sick boxer

fiona stephanie

hi all. i have a one year old boxer who was sick all last night! he just vomited up everything he ate yesterday, he hasnt been sick today but doesnt seem intersested in his food at all, which is so unlike him! do you think i should be worried or should i give him a day or two and see how he is then!

thanks!

star-pants

Personally I'd ring the vet & say it to them, see what they suggest.
He wouldn't be interested in his food if his tummy is upset. But that's not good to throw up a days dinner and not eat again. Is he drinking at all?

Mhmm...weetabix

Was it just food he vomited up? If so then I wouldn't worry too much at the moment. Defo see how he gets on for the day, he'll most likely be up and about annoying you for food soon enough. It's happened with all 3 boxers I've had over the years on more then 1 occassion, especially the sock eater, he's not right!
Have you changed anything in his diet recently?

fiona stephanie

Yes he is drinking loads of water! but he is just not himself! he is normally absolutely nuts and really playful, but he is a lot quieter today, i think i will ring the vet!

thanks for replying.

fiona stephanie

hi mhmm.. weetabix, no i havent changed his food at all, and yes it was just his food he threw up!! its was whole not even chewed! haha.. maybe he just ate it too fast, he is a big gluton!! but i think i will ring the vet just to be on the safe side. thanks

Mhmm...weetabix

No worrie's, if anything it'll but your mind at ease, I'm just use to mine at this stage, the 2 of them are 10 and I had another for 11 years before them so I don't worry too much aslong as they're not in obvious pain

fiona stephanie

just rang the vet, he said like you said not to worry!he probably just has a bit of an upset tummy! as long as he is drinking! he said he should regain his appetite within a day or two! so i will just keep an eye on him! this is my first boxer and i luv him to bits! haha.. i had a springer spaniel for 16 years and she died, i was devestated and never thought i wud get another dog but here i am now! ha.. they are a great breed of dog, so affectionate and just brilliant with the kids!

Jules

They are awesome dogs alright, great personalities. Would advise leaving off food till tomorrow morning and then giving him something bland, chicken and rice (boiled) or scrambled eggs with no added salt.. little and often throught out the day, if he keeps throwing up bring him to the vet. And dont let him drink too much water at once, it can cause them to gets sick also!

fiona stephanie

ah thanks Jules! i actually gave him some boiled chicked earlier and he seems to be holding it down! he is sitting beside me at the mo snoring his brains out! hopefully maybe he just ate too quickly yesterday or something!

Honey-ec

fiona stephanie wrote: »

he is sitting beside me at the mo snoring his brains out!

I have 3 of them snoring their brains out beside me here - the noise is deafening!

Boxers are known for having sensitive tums, so it's something you'll probably come across every once in a while throughout his lifetime. The longer you have him, you'll know by him whether it's anything to worry about or not.

Oh, and dogs do nearly all their digestion in their stomach (as opposed to us, who chew and have digestive enzymes in our saliva) so you'd be surprised how long after eating they can throw up and still have almost entirely intact kibble. At least it makes it a bit easier to clean up...

Any pics of him???

Bluefrog

Yup, they can have sensitive tums and sometimes are less than discriminating in their choice of foodstuffs which doesn't help.

These upsets will usually pass in a couple of days with some bland food. Drinking is vital so they replace lost fluid in vomiting.

As another poster mentioned, they are prone to something called bloat which is basically trapped air which can accumulate when they eat or drink too quickly. Because of the small chest cavity size, the trapped air can put pressure on their heart and lungs and can even result in death so it is worth being aware of. Unusually excessive drooling after eating/drinking can be a sign there is a problem. Most good boxer kibble is shaped to force them to slow down a little and chew at least a bit before they swallow to minimise the risk of them taking in air this way. Also, giving the dog some time to rest after eating/drinking before exercise is advisable.

I too am more than familiar with the snoring and if the gas just came out that end I would be fairly grateful.

Still, they are a great breed and one can easily forgive them for their eccentricities.

fiona stephanie

yes i have some lovely pics of him, but i have no clue how to put them up!!!!!

Mhmm...weetabix

Most good boxer kibble is shaped to force them to slow down a little and chew at least a bit before they swallow to minimise the risk of them taking in air this way.

I never knew this! Any particular brand?

I too am more than familiar with the snoring and if the gas just came out that end I would be fairly grateful.

If there was 1 thing that I could change about them it would be this!! My new girlfriend experienced this for the 1st time Friday night when we sat in watching a dvd, she thought they were so cute beforehand!!

Honey-ec

Just to clarify, bloat is a generic term to describe general distension of the stomach. Gastric-dilation vovulus is the dangerous condition, which is basically a twisted gut.

There is varying opinion on what shape kibble is preferable. One school of thought says larger is better as it forces them to chew, the other says that smaller is preferable as they will ingest less air with it. In the absence of any concrete evidence, my own advice is to just supervise them when they eat.

If you have a gulper, slow them down by putting a few toys in their bowl that they have to eat around, or feed them on a flat baking tray. Always leave an hour before or after exercising to feed, and feed two to three small meals a day rather than one big one. In the unlikely event of your dog being affected, recognising it early and getting them to the vet can mean the difference between life and death.

However, do be aware that Boxers are not even in the top 5 breeds considered at risk of bloat and the chances of your dog developing it are small. A sensitive stomach does not automatically mean your Boxer is going to develop bloat.

Bluefrog

Mhmm...weetabix wrote: »

I never knew this! Any particular brand?

Royal Canin have a boxer kibble that is shaped this way. Zooplus.co.uk is the cheapest place I've found so far to buy it.

Green Hornet

One of my favourite breeds. So much personality.

Hope he turns out okay. He'll soon be running off with the sweeping brush again .

fiona stephanie

the sweeping brush is the least of my worries, he has already chewed through half of my skirting boards in my kitchen!!! :eek: and not only that, this time last year i had a beautiful back garden with lovely flower beds and everything was clean and well looked after! fast forward one year, and my garden is like a war zone!!! he has chewed everything up even the little wooden fencing i had around the flower beds! nothin fazes him, he destroys everything, but i still love him! just as well or he wud have been out on his ear!:p

he is back to himself now anyway, thank god, he must just have had an upset stomach!! :)

Green Hornet

fiona stephanie wrote: »

the sweeping brush is the least of my worries, he has already chewed through half of my skirting boards in my kitchen!!! :eek: and not only that, this time last year i had a beautiful back garden with lovely flower beds and everything was clean and well looked after! fast forward one year, and my garden is like a war zone!!! he has chewed everything up even the little wooden fencing i had around the flower beds! nothin fazes him, he destroys everything, but i still love him! just as well or he wud have been out on his ear!:p

he is back to himself now anyway, thank god, he must just have had an upset stomach!! :)

:D

Glad to hear it. Great fun dogs. Cant understand why some people dont like them. So colourful in personality. Little devils.:)

fiona stephanie

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this is my little man when he was 8 weeks old !!!

Green Hornet

fiona stephanie wrote: »

063.JPG

this is my little man when he was 8 weeks old !!!

Gorgeous! Just like a baby tucked up with his little teddy dog (oops teddy bear).

fiona stephanie

i know, he was gorgeous, still is, im trying to upload anpther pic of him now but its taking ages, when it uploads, i will post another one!

fiona stephanie

him again at 8 weeks
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and then at 10 months!Attachment not found.

Green Hornet

fiona stephanie wrote: »

him again at 8 weeks
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and then at 10 months!Attachment not found.

Thanks Fiona Stephanie but the attachments wont open...........I get a message about invalid attachments. Probably my PC :rolleyes: