Vomiting in dogs
Written by Audrey Pavia
Reviewed by Kristin Westafer, DVM
Overview
Vomiting in dogs is common and may be caused by a variety of factors. Often, a dog will vomit because of eating something indigestible, such as grass. Overeating, especially if followed by exercise, can cause vomiting. A change in diet, a physical obstruction in the stomach, an allergic reaction, poisoning, a serious illness, food allergy, heatstroke, car sickness, and stress are all possible causes of vomiting. If your dog vomits more than every once in a while, pay attention to when and what your dog is throwing up, to help determine the cause.
Symptoms of a serious problem
Repeated vomiting, persistent vomiting, projectile vomiting, blood in the vomit, or vomiting accompanied by fever or diarrhea may indicate a serious problem and should not be ignored. Any of these situations should be reported immediately to your veterinarian. If your dog is vomiting persistently and unable to keep even water down, wait no longer than 24 hours before going to your veterinarian.
Prevention
Puppies often vomit from gorging their food when eating from a common food pan and competing with their siblings by eating too much, too fast. Feeding frequent small meals or separating the puppies when eating can stop the gorging/vomiting cycle. Keep lids on your trash cans and place them in an area that your dog cannot easily get into. Lock up all household cleaning agents and insecticides. Feed your dog a high quality dog food to lower the chances of any adverse reactions to food. Keep an eye on your dog's toys and retire toys when your dog begins detroying them and eating the evidence. Ingesting toys is one of the most common causes of vomiting and obstruction of the GI tract. Do not play rough or exercise your dog immediately after they eat a meal or consume large emounts of water. Doing so may lead to bloat, or GDV, a serious medical condition that is rapidly fatal without proper treatment.
Treatment
The first step in treatment at home for an otherwise healthy adult dog is to fast your dog for a full 12 to 24 hours and give the stomach a chance to rest. If the vomiting stops, offer a small amount of water every two to three hours - ice cubes in a bowl usually melt slowly enough to be left available for your dog. After twelve hours without vomiting, a bland diet, such as boiled chicken mixed with plain cooked rice, or strained meat baby food, can be offered in small amounts. As long as vomiting does not reoccur, the volume of food can slowly be increased over a few days, gradually adding more of your dog's regular food, until your dog is back on his regular diet.
Vomiting can swiftly lead to dehydration, especially puppies and old dogs. Dehydration is a serious condition and can cause significant damange if it goes on for long periods of time. Your veterinarian will advise you on any treatment for dehydration. Do not give your pet any medication unless you have been specifically advised to do so by a veterinary medical professional.
If your dog appears very listless, lethargic, and weak, this may indicate that your dog has bloat. Your dog may also be unable to rise and attempting to vomit frequently. Have your pet seen by a veterinarian immediately if you are suspicious that your dog is suffering from this condition.
References:
Carlson, Lisa D, D.V.M., and Giffin, James M., MD. Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. New York: Howell Book House, 2000.
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Comments
I just got a puupy a blue heeler. she is 6 weeks old. everytime she eats she throws up. i dont know what is wrong. what should i do?
my dog has had the same problem for a long time, then i read that the cause is they eat too fast..they now have something called slow feed bowls which have about four different sections, so it takes them longer to eat, and it has made a major difference, my dog hardly throws up any longer after using this bowl...u can get them on e-bay, amazon, petco...
I have a PBGV puppy who is almost a year old and has a problem with vomiting. He vomits around 3-4 times a week in the mornings on an empty stomach and is usually white foamy liquid. Otherwise he is a very happy puppy but this concerns me.
Cooper's Dad
I have a 2 year old doberman and he vomits in the mornings 3-4 times a week on an empty stomach and it's just a yellow liquid. He then eats his food and he is fine. I have yet to figure out why and I still searching.
The yellow liquid you see is bile, from you are right an empty stomach. When a dog is hungry they usually will get sick and it will be the yellow bile that you see. Maybe try and give some food at night before bed time so he won't continue to get sick.
Wish I had the answer for you, but I have a Newfoundland with bouts of vomitting and the yellow liquid. He's also got the runs. He's in good health otherwise. It might be something chewed on that's upsetting the GI.
Hi,
My dog has been doing the same. I have read on many web pages that lot's of dog's suffer with this and it is because of excess acid in the stomach. If you feed them small amounts regularly, this can solve the problem. Or if that doesn't work, take them to the vets who can prescribe an antacid to settle the stomach. Hope this helps.
I have a golden retriever who also vomits around 3 to 4 times a week and believe its excess acid. When I called the vet they mentioned x-rays and bloodwork. I feel that its not necessary and read about the antacid. Can you give a dog pepcid ac or do you think you should get a prescription. This is our first dog and she seems absolutely fine in every other way .
C. Bailey
Yes, pepcid is ok to give your dog. My dogs are 19lbs and 25lbs. I give them 5mg which is a half of a 10mg tablet. Not sure how much your dogs weighs. You may want to find out from your vet the amount that your dog should take.
My Westie does this also--Vet says Pepcid is ok ---He said 10 mg but he never said how often --daily, as needed ,or what to prevent this problem
Hello!
When our longhaired dachshund was a puppy, he used to do this as well (from about 4-6 months old). He would wake up around 3-4 am and throw up nothing but bile. After taking him to the vet, she felt that it was because of the excess stomach acid, just as you found online. She recommended giving him a small bowl of food just before bed to help balance out his stomach over night. It seemed to work and he has since grown out of this problem.