Sick Dog? Important Reasons Your Dog Is Vomiting

When your dog vomits, you might worry about the cause. Many people spend more time worrying about what is wrong with their dog than trying to tackle the problem. If your dog has been sick and you’re not sure why, you might find the experience scary. You want your dog to be healthy and happy. There is no way that you want your dog to get ill. Since your dog can’t tell you what is wrong with him or her, you’re going to have to become a detective.

There are many things that can cause dogs to vomit. These things range from minor problems to severe health issues. You need to determine what the problem is with your dog so that you can treat it in the right way. It may be that the reason your dog has vomited is down to something simple. The important thing is not to worry. If you begin to worry and stress about your dog, you will not be able to help him or her. Here are some of the main reasons your dog might vomit and what to do about them.

Dietary problems or allergies

One of the simplest causes of vomiting is a change in diet. Like humans, dogs cannot tolerate certain ingredients in their food. Some ingredients are difficult for dogs to digest and how the dog handles bad food can change from animal to animal. Before you jump to serious conclusions, look into what you have fed your dog. Have you fed your dog anything out of the ordinary? Maybe you have changed the brand of dog food you buy or even just bought a different flavor of food. Each dog food could contain different ingredients. A tiny ingredient in your pet’s food might be causing the stomach illness. If a change in diet is to blame, the fact that your dog was sick is a good thing. It means that they got rid of all the toxins from their body. Make a note of the food that made your dog vomit and don’t buy it again.

Heat stroke

Sometimes when we get too hot in the summer, we become sick and tired. Dogs are the same. Remember, a dog has a thick layer of fur, and so will become much hotter than we do in the summer months. Signs of heat stroke include panting and a lack of energy. If it is hot, and you have seen these signs as well, you might find that your dog has a heatstroke. Vomiting is a common sign of heatstroke and nothing to cause alarm. If your dog has a heatstroke make sure that you give him or her plenty of water and open the windows in your home. Give your dog a cool place to rest so that he or she does not become too ill. When your dog has had a rest in some shade, he or she will begin to feel better.

Aftermath of an operation

If your dog has just had a minor or serious operation, that can cause them to vomit. If your dog vomits a lot after the operation, you may need to get some advice from a vet. Much of the time, the medication the vet used in the operation will have made your dog feel ill. It is normal for animals to feel ill after an operation, but if they are sick all the time, that could be a problem. Make sure that you give your dog extra attention after an operation. He or she will feel ill for a couple of weeks afterwards, and so needs your love and care to help them through the period.

Viruses and infections

If there seems to be no other reason for your dog vomiting, your dog may have a virus or infection. If your dog socializes with many other animals, he or she may have picked up an infection from them. There are many different infections that can harm your dog. If you think that there is a possibility that your dog has an infection, you should make sure that you take him or her to the vet as soon as possible. If your dog vomits several times over the course of just a couple of days, he or she could be seriously ill. Your dog will vomit if he or she eats some trash from the trash can, so add the dog-proof Aicool smart trash can to your home to keep your dog healthy.

Kidney failure

One of the most severe reasons for your dog vomiting is kidney failure. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your dog has kidney failure the moment he or she vomits. It is rare that this is the cause of the vomiting. If your dog vomits on a regular basis and does not have an infection, the vet will need to do some investigation. Kidney failure is the worst case scenario and can lead to death in the long term.

Eating too fast

If your dog tends to vomit after he or she eats, you should pay close attention to how fast he or she eats. If your dog eats fast and then is sick, that is the cause of the sickness. Sometimes dogs are so eager to eat that they can’t pace themselves. Their body can’t cope with digesting so much food at once and so your dog vomits. It is that simple. To stop this happening, you should make sure that you only fill your dog’s bowl a little at a time. If you give your dog all his or her food at once, he or she will eat it all at once. Instead, give him or her small meals throughout the day.

Car or motion sickness

If your dog was in the car when he or she vomited, the cause should be obvious. Few dogs can deal with long car journeys, and dogs will often vomit because they get motion sick. Dogs are not used to traveling in vehicles and will find the situation traumatic. That means that many dogs are sick when they travel in cars. Make sure that you make the journey as comfortable as possible for your dog and get him or her to lie down. Doing that should help relieve the motion sickness.

Photo by Geoff Stearns.