Vomiting is a nervous system-controlled to reflex to empty food from the stomach. It is seen as the body‘s defensive response to danger. The puppy vomits for a variety of reasons. If you saw your dog vomiting for one time or occasional, there is no need to worry. Prompt intervention is necessary in case of frequent vomiting for several days.
Vomiting can be caused by many different causes, but the exact diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian who has examined the animal. The most common causes of vomiting are: spoiled food, intolerance to certain nutrients, irritants and foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract, viral infections, inflammation of the stomach or pancreas, liver or kidney disease, endocrine gland diseases, gastrointestinal tumors, transport-induced vomiting.
It Is Divided Into Three Phases
- Nausea: it manifests itself in dogs as increased lip licking, salivation, smacking and swallowing. Many dogs eat grass when they feel sick. It makes it easier to induce vomiting.
- Swallowing: dogs can swallow the best when standing and back is raised. The contents of the stomach are pumped into the esophagus and from there into the mouth.
- Expectations: the dog spits out the contents of the stomach.
As mentioned, dogs often vomit to remove unnecessary or potentially dangerous substances from the stomach. However, if vomiting does not stop after those substances are removed, it can become dangerous. Recurrent vomiting causes serious problems that make your dog feel worse.
Vomiting may be accompanied by other ailments such as nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness or drowsiness. Prolonged vomiting is uncomfortable for both you and your pet. Be careful that recurrent illness does not cause further damage. Below we will discuss in more detail the various possible cases of vomiting.
Why Does an Australian Shepherd Vomit?
- Transition to a new food. Suddenly changing your dog‘s food can cause digestive problems, so if you start feeding your dog another food too quickly, it could have irritated his stomach. First of all, the transition to a new food should be gradual, usually within 7-10 days.
Always consult with your veterinarian before changing food. If your dog keeps vomiting, show it to veterinarian as soon as possible. Dog may be allergic or intolerant to food, and may have more serious problems.
- Young dogs usually have the consequence of eating too much food or too fast. This behavior is typical of small puppies full of energy who cannot stop the increased activity even while eating. Excessive activity immediately after a meal can also cause vomiting. The animals then return the undigested food.
If you have an adult dog that vomits, possible cause could be anxiety or fear. Does your dog not compete for food with other dogs living in the house? This can cause him to eat faster, thus overflowing the stomach.
If the dog eats too fast, he does not manage to chew on larger pieces of food. In addition, it can swallow a lot of air and cause vomiting. In such case, try to feed a dog suffering from anxiety in a different room, where there are no other animals around. Start with small portions and gradually increase them to normal size when you see the dog calm down before eating. And most importantly, you need to take action and address the anxiety problem.
Bad eating habits
- Dog owners should remember to give food appropriate to their age, breed and possible ailments. Vomiting is also a symptom of motion sickness and allergies to substances in pet food.
- The dog likes the taste of the food. Some dogs eat food quickly because they likes the taste of it. One possible way to solve this behavior is to feed the dog with smaller portions until you notice that he started eating more slowly.
There are special dog food toy-puzzles that make the dog work a little more before it gets the food. This can not only be a good exercise, but also make the dog eat more slowly. Just make sure he eats everything and doesn‘t get upset or angry about the new feeding system.
Unusual Vomiting
In addition to displacing food, the dog may vomit foam or, more quickly, saliva. The most common cause is inflammation of the throat or tonsils. Accompanying symptoms include cough, loss of appetite, and fever. If your dog vomits bile, it is a symptom of severe inflammation of the duodenum or stomach. Blood would show internal bleeding, which usually occurs due to trauma or sign of gastrointestinal ulcers. Vomiting with mucus is a sign of an empty stomach. The dog simply has nothing to vomit, which happens when vomiting persists for a long time.
Examples of possible diseases are:
- Liver and kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Pancreatitis
- Tumors
Important: regardless of whether it is acute or chronic – if the dog shows other signs of malaise in addition to vomiting, such as tiredness or even apathy, he does not drink anything for several hours or cannot defecate, seek immediate help from the vet.
What To Do When A Dog Is Vomiting?
Not all cases of vomiting necessarily mean that the dog is serious ill. When a puppy vomits once, there is no need to worry. Only then should the animal‘s condition and behavior be closely monitored in the near future.
In a situation where vomiting is frequent or lasts for several days, you should take your pet to a veterinarian. If vomiting is accompanied by general weakness, diarrhea, emphysema, and fever, specialist intervention is required. Then there is a risk of a more serious illness. The diagnosis is made according to the cause of the vomiting.
Persistent vomiting poses a risk of life threatening dehydration. The younger and smaller the dog, the faster and more likely he is to dehydrate. You can recognize it by swiping your fingers through the pet‘s posterior skin fold. Dehydration is defined as the skin not being firm. Fluid replenishment should begin immediately. In addition, the dog must be watered with water (necessarily in small quantities every half an hour), the veterinarian gives him a drip with special preparations. When your pet‘s appetite returns, he should be fed easily digestible food for the first few days. It‘s worth focusing on special foods that support recovery.
Final Thoughts
If you are worried about your dog‘s behavior and your vomiting recurs, contact your veterinarian immediately for a diagnosis and treatment. Treatment can be started in the clinic and continued at home for several more days according to the recommended treatment schedule.