ADVENTURES IN VOMITING
By Dr. John Teeter, D.V.M.

Okay, not exactly a warm and fuzzy topic but something we Veterinarians contend with every day. If you own pets, you get to deal with vomiting in some shape or form (literally) at some point in your pet’s life. It turns out that dogs vomit easier than almost any other species. (A dog that vomits once every 2 weeks is normal!) This turns out to be a good thing because they seem intent on putting things into their stomachs which have absolutely no business being there. This list of possible “foreign objects” is endless… Things like socks, underwear, grass, rocks, bones, and fifty-cent pieces. Last year a dog came to the clinic after having swallowed a size 13 Rockport shoe!

As a pet owner who loves your dog, what should you do when your dog throws up? I’m always amazed at how often I get this phone call…”My dog threw up and then he drank a ton of water and then he really threw up all over my expensive Oriental rug.” So, the first thing to do is DON’T LET HIM DRINK A TON OF WATER! Actually, if your dog looks really ill, take him to your Veterinarian. If he vomits and then goes about his business, withhold food and water then in a few hours begin giving him small amounts of water. It’s also usually best to withhold food for full 24-hours, again, giving him small amounts of food once you resume feeding. If he vomits again at that point, see your Vet. I would also strongly suggest that each time your dog goes outside during the next few days go with him. It’s important to monitor both what’s going into him and what’s coming out of him.

Every Veterinarian has lots of “good” vomit stories. Our families learn to endure them at the dinner table and for some reason we feel compelled to tell them at cocktail parties and other social occasions. Maybe we think a good vomit story will overcome our showing up with hair on our clothes and worse on our shoes. Anyway, here are a couple of my “good ones”.

Not long ago, a young couple dropped off their dog for boarding while they went out of town for the weekend. They had only been gone about 15 minutes when Casey (the dog) started making the classic retching sounds that tell you you’d better get the mop. Casey didn’t throw up the traditional food or grass; she vomited what appeared to be a brand new pair of bright red Victoria’s Secret panties. Since this particular couple happened to be family friends, I washed the “foreign object” and made a formal presentation in the lobby when the dog was picked up. My friend didn’t turn quite as red as the underwear, but it was close.

Very early in my career I received a late night phone call from a very distraught client. It seemed that their dog had swallowed a Super Ball. They said that since he’d never eaten anything unusual before they were really worried. I was pretty sure this dog would be okay until morning, but it soon became apparent that none of us (except the dog) would be getting any sleep until something was done. I met them at the clinic at around 2:00 AM. Their “dying” dog (that wasn’t wearing a watch) proceeded to run around the clinic, wag his tail furiously and then licked me square in the face. I gave him an injection to induce vomiting and we all gathered around him in anticipation of what was about to happen. Sure enough, a few minutes passed and we were rewarded. Out bounced the offending Super Ball. Smiles and congratulations were passed all around the room. However, the show was just beginning! For the grand finale, up came 2 whole bars of Ivory soap, a twenty-dollar bill, and several coins. This is the only case I can remember where the dog paid his own bill.

Dr. John Teeter, DVM received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and went on to receive his DVM from there in 1981. Later, he was tapped as K-State’s “2002 Outstanding Veterinary Alumnus”. He is currently a partner at Nall Hills Animal Hospital where he has been practicing since 1983. Dr. Teeter’s participation in the Kansas City area’s pet community includes having been President of the Kansas City Veterinary Medical Association and is now serving as Chairman of Kansas State University’s Pet Trust. In addition to his “pet projects”, Dr. Teeter is involved in Boy Scouts, SCUBA dives and is, of course, enthusiastically involved in his daughter, Hannah’s, high school activities. You may contact him by email at vets@pawprintskc.com. Please make sure to put Dr. Teeter’s name in the subject line.