Puppy vomiting? Get help here

Although puppy vomiting is worrying for you, it`s actually pretty common, and can happen for lots of different reasons including:

• Illness
• Poisoning
• A sudden change in diet
• Eating something they shouldn`t (even if it`s not toxic)

What`s most important is finding out what is making little Fido sick, so let`s start there.....

Common Causes Of Puppy Vomiting:

• An empty tummy!
  strange as this may sound, one of the most common types of puppyvomiting happens when your little guy`s tummy gets too empty (such asovernight). A classic sign that this is the problem is if your pupthrows up yellow liquid (or it may be white/yellow and frothy), usuallyfirst thing in the morning.


• A worm problem
  a bad case of puppy wormscan cause your pup to throw up. If this is the case you will probablyfind 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 ifhe hasn`t been dewormed you need to get him to your vet right away asthere`s a serious infestation going on.


• Eating something they shouldn`t have
  this is one of the most common reasons for puppy vomiting. They areeternally curious, and in their eyes everything is edible until provenotherwise! You would be surprised at what a puppy can ingest... butingesting and `digesting` are two entirely different things. Your puppymay be physically able to eat three plastic grocery sacks, or a pair ofski socks, but he isn`t going to be able to digest them. There are also alot 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 examplesinclude de-wormers (mentioned above), antibiotics and some medicationsprescribed 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 allergiesnormally cause skin irritation such as `hot spots`, excessive itching,hairloss and so on. But, a sensitivity to a certain ingredient can causedigestive upset, including vomiting and/or diarrhea. Occasionally areaction to vaccination, or medications (such as certain antibiotics ordeworming medications) can cause your pup to vomit.

Is Your Pups` Vomiting Serious or Not?

So, how do you know whether your puppy needs veterinary help or not?

I don`t feel so good mommy!

It can be tricky, but here`s a start....

If your little guy managed to eat a plateful of peanut buttersandwiches or/and a block of cheese, throwing it all up should make him feelbetter and it`s unlikely that he`ll have any long term effects from his`binge`.

But, if he`s practically inhaled a whole chocolate cake or the kids Halloween candy or beenlicking up laundry detergent he`s likely going to be in serious troubleand you need to get him help right away.

And, if he`s eaten something that was moldy, contaminated or old, he could get a bacterial infection that makes him sick, just the way you would if you`d eaten food that had gone bad.

Puppiesalso tend to swallow a lot of things that are simply not meant to passthrough a digestive system (think tennis balls, rocks, balloons,pencils )

By some miracle, most of the time these weird snacks manage to defy nature and work their way through your pups innards and out the otherend without incident!

But when an inedible object gets `stuck` inside your puppy`s intestines or bowels, then it`s a BIG problem and your little one needs veterinary help right away.

Emergency surgery is a distinct possibility!

These need to be evaluated by your vet immediately:

• 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


• Throwing up 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 bloat.

Video: Dog First Aid : How to Make a Dog Vomit

There are 3 ways of `Throwing Up`!

• 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!

  It`susually what you see when a dog is car sick, ill, or has food poisoningand so on. Your pup may drool first, then start toheave (caused by the strong contractions of his stomachmuscles)....and eventually he`ll just vomit.



• 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?

  Ifa dog regurgitates it`s food, it usually takes a loss less effort thanvomiting does, almost as though the food (or whatever else isreturning!) is coming back up by itself. It may seem to just pour outwith little help from your pup. If your puppy eats too fast, or toomuch, he may well regurgitate his food, and health conditions such asMegaesophagus can also cause this.



• Gagging
  thiscan also be called `retching` and looks similar to choking. If your dogis gagging, he may be hacking or coughing in an attempt to bringsomething up. In this situation you`ll see more muscle movement in hischest than in his belly.

  If your dog has tried to swallowsomething that has got lodged in his throat, has certain esophageal orheart/lung problems, bloat or an intestinal obstruction he may hack,cough or even gag in this way. Gagging rarely results in food (or muchelse) coming back up though.

Sometimes a puppy (or dog) who has problems with his esophagus or teeth, or even has neurological issues, won`t be able to keep food or water in his mouth.

It willsort of `fall out` or `pour/drip out` when he tries to eat or drink.

Getting The Right Treatment Is Vital

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.

Click here to learn more about how to treat vomiting in puppies

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

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