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My Boston Terrier dry heaving at night, constipated: What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Male | neutered | 9 years and 9 months old | 22 lbs

my 10 yr old Boston Terrier has woke up at 130am two nights in a row and dry heaved with very little coming up. he is still hungry for food but has only had one very small bowel movement in 2 days. is this GDV? what steps should i take?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 16th, 2019

Considering the signs you described GDV is not likely at all. This is likely to be caused by a gastrointestinal inflammation of other origin at the moment, most likely related to dietary indiscretion. As a first approach, I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on

    GDV is a very serious condition and it doesn't resolve on its own, so that would be extremely unlikely. It could be acid reflux or some other medical issue. I would recommend starting with an exam with your vet, especially since Bruce is an older guy. The vet will do a thorough examination and may recommend x-rays to make sure heart and lungs, esophagus and stomach appear normal.

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