Dog Vomiting

The sight of your dog vomiting is a cause for worry and immediate concern. Vomiting is when your dog forcefully ejects the contents of the stomach or the upper intestine. A vomiting dog may show abdominal heaving and nausea.

Dog vomiting may happen for several reasons. It could be that your dog ate more than they could handle or ate too fast, or your dog could have eaten too much grass.

Detecting the symptoms early is important, so watch your dog carefully. If your dog vomits more than once in a day, without a break, or for more than 24 hours, you should see a vet.

The difference between Vomiting and Regurgitating

We need to distinguish between vomiting and regurgitation. When dogs vomit, they are forcefully ejecting the contents of their stomach and upper small intestine, bringing food, fluid, and debris to the ground.

Regurgitation is different. Instead of ejecting the stomach contents by force, regurgitation is a passive motion that expels undigested food and fluids. Unlike vomiting, the signs of regurgitation are difficulty breathing and coughing.

It tends to happen shortly after eating—maybe your dog ate too much or ate too fast. Or your dog could be overly excited or stressed out.

Causes of Dog Vomiting

There are so many different reasons why your dog may be vomiting. Some of the most common reasons are:

• Dietary indiscretion – also known as scavenging or eating something they shouldn’t have done! This is the most common cause of vomiting in dogs
• A sudden change in diet or a potential food intolerance or allergy
• Intestinal parasites and worms
• Ingestion of foreign bodies – these may include toys, sticks or bones
• Car sickness and motion sickness
• Heatstroke
• Reaction to medication or anaesthetic
• Viral infection – such as rotavirus
• Bacterial infection
• Kidney failure or liver failure
• Ingestion of something that’s toxic or poisonous to dogs
• Pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas
• Bloat
• Gastrointestinal disease such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Other underlying diseases or metabolic conditions

Symptoms Associated with Dog Vomiting

Prompt attention from a veterinarian should be sought if your dog vomits multiple times in one day or for more than one day in a row. In addition, you should seek veterinary attention if your dog shows the following symptoms accompanied by vomiting:

• Loss of appetite
• Change in frequency of urination
• Change in thirst
• Blood in vomit or stool
• Unusual or severe lethargy
• Diarrhea
• Collapse
• Pale or white gums
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss

Daignosing Dog Vomiting

Your vet will first examine your dog. Then, using what you tell them and what they learn from the examination, they may decide to do some tests like these:

• Blood tests
• Fecal tests
• Ultrasound
• Biopsy
• Radiographs
• Endoscopy

In some cases, your vet may also have to do exploratory surgery. After knowing what is making your dog sick, the vet can suggest the best treatment.

Treatment Options

In most cases of vomiting, treatment via injection is the most effective route. It is the most reliable way to guarantee that the medicine is getting into the dog’s system and to prevent further vomiting. Often, a dog will vomit up a pill, and it can’t help them if they can’t keep it down.

Medications to stop nausea and vomiting are also available. In addition to these measures, the veterinarian may also recommend feeding your dog a bland or easily digestible diet.