Pet ownership means a lot of things, it means getting on the hands and knees and cleaning up the foulest of messes in the ungodly hours of early morning. It means losing sleep and being late for work. It means several days of vigil making sure my beloved pet doesn’t have any other side-effects….why would I put myself through this? It can only be love.
One time, my (at the time) 6-year-old Australian Shepherd, Glory, scared me. She refused to stand up, she refused to eat, and she refused to wag her tail. But, instead of panicking and calling the vet, I got down on my knees and checked her over. I felt her limbs and palpitated her stomach. No fever, no bloating, no panting, no shakes. There was nothing visibly wrong with her except that she was so still. She normally gets very excited about her food, but even her favorite liver treats would not entice her to eat. So, I resorted to a nightlong vigil.
At 2:00 am. She was resting right where I left her, flat out, and on the ground. Breathing normally, lifting her head and looking at me. I gave her some water and she lapped at it lazily.
3:00 am. She was flipped over on her other side. Again, I offered her water and she lapped at it. Temperature was normal.
4:00 am. Woke up to a HORRENDOUS smell permeating the air in my room. I flipped the overhead light [and the fans] on and looked around. Glory was laid out, innocently looking at me. No bombs anywhere…. Figuring she must be gassy, I let her outside to go to the restroom. She happily bounded out. I thought it was odd behavior, considering she was so lethargic just a few hours before…
5:00 am. Let Glory out again, time to get ready to go to work. Stepped outside my room and into the schoolroom….. bombs everywhere and projectile vomiting all throughout. For some people, this would have been a nightmare. For me, I was just happy to know why she had felt bad. She’d had a really bad stomach ache! [the culprit was a pot of old beans someone threw out where she could get at them].
SYMPTOMS [for Glory, there was only 1 symptom]
-Lethargy/Placid behavior. [sometimes a slight fever is also an indicator]
If your dog starts shaking or bloating or has a really high fever. Call the vet!
TREATMENT
Believe it or not, when a dog has a stomach-ache. What they will do naturally is eat grass. [Lions, Tigers and Bears have all been known to do the same thing] You can use a basic Pepto Bismol treatment and that will oftentimes help with the aches. It is however extremely important that your pet stays hydrated while the ache runs it’s course. Coax them with water and make it easy for him/her to access.
Add pumpkin and/or yogurt to their food and it will help with any aftereffects.
As a side note: Switching their food can oftentimes cause a stomach ache. Be wary of that and switch over gradually!
HeartSpot Havanese 
