# Consistently throwing up bile, siberian husky



## jade3531 (Jul 17, 2012)

I have been to my vet, did a blood test (clear and good) and got her on bacterial medication for a possible intestinal infection. During the 7 days of medication she had no energy and was not herself but she did not throw up for those 7 days, the very next day she threw up. Her throw up has been 90% bile and occasionally lumpy with food. I feed her Taste of The Wild and because I am not that familiar with dog foods and I am dead set on keeping her on the most beneficial diet, I won't buy cheap brands for her.

I learned that Husky's have high acidity, I rescued her 2 1/2 years ago and about 8 months ago is when she started throwing up, but it wasn't very often and I thought it was because I would feed her bacon grease, or a raw egg (which was not often) then she would go a month sometimes without throwing up (but only throw up maybe twice in a month). A month ago it got real bad, throwing up almost twice a day, everything I tried and what the vets have suggested only work for about five days then she starts again. She is a Siberian German shepard mix, not very active quite lazy in the home, but out on her walk she was energetic and has lost some of it over this past month and a half. 

My other problem is she refuses to eat her food, the taste of the wild. She will only eat it if I coax her or hand feed her all of it with a raw egg in it, tuna, hot dogs (just to get her to eat), coconut oil and sometimes pumpkin. She is drinking alot of water, so not dehydrated and the heat really does get to her but because she is drinking so much water I have to walk her in the heat of the day.

One vet I spoke too said because she is consistently throwing up before her meals, to feed her three times a day. I feed her one cup in the morning and evening, because she is almost 8 years old (december she will be 8 yrs) I decided to give her half a cup in the middle of the day even though the vet suggested a whole cup, she is not as active. It is not working or only worked for about a week, she is again throwing up. She is 61 pounds, definitely not underweight, I got her at 65 pounds when I rescued her and she is not loosing weight but I can hear her stomach gurgling and shortly after she throws up. Last night she even growled at me and then she threw up and was nice to me. I know she doesn't feel good right before she gets sick, I am very patient but I am getting frustrated and broke with the vet bills.

They want to do a biopsy and possibly more medication for a stomach lining infection (which that medicine is quite expensive), but I was curious if anyone has any other suggestions for her breed or diet. When she doesn't want to eat or not interested, only raw food like tuna or an egg does she eat without me hand feeding her. I plan on calling my vet tomorrow again to see what he has to say, but he also does not seem to know siberian husky's very well. I will post updates, just in case the vet does find something actually wrong with her, cause as of now she is healthy in the vets eyes.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

I'm not a lover of kibble having experienced tum probs with my pup. I tried lots of different varieties and came to the conclusion it isnt for her.

Sounds to me as though your dog may have realised kibble is causing the problem and doesnt want to eat it. Kibble is lots harder to digest than wet/raw food and could account for the excess acid produced trying to digest it.

I would recommend dropping the kibble or at least soaking it first. Not sure if TOTW will break down and soak up water. I tried Acana and it didnt, ended up grinding down the kibble first but it still didnt work for Heidi.

Wet food sorted her alongside Bionic Biotics and we havent looked back.
I highly recommend BB. I was back to the vets regularly for more meds to help her tum. Once I started her on BB the results were almost immediate.

Hope your dog gets better v soon


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Sorry to hear this it sounds as though your girl is not a happy one at the moment.

I'm guessing that the dry food is not agreeing with your girl. The gurgling and bile in the stomach could be because she is hungry. She will be drinking additional water because of the complete food which she needs to digest it.

Personally I think she is a candidate for feeding a BARF diet.


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## jade3531 (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank you so much for the replies! I am not sure what a BARF diet is, but I will look for the bionic one and see where I can find it.


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## kat&molly (Mar 2, 2011)

jade3531 said:


> Thank you so much for the replies! I am not sure what a BARF diet is, but I will look for the bionic one and see where I can find it.


BARF is Raw- there are lots of threads here on it and a wet food index.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

BARF is an acronym for one method of feeding raw. Bones And Raw Food Diet (BARF) is feeding dogs raw meat and bones along with vegetables. Another method of feeding raw is without plans for vegetables (although you can still give them) and is called Prey Model. Both are discussed frequently on these forums. A useful primer, although long is: http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/111437-raw-feeding-everything-you-need-know.html and another useful thread here on these forums is http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/154210-raw-feeding-diary.html Will say it's not simply a case of throwing the dog steak all the time. You need to do a bit of research first and provide variety over time but that's all explained in the initial link.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Yes sorry I should have explained that in more detail. There are loads of threads on BARF on this forum.

Try her out with some raw for a couple of meals and see if the gurgling and bile stop - you won't do her any harm and I am pretty sure she will love it. Then you can increase her choices etc.


