If your pet starts to throw up, has diarrhea, or does not show the same interest in food, as usual, there could be something as minimal as stomach upset but these can also indicate a bigger illness. If you are concerned about your pet’s health, we understand and we are here for you.
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of food, digested or not, from the bowels out through the mouth. Diarrhea is defined as a significant increase in defecation frequency or most commonly as softer or watery stools. These stools can be bloody at times. The terminology “not eating” can be used when the amount of food ingested is decreased significantly or when your pet does not want to eat at all. If your pet becomes less eager to get to the food bowl or takes significantly longer to finish his/her meals, that may also be an early indication of an illness that needs to be investigated.

What can it be?

Vomiting, diarrhea, and/or not eating can be caused by a stomach upset when your pet ingests something that the body is not too happy with. It can also indicate other illnesses including, but not limited to dental disease, a foreign body, bowel obstruction, inflammation of the stomach, small and/or large intestines, pancreatitis, liver disease, diabetes, kidney disease, bladder stones, or a tumor.

What to do next?

If your pet is experiencing one or many of these symptoms, a sick pet exam is indicated to investigate these symptoms further. Once in our office, a full history will be obtained, and a physical exam performed. Further diagnostics including but not limited to bloodwork, urine test and abdominal x-rays will be the typical baseline database to assess signs of bowel disease. Abdominal ultrasonography and/or specific sample collection might be further required depending on how much additional information is needed to establish a diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan.

Get your pet the help they need today, either by calling or by making an appointment online.