If your dog threw up food, it can be an indication of an unhealthy process taking place in the body or stomach of your dog. Sometimes, dogs throw up due to overeating or fast eating and they feel better after vomiting. But if the throwing up of dog continues, then there can be multiple reasons behind it like upset stomach, stomach infections, kidney disease, bowel disease, intestinal blockage etc. So, if this vomiting continues for more than 24 hours, then rush your dog to the doctor, otherwise it can cause a life threatening situation for your dog due to weakness and dehydration.
Dog vomiting: causes, treatment and related symptoms:
Below we have discussed in detail the causes, treatment and symptoms of vomiting in dogs.
SUMMERY:
- What does it mean if a dog throws up his food?
- What do i do if my dog throws up?
- Why would a dog throw up undigested food?
- When should you be concerned about your dog throwing up?
- Why does my dog throw up undigested food hours after eating?
- Why did my dog puke chunks?
- What is the difference between a dog vomiting and regurgitation?
- Should I feed my dog again after regurgitation?
- Can dogs throw up and not be sick?
- Should I take my dog to the vet after throwing up?
- Can overfeeding a dog cause vomiting?
- What does concerning dog vomit look like?
- Should I withhold food and water after dog vomits?
- How much throw up is too much for a dog?
- Dog threw up food in middle of night.
- Dog threw up food after eating.
- Dog threw up food from last night.
- Dog threw up food whole.
- Dog throwing up undigested food in the morning.
- Dog throwing up after eating but acting normal.
- Dog throwing up undigested food 8 hours after eating.
- Dog threw up food 4 hours after eating.
- Dog throwing up undigested food treatment.
- Dog throwing up food but still pooping.
- Dog throws up dry food but not wet food.
- Dog threw up food after playing.
- Puppy threw up food.
- Is it normal for puppies to throw up undigested food?
- Should I be worried if my puppy throws up?
- What to do after puppy throws up?
- Puppy threw up food and ate it.
- Conclusion.
What does it mean if a dog throws up his food?
There can be many reasons that causes your dog to throw up:
- Your dog has over eaten his food.
- Fast eating and it blocked his gut.
- Your hound swallowed some toxic material and his stomach got upset.
- Your dog might be ill and throwing up may be just a sign of his serious illness that requires immediate visit to the vet.
What should I do if my dog throws up?
If your dog throws up, just stop his food for a few hours and try to analyze if vomiting stops by cutting food. If it does, give him food that is light after a few hours but if vomiting continues, then get him checked from a veterinary. You can take necessary measures and also you can use some home remedies at first.
- You can stop giving him food for sometime so that his stomach may take a break. But keep giving water and fluids, otherwise he may suffer from dehydration.
- Just give your dog less fatty foods that are light on the stomach and instead of giving them large meals, start giving them small meals in portions so it gets easy for the stomach to digest the food.
- You can also change your dog’s food. It can be possible that the food you are giving to your hound might be the reason of vomiting as it may have any ingredient that your hound is allergic to. Thus, swapping the food with another best quality food might work.
Why would a dog throw up undigested food?
There can be many conditions your dog might be suffering from like:
Regurgitation:
A condition in which dogs eat food very quickly without chewing. Stomach cannot digest such large food chunks as it takes time and the function of stomach is to slowly churn down all the food into energy. So, all the extra food that dog’s stomach is unable to digest is pulled out in the form of throwing up.
Megaesophagus:
A condition in which the esophagus tube that takes food and liquid to the stomach may become immobile or become extended and does not function properly and may start throwing undigested food out of the mouth.
When should I be concerned about my dog throwing up food?
You should be concerned about your dog if:
- Your dog keeps throwing his food multiple times.
- His vomiting does not stop despite doing some home remedies and cutting down heavy food.
- Stops eating and his appetite dies.
- His urine frequency changes then it is the sign that your dog is suffering from some serious illness and immediately needs medical attention.
Then you should immediately rush to a vet.
Why does my dog throw up undigested food hours after eating?
Gastric Hypomotility may be the major reason your dog is throwing up his undigested food hours after eating food. Gastric hypomotility mostly is found in older dogs who have weak stomachs and their stomach may not be able to digest food and may throw up hours after eating their food. This may be caused by weakness of the stomach, acidity or by any other bacteria that may have entered the stomach and causing vomiting.
Why did my dog puke chunks?
If your dogs is puking chunks, then there can be many reasons for it:
- Your dog has eaten something unsuitable for stomach like corn cob.
