5 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Vomiting

Last Updated on October 5, 2022 by Dogs Vets

5 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Vomiting

Your furry friend is playing around and suddenly starts to vomit. Is this a poisoning problem? Do you immediately drive down to the hospital? 

Sometimes, the vomiting stops, and you make a mental note to mention it at the next vet appointment. Other concerned parents keep panicking until they get answers to their one big question: Why is my dog vomiting?

What Can Cause a Dog to Throw Up?

There’s no definite answer to why your dog is vomiting, especially when you haven’t been to the vet yet. 

Your dog’s breed, age, and behavioral patterns can increase its susceptibility to vomiting. Other internal and external factors can make a dog suddenly begin to experience bouts of vomiting. 

But here are the 5 most common reasons why your dog is vomiting

1. Your Dog is Bloated

Bloating in humans is often not categorized as a severe condition. It is pretty different in dogs. Your dog might be vomiting because it is bloated, and in some cases, this requires hospitalization. 

What happens is that too much air fills the dog’s stomach, causing it to twist and sometimes cutting off circulation. This is why you should monitor the rate your dog eats and drinks.

Overeating food and doing so too quickly causes bloating. Big dogs like German Shepherds and Labradors are at more risk here.

2. Ingesting the Wrong Food

Vomiting in dogs sometimes occurs when the pet eats something poisonous or an object that causes obstruction in its stomach. Sometimes, the foreign item moves around the tummy, and you can’t tell it’s there. This poses a serious health risk and deserves immediate attention. 

Foods that contain too much fat can upset the dog’s stomach and cause vomiting. They often pick up these foods outdoors or from the trash.

3. Contaminated Water

Your dog is more likely to experience sudden vomiting if you have not provided it with a dedicated drinking bowl. Dogs that drink out of puddles or general bowls get exposed to contaminated water, which leads to stomach upset and vomiting.

Worse still, dogs may drink out of lakes that contain toxic blue-green algae. This can cause chronic illnesses that begin with vomiting.

4. Parasites

Vomiting caused by intestinal parasites does not often call for concerns like most of the other listed causes here. Your dog may be carrying parasites which sometimes show as worms in the vomit.

Other times, the intestinal parasites manifest as symptoms such as vomiting. There may be no signs in the vomit, but worm eggs can be present in the dog’s stool.

5. Contagious diseases

It is more common for younger dogs to throw up after contracting a disease like parvovirus or kennel cough. These diseases spread fast among dogs in group settings, with breeds like Dobermans and sled dogs being more prone. 

Parvovirus, for instance, can be fatal, causing dehydration and diarrhea in your dog aside from the frequent severe vomiting. 

Should You be Worried When Your Dog is Vomiting?

If you have been a dog parent for a while now, you know that vomiting in dogs is not unusual. It doesn’t even have to be a sign that your dog is ill because a dog can throw up one minute, and in the next, it is back to its usual bubbly state. 

However, both chronic and acute dog vomiting sometimes call for concerns.

Long-term vomiting accompanied by signs like weight loss and poor appetite should not be overlooked. It could be a symptom of other severe diseases in your pet. 

Acute vomiting, which you can identify as a sudden series of vomiting, can be serious and often indicates the pet has ingested something irritating. 

In cases where the vomiting isn’t accompanied by any other symptom, your dog is most likely fine, so it’s nothing to worry about. 

Figuring out which vomiting comes with severe symptoms can be tricky since some signs may not be immediately apparent. It’s best to call your vet if you’re having a hard time deciding whether or not your dog’s vomiting is regular.

Conclusion

Some home remedies can be effective for stopping vomiting in dogs when the symptoms are mild. Practices such as gradually introducing your dog to a new diet and keeping the trash out of its reach also help to prevent cases of vomiting. 

Stay calm when unsure about the cause of the vomiting, and remember so much help can come from going to the vet’s office.

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