Puppy Vomiting Got You Worried?

When your puppy's vomiting it's upsetting for everyone. The first step to making him feel better is to find out what's causing him to throw up. Get the info. you need here.

Vomiting in dogs, especially in puppies, is actually pretty common, and can happen for lots of different reasons - some potentially serious, some not.

If your puppy is throwing up, you're bound to be worried and wondering what's going on.

The most important thing you can do for him is to find out what's causing him to be sick.... and that can take a little detective work!

There can be a whole slew of different reasons why this is happening, and his vomiting could be a sign of illness or poisoning, the result of trying a new puppy kibble, or just sneaking a midnight snack from the trash can, even too many dog treats can upset your puppy's tummy!

If you want to jump straight to treatment options click here!

Common Causes Of Puppy Vomiting

• An empty tummy!
  strange as this may sound, one of the most common types of puppy vomiting happens when your little guy's tummy gets too empty (such as overnight). A classic sign that this is the problem is if your pup throws up yellow liquid (or it may be white/yellow and frothy), usually first thing in the morning.


• A worm problem
  a bad case of puppy worms can cause your pup to throw up. If this is the case you will probably find worms in his vomit - maybe just one or two, maybe a whole lot (disgusting I know!). If he's recently been given deworming medicine, then he should be fine once all the worms are out of his system, but if he hasn't been dewormed you need to get him to your vet right away as there's a serious infestation going on.


• Eating something they shouldn't have
  this is one of the most common reasons for puppy vomiting. They are eternally curious, and in their eyes everything is edible until proven otherwise! You would be surprised at what a puppy can ingest... but ingesting and 'digesting' are two entirely different things. Your puppy may be physically able to eat three plastic grocery sacks, or a pair of ski socks, but he isn't going to be able to digest them. There are also a lot of common household products, plants, and human foods that are poisonous to dogs


• Illness or disease
  vomiting is one of the first symptoms of many different canine illnesses. It could be something simple such as a mild bacterial infection, or something as serious as the potentially deadly Parvo Virus. There are usually (but not always) other signs of illness along with the vomiting, such as diarrhea, lethargy, a fever, loss of appetite and so on.


• Some medicines
  certain medications can cause your puppy to throw up. Classic examples include de-wormers (mentioned above), antibiotics and some medications prescribed for bone/joint issues such as Aspirin or Rimadyl.


• An allergy or sensitivity
  sometimes the ingredients in a particular dog food can cause a puppy or dog to throw up. True dog food allergies normally cause skin irritation such as 'hot spots', excessive itching, hairloss and so on. But, a sensitivity to a certain ingredient can cause digestive upset, including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Occasionally a reaction to vaccination, or medications (such as certain antibiotics or deworming medications) can cause puppy vomiting

So, how do you know whether your puppy needs help? It can be tricky, but here's a start....

For example, if your dog has simply eaten a plateful of peanut butter sandwiches and a block of cheese, his vomiting should make him feel better and is unlikely that he'll have any long term effects from his 'binge'.

But, if he's devoured a whole chocolate cake, or been licking up laundry detergent he's likely going to be in serious trouble and you need to get him help.

And, if he's eaten something that was moldy, contaminated or old, could also get a bacterial infection that makes him sick, just the way we would if we ate bad food.

Puppies also tend to swallow a lot of things that are simply not meant to pass through a digestive system (think tennis balls, rocks, balloons, pencils...) Somehow there are many times when a particular foreign object seems to defy nature and work it's way through and out the other end without incident!

But when an object gets 'stuck' it causes a blockage in the intestines or bowels, which is very serious and usually requires emergency surgery.

These types of puppy vomiting need to be evaluated by your vet right away...

• Vomit that contains blood


• Repeated vomiting that empties your pup's tummy and yet he continues to retch and gag and can't hold down any food or water


• Vomiting that is accompanied by ANY other signs of illness such as puppy diarrhea

• Extreme lethargy, listlessness or exhaustion

• A seriously distended belly, dry-heaving or signs of stress(such as whining, pacing, panting). This could be a sign of canine bloat.
  

These could all mean your pup is seriously ill, don't delay... get professional help NOW.

Types Of Vomiting In Puppies

This may sound strange because you might think that when a pup vomits, he vomits, period!

But there are actually different ways of throwing up (who knew?).

• Vomiting
  a dictionary definition of the word 'vomiting' includes 'to eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth', 'send out forcefully' or even 'to eject violently', and all of these pretty much paint a good picture of what's involved in puppy vomiting! It's usually what you see when a dog is car sick, ill, or has food poisoning and so on. If your puppy is truly vomiting, he may drool, will start to heave and then you'll notice strong contractions of his stomach muscles.... resulting in him throwing up.


• Regurgitating
  the dictionary definition of regurgitation include the descriptions 'to rush or surge back', and 'to pour back'. Definitely sounds less violent doesn't it? If a dog regurgitates it's food, it usually takes a loss less effort than vomiting does, almost as though the food (or whatever else is returning!) is coming back up by itself. It may seem to just pour out with little help from your pup. If your puppy eats too fast, or too much, he may well regurgitate his food, and health conditions such as Megaesophagus can also cause this.


• Gagging
  this can also be called 'retching' and looks similar to choking. If your dog is gagging, he may be hacking or coughing in an attempt to bring something up. In this situation you'll see more muscle movement in his chest than in his belly. If your dog has tried to swallow something that has got lodged in his throat, has certain esophageal or heart/lung problems, bloat or an intestinal obstruction he may hack, cough or even gag in this way. Gagging rarely results in food (or much else) coming back up though.

Sometimes a puppy or dog who has problems with his esophagus or teeth, or neurological issues, won't be able to keep food or water in his mouth. It will sort of 'fall out' or 'pour/drip out' when he tries to eat or drink.

How To Treat Puppy Vomiting

All the information on this page should help you to decide whether or not your puppy's vomiting is an emergency, but it's not always easy to be sure.

If you're in any doubt, it's always much better to be safe than sorry - and I'd recommend getting your pup seen by a vet right away if you're at all concerned.

To find out more about how to treat vomiting in puppies, click on the image link to the left.

You'll find all the information and advice you need to make sure your puppy gets whatever help he needs.

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