- It is also possible that something has blocked the intestinal tract of your dog like he ate plastic ball or anything big that was not edible. Then the stomach tries to convert that thing into chunks and small pieces and that comes out during puking.
What is the difference between a dog vomiting and regurgitation?
Vomiting is a process in which stomach muscles contract and then relax, mostly throwing up digested food. It is mostly more flowy and while in regurgitation, the dog’s food comes out undigested and mostly in the form of large chunks that is not digested. In regurgitation, the material comes out just with a small burp which actually has not reached to the stomach and is thrown back.
Should I feed my dog again after regurgitation?
Yes, you can feed your curb his food after regurgitation because regurgitation is mostly as a result of fast eating. In regurgitation, stomach is unable to process the digestion, so it throws the food as it is out of stomach. But if the food is a bit digested and dog has thrown it out, then you must not feed him the same food again because the problem might be due to the food given to him. You should change the food and wait for sometime before giving him food.
Can dogs throw up and not be sick?
Yes, dogs can throw up even if they are not sick. Sometimes dogs may throw up due to:
- Over-eating food.
- They might have eaten quickly and then thrown up.
- Have snacked on large amounts of grass.
Vomiting mostly comes and indicates disease and sickness but yes dogs are not necessarily sick when they throw up and vomiting occasionally due to temporary reasons may not be the indication of any abnormality.
Should I take my dog to the vet after throwing up?
Yes, the dog should be immediately taken to veterinarian if he throws up many times in a day. For this you need to closely observe your hound and see if the vomit doesn’t stop and continues then there is definitely some serious problem and you should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.
Can overfeeding dog result into throwing up or vomiting?
Yes, if a dog is given an unproportionate meal or too much food with no check and balance at a time, then it may result in the dog throwing up because eating too much food is impossible to process for the dog’s stomach. So instead of digestion, the dog throws the food and expels the food out of it. So, always feed the dog an appropriate amount of food because overfeeding can result in regurgitation.
What does concerning dog vomit look like?
The concerning dogs vomit does not have the normal colors. They can be seen in different colors other than whitish. If your dog throws out the vomiting red black color, then your dog needs immediate veterinary attention and he must be taken to doctor as soon as possible. Red vomit may indicate the presence of blood in the vomit and the color of vomit is just a guide and not the actual diagnosis but color may indicate the internal condition or disease to some extent.
Should I withhold food and water after dog vomits?
Yes, if a dog vomits for just one time, then hold the food for 6 hours in order to see if he vomits again or not. In the meanwhile, keep giving water after every hour to avoid dehydration but giving too much water can also lead to vomiting again. Once the vomiting stops, then start giving light meals to your dog. But giving food immediately after vomiting is never recommended.
How much throw up is too much for a dog?
If your dog vomits multiple times in a day one vomit after another, then it is too much for a dog. Continuous vomiting without break for 24 hours will make your dog extremely weak and dehydrated. So it is better that when dog throws up for second time, you must take him to vet for medical checkup.
Dog threw up food in middle of night:
Sometimes dogs eat something toxic and they seem fine until at the middle of night their stomach being unable to digest that food throws it up. For example if your dog ate that thing at 5 or 6 pm in the evening the digestive process will usually take 4 to 5 hours for digestion and when it fails to do that, it expels the food out of the stomach.
Dog threw up food after eating:
Dog may throw up food right after eating because:
- The dog may have eaten excessive amount of food that his stomach couldn’t digest.
- He may also have eaten fast than usual which might cause hiccups or even vomiting.
- He has eaten something toxic that is why he threw up immediately.
- He has swallowed some fly or dirty spider along with his food.
- He ate something not suitable for him.
Dog threw up food from last night:
If dog is throwing up food from last night:
- It might be regurgitation because the food he ate last night might not be digested properly and he is throwing up that undigested food.
- He might have eaten food fast.
- Overeating food.
- Due to stress or anxiety.
- It might be Megaesophagus (a condition in which esophagus of dogs widens and food backs up which results in regurgitation).
So, if vomiting continues for hours, then you must take your hound to a vet for checkup.
Dog threw up food whole:
If your dog is expelling the whole food as was eaten without chewing, then it is surely regurgitation. It is caused due to:
- Fast eating.
- Over eating.
- Just swallowing food and not chewing it.
So you must get in touch with your veterinary doctor to know exactly whats going on with your doggy’s stomach.
Dog throwing up undigested food in the morning:
If your dog is throwing up his food in the morning then it means that your dog’s stomach is badly upset.
- His stomach is not functioning properly.
- Not absorbing nutrients properly.
- There is any obstruction or blockage in the stomach muscles.