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## jade3531 (Jul 17, 2012)

I should have read more through the forums, and I will now. I won't jump into anything, but I am sure she will love it as she finds dead things or road kill and tries to eat that (always has, and would gladly eat the wild rodents if I would let her catch them lol). I just thought BARF was a food, but thank you again!! I will post again when I speak with the vet cause I am pretty sure she will need something to get her on her way to feeling better. Cause she is also acting or has some symptoms of kennel caugh, but I don't know if that has to do with her stomach not feeling good, but she doesn't caugh and hack after excersize and no slober from her mouth, but a running nose yes (except last night it was hot and dry, one of the reasons I am taking her into the vet). She is fully vaccinated on everything including the kennel cough... so I don't know.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

Will quickly say a lot of vets do not like raw feeding, although more and more are supporting it. I've heard stories where vets will give a lecture on bones perforating intestines and causing blockages, risks of Salmonella and E-coli and more. I know lots of raw feeders and not one has suffered any of these, nor have the owners caught any diseases. Basic hygiene methods are required however, just like when you prepare your own food with meat. I believe there's a list of vets who support raw somewhere in the raw feeding sticky but don't quote me on it.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

jade3531 said:


> I should have read more through the forums, and I will now. I won't jump into anything, but I am sure she will love it as she finds dead things or road kill and tries to eat that (always has, and would gladly eat the wild rodents if I would let her catch them lol). I just thought BARF was a food, but thank you again!! I will post again when I speak with the vet cause I am pretty sure she will need something to get her on her way to feeling better. Cause she is also acting or has some symptoms of kennel caugh, but I don't know if that has to do with her stomach not feeling good, but she doesn't caugh and hack after excersize and no slober from her mouth, but a running nose yes (except last night it was hot and dry, one of the reasons I am taking her into the vet). She is fully vaccinated on everything including the kennel cough... so I don't know.


If your girl is not eating properly or getting the benefit from the food she is taking in she will be prone to illness that her body will not be able to fight. I think if you crack her diet it will rule out all these little niggly health issues and you will have a much happier, healthier girl.

I would suggest trying her on some green tripe or chicken wings, if you think she will not crunch the chicken wing then hold it which will encourage her to crunch on it - but by the sounds of it you won't have that problem with her.

Green tripe is very nutritious and she will absolutely love it I am sure.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Probiotic for Dogs | Dog digestion / skin + coat supplement | Pooch and Mutt

Sorry, I forgot to post the link 

My personal feelings are that kibble is hard to digest, wet is lots easier on their tums because of the water content. So a raw or wet diet would probably be more suitable.

If it were me, I would opt for wet food atm. You need to do some research for raw to understand what it involves. If you want to go down that route, you could do your research whilst you feed her wet food.

You may decide you want to go back to kibble but I would wait until her tum is a lot stronger first. I tried to go back but Heidi cant tolerate kibble as a meal. If I mix it with wet food she's ok for a few weeks and then her tums starts up again.

From personal experience I would say if you get her onto wet food, quit while you're ahead. I tried Heidi with a bit of raw but bones stimulate them to produce more digestive juices and she went back to the sickness/bile scenario again. I understand if I fed the bones regularly, her tum would adjust but for me, it wasnt worth it. Watching bits of bones go down, then come back up is a bit of a risk IMO. She loves her chicken wings which are v soft bone so we stick with them and her wet food. (with the occasional pouch of BB for good measure)


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

Mum2Heidi said:


> From personal experience I would say if you get her onto wet food, quit while you're ahead. I tried Heidi with a bit of raw but bones stimulate them to produce more digestive juices and she went back to the sickness/bile scenario again. I understand if I fed the bones regularly, her tum would adjust but for me, it wasnt worth it. Watching bits of bones go down, then come back up is a bit of a risk IMO. She loves her chicken wings which are v soft bone so we stick with them and her wet food. (with the occasional pouch of BB for good measure)


People normally start raw with chicken for this reason allowing the dog to get used to it first which puts them in a good position when adding new meat sources 

Would agree though that research into raw, as well as research into suppliers can take time and you may wish to look at wet food in the meantime. http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html may be of interest.

What to feed your dog is one of the most controversial things I think on these forums. There is no single "correct" way. If you can inform yourself of things like what ingredients to look out for, what to avoid etc you are doing the most important thing in my opinion.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Goblin said:


> People normally start raw with chicken for this reason allowing the dog to get used to it first which puts them in a good position when adding new meat sources
> 
> Would agree though that research into raw, as well as research into suppliers can take time and you may wish to look at wet food in the meantime. http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html may be of interest.
> 
> What to feed your dog is one of the most controversial things I think on these forums. There is no single "correct" way. If you can inform yourself of things like what ingredients to look out for, what to avoid etc you are doing the most important thing in my opinion.


I only speak from experience and wish I'd quit when we first had success with wet food. Unfortunately, I felt she was missing out by not having kibble so kept trying. Likewise raw, she's fine on chicken wings and I would like to push it a bit further but any other bones make her sick. Only last weekend I tried a small chunk of lamb ribs. She loves it but the next morning was bringing up shards of bone. 

