Healthy 3 yr old purebred, spayed lab, throwing up + stopped eating Monday, took to vet Tues. Did blood work=normal, not poisoned. did ultrasound, then exploratory surgery Wed-no obstruction, item in stomach or issue found. Thurs. more blood work=normal, today Fri- still not eating and has been at vet the whole time. All very worried. Had IV fluids & meds (nausea, pain, etc) the whole time. Drinking a little water HELP what are we missing?? Tried tempting her with all foods. Any ideas?Thanks

Updated On February 18th, 2022

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 3 years and 1 month old | 80 lbs

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

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I'm sorry to hear that Lady has been so sick! In a young lab, an intestinal obstruction is the first thing that comes to my mind. Since that has been clearly excluded after an exploratory surgery and standard blood work has been normal, it may be time to consider less common issues that may not always show up with these tests. Such issues can include Addison's disease (electrolyte abnormalities are usually present, but not in atypical cases), inflammatory bowel disease, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or pancreatitis (although I would expect some ultrasonographic changes), among others. I would ask your vet if they've considered testing for Addison's disease with an ACTH Stim or run any fasting blood work to check on her TLI (for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) or B12/folate (which may help raise/lower suspicion for inflammatory bowel disease). Since it sounds as though Lady is quite a challenging case, you may also want to consult with a specialist in internal medicine. I hope that Lady feels better soon!

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