Many dogs vomit after the occasional dietary indiscretion, and while vomiting is common, it’s not always innocuous. Many serious conditions can cause your dog to vomit. Our team at Hearthstone Veterinary wants to provide information on why dogs vomit, and when you should be concerned.
Learning the science behind dog vomiting
Vomiting occurs when the vomiting center in the brain is stimulated directly by irritants or indirectly following input from four principal areas.
- Gastrointestinal tract — Gastrointestinal infections from bacteria, viruses, and parasites, gastrointestinal obstructions, gastric dilatation volvulus (i.e., bloat), and toxin ingestion can stimulate the vomiting center.
- Vestibular system — Conditions and diseases affecting the inner ear can stimulate the vomiting center.
- Cortex and thalamus — When a dog experiences extreme stress or pain, their cortex and thalamus can be affected, stimulating the vomiting center.
- Chemoreceptor trigger zone — The chemoreceptor trigger zone is not protected from the blood-brain barrier, causing certain drugs and hormones to stimulate the vomiting center.
Distinguishing dog vomiting from regurgitation
Another common issue affecting dogs is regurgitation, and distinguishing between vomiting and regurgitation is important. Vomiting is an active process that involves the forceful ejection of your dog’s stomach contents. They will often display signs such as excessive drooling, retching, and abdominal contractions before vomiting. The resulting material is partially digested food and fluid. Regurgitation is a passive process that involves expelling undigested food and fluids, and the material is often cylindrical. Regurgitation can be caused by issues such as eating too fast, esophageal inflammation, and megaesophagus, a condition where the esophagus dilates, forming a pouch where food can accumulate.
Assessing dog vomit
Examining your dog’s vomit can help you determine their problem’s potential cause.
- Yellow vomit — Bile can build up in your dog’s empty stomach, causing irritation, which can result in yellow vomit.
- Foamy white vomit — Acid accumulation in your dog’s stomach can result in foamy white vomit.
- Wormy vomit — Parasites can irritate your dog’s gastrointestinal tract, causing them to vomit worms.
- Red or pink vomit — This indicates your pet is bleeding somewhere along their gastrointestinal tract, and they need to be evaluated by a veterinary professional.
Determining when dog vomiting is concerning
Since dogs vomit for numerous reasons, determining when these episodes are dangerous is important. Your dog should receive prompt veterinary attention in these circumstances:
- Poison ingestion — If you know or suspect your dog ingested a poisonous substance, you should immediately contact Hearthstone Veterinary or Animal Poison Control.
- Foreign body ingestion — If you know or suspect your dog ingested a foreign body, you should seek veterinary care, because the object could cause a gastrointestinal obstruction.
- Other signs — If your dog is exhibiting other signs in addition to vomiting, they should be seen by a veterinary professional. These signs can include lethargy, fever, decreased appetite, distended abdomen, and pain.
- Continued retching — Continued, unproductive retching can indicate your dog has a gastrointestinal obstruction or bloat, which are veterinary emergencies that should be addressed as soon as possible.
- Bloody vomit — Blood in your dog’s vomit indicates they are bleeding somewhere in their gastrointestinal tract, and is another issue that should be assessed promptly.
- Chronic vomiting — Persistent vomiting over several days could indicate a serious condition and should be addressed by a veterinary professional.
Managing dog vomiting
If your dog vomits, and the circumstances don’t meet the above criteria, you may want to monitor your dog at home. Steps to manage dog vomiting include:
- Remove food and water — Continuing to eat or drink while their stomach is upset could cause additional vomiting episodes.
- Evaluate the vomit — Examine the vomit so you can describe the contents, in case your dog does not improve, and you need to seek veterinary care.
- Offer water — If your dog hasn’t vomited again after two hours, you can offer them a small amount of water. If they hold this down for an hour, you can offer gradually increasing amounts.
- Offer food — If your dog holds down their water for several hours, you can offer a small amount of easily digestible food. Commercial diets are available for these circumstances, or you can offer them boiled chicken and rice. After one to two days with no further vomiting episodes, you can gradually transition them back to their regular diet.
Preventing dog vomiting
Not all issues that cause dogs to vomit can be prevented, but you can take steps to protect them from certain situations that result in vomiting, including:
- Wellness exams — Take your dog in for yearly wellness exams so that conditions can be diagnosed in their early stages when they are easier to treat.
- Vaccinations — Ensure your dog’s vaccinations are up to date, to protect them from infections that could cause vomiting.
- Parasite control — Provide year-round parasite prevention medication, to protect your dog from parasites that can cause vomiting.
- Human food — Avoid feeding your pet human food, which can cause gastrointestinal upset, and can be toxic to dogs.
- Diet changes — If you want to change your dog’s diet, do so gradually over one to two weeks, to avoid gastrointestinal upset.
- Foreign objects — Keep small objects away from your dog, to prevent them from ingesting the object that could become a gastrointestinal obstruction.
Vomiting in dogs is not always a serious problem, but knowing when you should be concerned is important, to ensure your dog receives veterinary care when needed. If your dog’s vomiting is concerning you, contact our team at Hearthstone Veterinary, so we can address the issue.
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