Trouble is, we all want to provide the best possible diet for our dogs but in my case, knowing when to quit would be a great help. I think we need to point out possible pit falls as well as ingredients etc. 

Unfortunately lots tried to tell me but it fell on deaf ears.:scared: I consider myself v lucky that I havent ended up only able to feed one brand and one protein.:thumbup:


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

I too would try raw food. my guys range from 8kg - 60kg and all do very well on raw. I know many people with Mals and Sibes who swear by raw, even more so if they are worked and Marty was very ill as a youngster on kibble, loads of blood tests/steroids/diets and AB's from the vet but nothing worked like changing him to raw, personally wouldn't now feed anything else. 

I get my raw from a supplier but if I run out buy Prize Choice tripe chunks from pets at home you can feed it frozen too if you don't fancy the smell. That way you can see of she likes it before ordering more. Good luck!


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## jade3531 (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank you again for all the postings, I am still waiting on the vet to call just to make sure she has no other health issues that cannot be cured by a new diet, but tomorrow the specialty dog store I shop at will take her taste of the wild back for a refund or an exchange (even though half the bag is gone) and then I will start her on a wet diet and eventually when I am confident in my raw diet research start her on that. I know she will love it, the store I shop at used to have tripe treats and that was one of her favorites. So tripe will be the first thing added to her diet.

The foster parent that she lived with during the time she was getting well from being rescued has been rescuing huskies for 20 years and told me that sometimes in early springs or hot springs and summers huskies tend to loose their appetite and that I needed to get stinky stuff to entice her to eat. I know now from all the posts and my dogs reaction to her food, that the stinky stuff (ie garlic powder, eggs, tuna) works but she is spitting out the kibbles. Silly me I should have gotten it that she doesnt want to eat the kibbles. I will keep this post updated on her new diet  Thank you so much again, this has been wonderful and so helpful!


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

jade3531 said:


> I have been to my vet, did a blood test (clear and good) and got her on bacterial medication for a possible intestinal infection. During the 7 days of medication she had no energy and was not herself but she did not throw up for those 7 days, the very next day she threw up. Her throw up has been 90% bile and occasionally lumpy with food. I feed her Taste of The Wild and because I am not that familiar with dog foods and I am dead set on keeping her on the most beneficial diet, I won't buy cheap brands for her.
> 
> I learned that Husky's have high acidity, I rescued her 2 1/2 years ago and about 8 months ago is when she started throwing up, but it wasn't very often and I thought it was because I would feed her bacon grease, or a raw egg (which was not often) then she would go a month sometimes without throwing up (but only throw up maybe twice in a month). A month ago it got real bad, throwing up almost twice a day, everything I tried and what the vets have suggested only work for about five days then she starts again. She is a Siberian German shepard mix, not very active quite lazy in the home, but out on her walk she was energetic and has lost some of it over this past month and a half.
> 
> ...


Liver Bile acids are made by the liver, then it is stored in the Gall Bladder, when the dog eats, its then released from the Gall Bladder into the intestines,
where along with enzymes from the pancreas it breaks down food. Liver bile acids work on breaking down fat in the diet mostly. The Liver bile acids then should be re-absorbed by the intestines, then they go into the liver portal blood stream, this then returns it back to the liver, if the liver is working properly then it then sends it back to the Gall Bladder, where it is released again when the dog next eats and the whole process happens again, its recyled really.

Im just wondering if somewhere along the line with her this isnt happening, so she is getting excess liver bile acid where it shouldnt be in the stomach hence the vomitting up tons of liver bile acid on a regular basis.
The fact that you notice it after fatty foods, maybe there is a problem that the fats are not being broken down properly because there is a malfunction somewhere. Maybe the liver bile acid is not being re-absorbed into the intestine leaving excess liver bile acid where it shouldnt be.

Liverbile acid is what causes faeces to be brown. If the cycle isnt working properly or there is problems with the liver then the faeces tend to be light in colour, So if she has light faeces this could indicate a problem with the liver or the cycle.

You mentioned that she drinks a lot of water too. and is not as active, and doesnt want to eat as well as the vomitting can be signs of liver problems
They can get a build up of fluid in the stomach too, so Im wondering if thats what might be causing the gurgling, the fact that there is food sometimes in the bile means that its not being digested properly.

The only way to see if the liver, bile duct, blood flow and liver is working properly and completing the cycle is to do something called a liver bile acid test. She would have to be starved from the night before, go into the vets they take a base sample, then feed a hiigh fatty meal, and then a certain time after (cant remember how long) take another blood sample. Like us too Dogs can actually get gallbladder stones and inflammation of the gallbladder and that can cause vomitting loss of appetite and lathargy. The fact that she is worse or seems to be after high fat is suspicious too, you cant have high fat with gall bladder problems.

The reason that made me think of this is because I have had gall stones, and also one of my dogs had to have a liver bile acid test to check how it was all working.


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## Jesse11 (Dec 7, 2011)

could try the try raw food


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