How to Treat Dog Stomach Pain

Reader Question: What to do for dog stomach pain?

Thank you for a great detailed article. I have a three year old male standard poodle. For almost two years he has a periodic stomach problems. It started happening after he injured his paw and we had to treat him with antibiotics, or so we think...

Within one year of him being in pain escalated to him having a problem every two weeks. I am afraid that we are close to another shift in this schedule. He started having stomach pain more often. It is always the same scenario - he vomits one or two times, sometimes with, sometimes without food, doesn't drink or eat for one day, becomes lethargic - hiding, stretching.

He is definitely in pain. I can hear that he has a gas in his belly. Blood work is good, doctors eliminated Addison disease and pancreatitis. He was on antibiotics for three months. Ruled out parasites. He has been on the prescription food for at least five months now. Nothing helps. The only thing we haven't done so far is the x-Ray and ultrasound...

My question is: what could be a cause of a dog stomach problem that occurs with a two week interval? Thank you in advance.

Suggestion from our Veterinarian on how to ease stomach Pain in Dogs

Vomiting in dogs can be caused for so many reasons and with some manifestations, as in this case accompanied by lethargy, abdominal pain, stretching and retching, etc. In a case of such generic symptoms, it becomes tough to diagnose the underlying cause, and that is why physical symptoms or limited blood work and selective diagnosis is never helpful.

Since, you already have mentioned that causes like Addison's disease, pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal diseases are ruled out, along with that the condition happened after treatment with antibiotics. Did the veterinarian consider a possible reaction or severe effects of antibiotics on physiological systems? Most commonly, the antibiotics may cause damage to the liver and kidneys, leaving the dog with an onset of some symptoms developing in months and even years.

I’d suggest to go for a detailed urinalysis and radiography of the abdomen, especially the kidneys. Renal dysfunction may be cause of these intermittent vomiting and episodes of abdominal pain. Kidney problems may be hypothetical, but remember, there are several stages of renal dysfunction. The most typical signs of renal failure related to the kidneys are polyuria (excessive urination), or dysuria (painful urination). These symptoms appear very late, i.e. once an enormous number (more then 60%) of nephrons in the kidneys are already dead.

Flank, abdominal pain, vomiting along with lethargy and anorexia are common in dogs with stage 1 renal dysfunction. During this phase, it is possible that blood work appears normal. Uremia or high levels of nitrogenous compounds and urea in blood are only detected in stage 2.
So, just to stay safe, I would suggest to go for a detailed blood work and essentially x-rays and urinalysis. Also, it would be better to avoid antibiotics till confirmation, and you may want to revisit the type and use of prescription food while the underlying cause is being confirmed.

Best of luck to your dog.

Umer Ahmed Bangash, DVM