- The stomach muscles grinding activity may be affected.
So if this condition persists and your dog keeps throwing his food in the morning on daily basis, then it can turn into a critical situation. So take your hound to a good vet for his checkups.
Dog throwing up after eating but acting normal:
If your dog is throwing up immediately after eating, then:
- The reason may be some dietary indiscretion that means behavior of some dogs to eat anything other than their normal routine diet but if the dog is acting normal after throwing up, then it means he has got some feeling of relief after throwing up and will not throw again because the poisonous material he swallowed has been expelled out of his stomach and it got cleaned.
- In some cases, this may be serious as well and your dog might be suffering from some serious illness.
Dog throwing up undigested food 8 hours after eating:
Dog food should be completely digested within 8 hours and stomach should be empty because after 8 hours, food is completely digested by the stomach and if it doesn’t happen, then this means that there is some blockage which is not letting the food go down the digestive tract and food was stuck in the esophagus and finally expelled out of the body.
Dog threw up food 4 hours after eating:
It means that food is not digested by the dog due to the upset stomach.
Dog throwing up undigested food treatment:
If your hound is throwing up undigested food, then it is a sign of upset stomach.
- Immediately stop feeding him.
- Even if you start feeding him after few hours, then give him bland diet and light weighted food like boiled chicken or boiled rice that are light on the stomach and digest very easily. This food also gives soothing effect to the already acidified stomach of dogs.
- If the condition of your dog does not improve, then immediately take him to the pet doctor.
Dog throwing up food but still pooping:
If your dog is throwing up and still passing bowel with normal consistency, then it is not something to worry about. But if the dog is throwing up and poops are loose and watery, then most probably your dog has caught diarrhea and you need to visit a vet for consultation.
Dog throws up dry food but not wet food:
The dog may be throwing up the dry kibble but easily digesting wet food because the wet food is soft and easily digestible along with that, wet food has less preservatives. On the other hand, dry food is mostly commercially processed with lots of additives and preservatives along with artificial flavors and colors. These additives have a bad effect on dog’s stomach and therefore dog might throw up after eating dry food and not by eating wet food.
Dog threw up food after playing:
Sometimes dogs throw up after physical activity like playing, running or exercise etc. That happens because right after exercise dogs usually drink a lot of water and they may feel bloated and eventually start vomiting.
Puppy threw up food:
Puppies mostly throw up for the following reasons:
- Puppies intake many things other than food that may be dirty and unhygienic causing their stomach to expel that poisonous substance immediately and they throw up.
- Puppies can also vomit due to the presence of some parasite in their intestine.
- Puppies can also vomit due to Parvovirus(CPV) that causes gastro-intestinal illness in puppies.
Is it normal for puppies to throw up undigested food?
Yes, it is normal for puppies to throw undigested food and is normally called “Regurgitation”. It occurs in puppies and as a result they throw undigested food either due to:
- Eating with a speed and their stomach can’t digest it so quickly.
- Overeating.
So it’s normal for pups to throw up undigested food.
Should I be worried if my puppy throws up?
Yes, if your puppy throws up more than once, then this should be a matter of concern for you. He may suffer from dehydration and weakness if not taken to the vet timely. Therefore, if a puppy vomits for second time, you must rush him to vet to save his life.
What to do after puppy throws up?
If your puppy vomits his food:
- Just avoid giving him food for some time.
- Don’t give him any solid food.
- Just give him small amounts of water from time to time.
- After few hours when vomiting stops, then you can give him light food like white rice or boiled vegetables or chicken.
Puppy threw up food and ate it:
If your puppy threw up food then it usually occurs that later on pups start eating that food if that regurgitated food is not immediately cleaned. This regurgitated or vomited food may contain those poisonous and acidic substances on it that became the reason of vomiting. Therefore, it can cause dangerous health issues in pups. So it is always recommended to clean the surface immediately after vomiting and do not let your pup eat that regurgitated or vomited food.
Conclusion:
If your dog threw up his food, then it should not be something to worry about if it happened once. But continuous vomiting is worrisome and it can cause dehydration and weakness in dogs and puppies. There can be many reasons behind vomiting like if they have eaten anything toxic, extremely hard or poisonous. Vomiting or regurgitation may also be caused by stomach disorders, over-eating, fast eating or eating without chewing. After vomiting that toxic substance, dogs feel refreshed but a continuous chain of throwing up can be extremely dangerous. For this you must take your dog or puppy to the doctor immediately and get his tests done because this can be indication of some serious illness like kidney failure, lung failure, diabetes or any other disease.