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What do I do if I think my guest dog is sick?

This is about a 7-8 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback.

We'd met him before, and noticed he had a fishy scent, so the owner gave him a bath before dropping him off this morning.

The day after meeting and playing with the pup, my dog threw up his food [very early, before breakfast] and had a very wet potty a little later. My dog is not known to throw up his food; I can only think of one other time he did that and it was because he had something lodged in his throat. We saw nothing in his vomit except mushy kibble.

This morning, the Ridgeback was dropped off for his first overnight stay. The owner mentioned the pup hadn't eaten breakfast at the normal time and said maybe he was protesting the boarding and we laughed it off. But then the pup threw up a a lot of very thick, mucus-y white foam. I've never seen anything like it. He still won't eat, from bowl or from hand [he just takes it then spits it out].

Also, I can still smell it, but it's definitely not as strong anymore. So I thought nothing of it.

I've told the owner, but no response yet. I'm about to call the dog's vet.

Any advice? :[ I'm extremely worried...

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Call the customer support number I the bottom of the page and talk to them, they will help you with this situation.

Hi Grace, I'd do the exact same as you. Contact the owner and then call the dog's vet. If the owner's haven't contacted you yet, I'd just call the vet and find out what they suggest. Then call the owner's with an update. They can review the dog's history and best advise you and the pet parent. In my experience, most pet-parents prefer contact with their veterinarian. Rover.com can also provide support.

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Definitely keep doing what you're doing (if you messaged the owners, call them instead - if you called them, great.) Do some reading. I'm not sure how old the dog is, but puppies often throw up, and I've seen white foam in vomit before that led to no problems. From what I've read, it's just from partially digested food. Stay in contact with the owners and the vet though because if it worsens, it could be signs of bloat, which is bad. If all that happened is the dog threw up once and otherwise appears to be fine (no retching, signs of pain, etc), I wouldn't worry, but I would still stay in touch with the owners and the vet.

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There was no food in the vomit, just very mucus-y filmy viscous liquid. It was so thick that when I wiped it up, it all moved together and nearly picked up together. I've never seen anything like it D:

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Owner just said "Sorry to see this. He wasn't throwing up at home" :| Not helpful... Called Rover and they said to call the vet. I called the vet and they suggested to withhold food and water because it might be nausea. In the evening, try feeding him a quarter meal, then if he can hold it down, great. If he can't, make a vet appointment.

[edit] The real unfortunate thing is that I have to crate him now, to keep him away from the water the other dogs at my house have access to :[ This is one sad pup.

[edit again] Informed owner that I'll be withholding food and water, and he said he'd really prefer his dog have access to water... but the nurse said no water -_- I wonder if he will leave me a bad review now...

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Show understanding and care but follow the vet's advise. Even when you know its necessary it's still hard to deny your pet water, you just have to keep reminding yourself that its for the dogs best interest.

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Not really sure why did the fishy scent alarms you, since the owner gave the puppy a bath it seems like they though you were concern for cleanliness purposes.

The wet potty seems to indicate that your dog is sick. Even if its not normal to your dog vomit is not that abnormal. Unless you see blood or something in it -its probably just an upset stomach. X-rays is the only way I know of to know if there is a problem with his digestion. Even with humans the most common advise is to observe the patient and to stay hydrated.

Some breads of dogs vomit often as puppies, but the description of the vomit is unusual.

You did the right thing on letting the owner know, see if the rover support team have a different suggestion on your case. Good luck.