My dog is vomiting. What should I do? is a question that most dog owners will have to ask at one time or another. Whether to treat your dog at home or bring him to the vet is a decision that you will have to make as a pet owner. Just remember that if the vomiting continues more than a day or two, there is blood present or your dog is displaying additional symptoms or becomes dehydrated, it is important to get him to a vet right away.
There’s an array of situations and medical conditions that can cause a case of vomiting dogs, from eating a new and unfamiliar food, to speed-eating and ingesting non-food items.
For owners of a dog who is vomiting, it\'s important to find out what is causing the vomiting, which can signal a serious, life-threatening problem such as dehydration or an intestinal obstruction.
“Most cases of stomach upset involve a dog who ate something that he shouldn’t have, be it an unfamiliar food or a non-food item,” explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM.
Gastritis, a term describing the inflammation of the stomach lining, occurs when an unfamiliar food item or a non-food item is ingested. Other causes include excessive stomach acids/bile, viruses, and micro-organisms like salmonella or giardia.
Excess Stomach Acids and Bile as a Cause of Vomiting in Dogs
If a dog is vomiting a yellow or brown fluid, often shortly before mealtime or in the morning, this indicates that the dog has an stomach upset due to excess bile and stomach acids. When the stomach is empty for an extended period of time, these fluids cause stomach irritation and vomiting. Treatment is usually fairly simple – feed smaller, more frequent meals, as this will prevent the fluids from accumulating and irritating the dog’s empty stomach.
