My little mutt eats chunks of black dirt in summer when I am gardening. She also likes to eat charcoal bits from our fire pit (cold pieces, of course...) She does not vomit or show any other symptoms of any illness, so I asked the vet about it during her last check up. He said "She just likes the taste". He told me as long as she is healthy eating dirt and charcoal is nothing to worry about. However, scottielover, it sure sounds like your baby has a digestive issue if he is vomiting. I am glad you are taking him in to the vet to be checked out. Linda

I totally understand about the carpet too. Aleks ruined the carpet in my office when he was sick, and I had to tear it up and put in laminate flooring. Of course renting, you don't have that option. Before he got sick and didn't vomit so much, I had him trained to puke in a wastebasket. When he got sick he didn't feel like moving around that much. Honestly if I were your vet I'd deworm the dog regardless of fecal results. It's cheap, easy, and does not cause any harm to the dog. Fecal tests are hit or miss as far as finding parasites in the one tiny sample you look at. False negatives are common. I might do a fecal and if it is positive recheck after deworming, but if negative I'd deworm anyway just to eliminate parasites as a possible cause or exacerbation of the problem. In addition to a fecal float, I would also do a fecal cytology to check the bacterial balance, and a direct smear to check for protozoan parasites. These tests are generally pretty sensitive for what you are looking for, so if they came up normal I wouldn't worry about a bacterial imbalance or protozoa. Typical dewormers cannot treat bacterial imbalances nor protozoal infections. As far as switching foods, give him something he has never had before and with limited ingredients. Since you were giving Beneful, avoid any diet with chicken, soy, corn, and beef, anything with BHA/BHT, anything with artificial colors or preservatives. I have used Natural Balance and Nature's Recipe for the limited ingredients and quality of foods. I now feed Solid Gold Wolf King, but since it has 2 protein sources- buffalo and salmon- it wouldn't be good for your dog until you figure out exactly what he can eat, one ingredient at a time. The other suggestions are also good as long as you get one protein and one carbohydrate source, neither of which your dog has had before. That is the key when working with food allergies. As mentioned earlier homemade diets and raw feeding are also good options if done correctly, but can be detrimental if done wrong, so get lots of advice and information before trying that. My Max is on a home-cooked diet from a boarded veterinary nutritionist because he has many health problems and no one commercial diet worked. All of my dogs get raw food 2-3 times a week. As soon as I get a job, they'll all be switched to home cooked foods with occasional raw bones (Ana gets an upset tummy with too much raw), and I'll have some Solid Gold on hand for emergencies. But until then I'm doing the best I can afford, which is all anyone can do.

Thanks. Unfortunately surgery etc is probably out of the question for us at the moment, we simply can't afford it. I am only getting limited working hours,and my wife, a teacher, won't get paid again til September - we only have a limited amount put by. On the other hand, I really want to get to the bottom of this. She seemed a bit subdued after she was sick this morning - bloody streaks, as opposed to sicking up blood as I say, but she seemed fine after and has been playing with our nieces and nephew and having a good time. In one way, it would be "interesting" to go back to the Vets who performed the Spay operation, but that was 4 years ago and I don't know whether there's any relevance or not now. My latest thought is ulcers. I wonder. I also wonder if we should feed her tomorrow.

If she isn't eating anything, a trip to the vet is in order. It sounds as though there's more going on than just not liking her food. Once a medical issue is ruled out, I linked to a site that rates dog foods. You can choose any of their top rated foods, but any dietary changes should be made slowly. Sudden changes will often make a dog sick, so you should gradually add some of the new food to the old until she's eating only the new. Once she's fully adjusted, it doesn't bother most dogs if you add small portions of other foods to their basic diet as long as the majority of their food stays the same. Here is a link that might be useful: Dog food analysis