Vomiting in dogs
Vomiting is a common problem in dogs. When a dog has eaten something wrong, vomiting is often a quick and easy way to get rid of it. However, it can also be that a dog is ill and vomiting is one of the symptoms.
If your dog has vomited once (acute vomiting), there is usually nothing wrong; it is important that your dog is still active and alert. If your dog continues to vomit (chronic vomiting) and also becomes lethargic, it is best to contact the veterinarian.
Regurgitation or vomiting?
Vomiting and regurgitation are two different things. With regurgitation, a dog vomits shortly after eating. A dog often lowers its head and spits out the food, without any contractions in the abdominal area. The food is still undigested in this case, and there is no bile.
With vomiting, the muscles around the abdominal area contract, and a dog forcefully expels the contents of the stomach and the upper part of the intestines. The vomit consists of (partly) digested food and bile; vomit often smells sour.
Causes of vomiting
Vomiting is a common problem in various conditions. Below is an overview of the most common causes:
- Food allergy
- Gastritis
- Enteritis
- Giardia (especially in puppies)
- A foreign object in the stomach
- Uterine infection
- Kidney problems
- Gastric torsion (This is called dry heaving, where a dog tries to vomit but nothing comes out)
- Balance problems
- Poisoning
- Infections
A dog can also get vomiting reflexes from diseases of the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and uterus. But motion sickness can also be a cause of vomiting, for example.
Points of attention with vomiting
If your dog does not want to eat for a day or eats less than usual during the period it needs to vomit, this is usually not harmful. It is important that your dog continues to drink. Vomiting causes a dog to lose a lot of fluids, which can lead to dehydration. This can have serious consequences… If your dog stops drinking, it is important to contact the veterinarian, as the animal may need an IV drip.
In the following cases, it is necessary to contact the veterinarian immediately if your dog needs to vomit:
- If the animal is dry heaving (vomiting without anything coming out)
- If your dog's abdominal size increases rapidly
- If the vomiting continues
- If a dog cannot keep water down
- If there is blood in the vomit
- If your dog has a fever (above 39.5 degrees Celsius)
It is important to closely monitor puppies that vomit a lot. Puppies can dehydrate faster when they vomit frequently. If you contact the veterinarian because your puppy is persistently vomiting, it is important to know when the animal vomits, what the vomit looks like, and the amount of vomit.
Treatment of vomiting
To establish a treatment for vomiting, it is important to know whether it is acute or chronic vomiting.
With acute vomiting, the first step is to look for any underlying health problem.
A dog will receive medication against vomiting and possibly acid reducers. To provide relief, it is best to divide the amount of food into several small portions per day – at least 4 portions; preferably choose easily digestible food. Furthermore, it is important to give your dog small amounts of fresh water, not large bowls of water at once. Also, make sure the water is not too cold.
If a dog has persistent vomiting (chronic vomiting), there is often more going on. In this case, a veterinarian will try to determine the underlying problem. Once the underlying problem is known, the veterinarian can create a treatment plan.
It is possible that a dog becomes dehydrated if it has been vomiting persistently for a long time. In this case, a veterinarian can give your dog an IV drip, providing fluids and possibly extra salts.
