vomiting. He needs to see a vet and have testing, likely to include x-rays and/or blood work, to see what’s going on, so that it can be treated.

ANSWER : A. If he brought up hair in the vomitus he may have just been trying to expel the hairball. Sometimes they’ll vomit without bringing up the hairball, then they’ll get it up the second time. As long as he’s not vomiting anymore, is playful and eating normally, he’s probably find. You can purchase over-the-counter hairball paste which may aid him with expelling the hairballs in the future.

If the vomiting continues you should definitely take him to your vet for an exam in order to figure out what’s causing it.

ANSWER : A. If the vomiting has only occurred once, it may be due to the fact that there was something causing a minor upset stomach in your pup. Yellow foam is often acid, and tummies that are upset or that have been empty for too long can cause this to appear in vomit. It may just be that your puppy needs an extra meal in the day to help keep her stomach happy. Eating a meal too quickly can also cause a pup to vomit up undigested food and foam, and feeding smaller meals more often, or slowing down your dog’s eating can help.

If the vomiting has only happened once, pick up your puppy’s food for an hour or two and then offer a bland meal of plain boiled chicken and plain rice. These bland ingredients can help settle upset stomachs while being enticing “people food”. If the vomiting does not occur again, you can return to a normal feeding schedule.

However, if the vomiting continues, worsens, or new symptoms appear along with it, then it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your vet to rule out any more serious causes.