All animals vomit from time to time. Vomiting can be nerve wracking for pet owners to witness, particularly as our pets can’t communicate if there is something dreadfully wrong with them. This can make vomiting a worrying symptom, even when sometimes there is a fairly simple and innocent reason as to why your pet is throwing up.
There are a range of different things and circumstances that can cause your pet to vomit, and some are more serious than others. First, however, it is important to understand the difference between vomiting and simply regurgitating.
The difference between vomiting and regurgitation
One of the biggest misconceptions about throwing up is that vomiting and regurgitation are the same thing. They are most definitely not. Regurgitation is when food or fluid is expelled from your pet’s esophagus or mouth, before it makes contact with the stomach. In contrast, vomiting involves the forceful expulsion of stomach contents which occurs when the stomach muscles rapidly contract. Stomach acids are usually always expelled alongside the partially digested food.
Reasons why your dog is throwing up
There could be many different reasons why your canine pal is puking, but in many instances, it is simply a case of the fact that something that shouldn’t have been eaten was ingested! Dogs are well known for their lack of fussiness when it comes to their diet, and most will happily chow down on anything they come across that smells good whether it is edible or not! When something was ingested that should not have been, the stomach will probably expel it fairly quickly.
Another common cause of canine vomiting is travelling. While some dogs love a trip out in an automobile, it can make others quite unwell either through fear of the journey, or from motion sickness.
In more severe cases, your dog throwing up could indicate she is suffering from an underlying medical problem, including:
Addison’s disease
Diabetes
Exposure to toxic substances
Food intolerances
Gastrointestinal problems such as an ulcer or gastroenteritis
Head trauma
Infections (bacterial, viral or fungal)
Inflammatory bowel disease
Intestinal obstruction, which could be cause by a tumor, displacement or foreign body
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Pancreatic disorder
Parasites
Side effect of medication
Some varieties of cancer
When vomiting means that your dog needs to be seen by your veterinarian
Knowing when to seek professional help is something that even experienced dog owners will struggle. In most instances, a single episode of regular vomiting that your canine seems to recover well from does not require you to visit your vet.
Nevertheless, if your pet experiences any of the following, we recommend that you schedule an appointment to get assessed by a veterinarian as soon as possible:
A bloated/swollen abdomen
Attempting to be sick but is unable to produce anything
Blood in her vomit
Decreased urination
Diarrhea
Fever/chills
Green vomit
Gums that look pale or yellow
Lethargy
Obvious pain
Projectile vomiting
If your dog has thrown up once, there is almost certainly nothing to worry about but if they are exhibiting any concerning symptoms, it is definitely important to seek the advice of the veterinarian.