If My Dog Is Vomiting What Should I Do?
Every dog owner will be terrified and be at a loss when they see their beloved dog vomiting, thus a natural question that will arise would be to ask if my dog is vomiting, what should I do? The first thing to know as a dog owner in such a situation is that it can be a common occurence for a canine to regurgitate undigested food out of its system, amongst other things. Therefore, do not panic when you see your dog vomiting. There are many things that you as an owner and caregiver can do to help stop it, treat it if it is a serious problem, and prevent it from happening in the future as much as possible.
While worrying when experiencing a dog vomiting is only natural, be aware that panicking is not the solution to its problems. Depending on what the situation and cause of problem is, you may or may not need to bring your dog to a vet in order to find out what is making it vomit and to treat it. If the situation worsens and persists with your dog vomiting for more than 24 hours, then it would be a good idea to rush your dog down to the vet and have the problem looked at.
There are many different types of illnesses or problems that can cause a dog to vomit. The most common would be digestive problems like indigestion or the dog being unable to properly digest the food it has consumed or been given. This is also the easiest to treat and take care of and usually does not require one to make a trip to the vet. There are, of course, many more different causes that make a dog vomit but as you will see later, several of them can be taken care of by the owner at home with common sense and good care.
Much of the impetus will have to be on the shoulders of the dog owner. Observe what symptoms you can see when your dog starts vomiting. Examine the vomit if possible for substances that may be identified that could lead to a cause. Study what other previous illnesses that may have afflicted your pet that could have led to the problem. Could you be feeding the dog some medication at that moment in time that could have led to reactions or the dog’s digestive system not capable of accepting it? We shall look at the various causes that can lead to a dog vomiting – both common and more serious – and what you can do to help it feel better and recover from it.
Common Causes Of Dog Vomiting
Bad Food And Water
Food or water (or any liquids) that have turned bad may have been fed to or been ingested by your dog. This will naturally cause a reaction in its digestive system and cause the dog to reject the substances via vomit. Always check that the food you feed your dog is still fresh and edible. It goes without saying that healthy and holistic dog food will provide better for your dog. Check dog food cans for expiry dates before uncanning them and emptying the contents for the canine to feed on. Water that is being given to your dog should also be clean and fresh – change the water every day or once or twice a day. Also clean the dog’s food and water bowls regularly. This could mean doing it at least once a day or even after every meal – just like us humans! Use the same kind of detergent or soap that you would use to wash your own plates and utensils – while rinsing with warm water and drying it well before reusing them. From time to time, sun the food and water bowls to help prevent mold from building up and growing – they will definitely cause food to go bad as well and upset your dog’s stomach.
Foreign Objects
Like cats, dogs are also fond of playing with and then swallowing different types of objects. These can range from small balls, rounds of wool, bits and pieces of your furniture, shoes laying around the house, your kids’ toys, grass and many more – you name it, your dog has probably tried consuming it. Obviously, many of these objects cannot be eaten and digested by any living being’s digestive system, much less that of your dog’s. They can either cause pain or stomach upset in the dog which leads eventually to vomiting. If the object is small or can be broken down easily, then it would still be fine as your dog may expunge it via its vomit. However, if the objects are much larger or worse – dangerous such as scissors, knives and other sharp objects – then it would probably require your vet to perform surgery on the dog to remove them.
Food Allergies
It is common to have dogs experiencing food allergies which lead to stomach pain and then vomiting. While most of these are easy to spot and treat, unfortunately they can happen anytime and it may be difficult to prevent. Often it is the case whereby some new type of food has been introduced in the dog’s diet and given to it for consumption. The change may not be acceptable or the dog simply is allergic to it. If that is the case, remove the food from the dog’s diet and make sure to note that for future warning. Always check the labels on the food that you get for your dog – make sure the ingredients do not contain any particular item that it may be allergic to. Sometimes a new allergy may develop even if you have been feeding the dog the same food for years. Oftentimes it may be due to a degrading of the food’s quality – whatever the case, a change will be necessary.
Different Or Unsuitable Medications
Medications can often cause negative reactions apart from their expected nature for healing. Sometimes a dog’s digestive system may simply be unable to accept the medication given, and the good thing about this is that you can instantly find out with the dog starting to vomit quite quickly after consumption of the medicine. If this happens, first stop all medication and then inform your vet immediately. Find out if that is indeed the cause, whereby the vet would then prescribe an alternative that will not lead to the same problem.
Virus/Illness/Disease
Falling sick is a part of all nature and while we would all hope to stay healthy always, it can sometimes be an inevitable part of life. This will apply to your dog as well. If it catches a virus, falls sick or unfortunately develops a disease, vomiting can all be a symptom of the problem. Regurgitating food or water that it has been fed can often be due to a virus affecting the dog that cause its digestive system to reject them. This may be temporary, but if it becomes a long lasting problem, better to make a quick trip to the vet for further diagnosis.
This would apply to vomiting that may arise due to a disease developing in your dog. Such cases often see a more drawn out case of vomiting where initial treatment does not seem to help ease or solve the problem. It is therefore a sign of a more serious physiological problem with your dog and do not hesitate to consult the vet in such instances.
Less Common Causes Of Dog Vomiting
Poison
There may be rare cases of dogs vomiting after ingesting poison. This may come in the form of poisonous substances or objects, toxins or disagreeable materials that may have been fed to your pet dog due to various reasons. Such causes of vomiting will have to be treated urgently by vets as the foreign substance may lead to a loss of life of your dog.
Parasites
It is entirely possible that parasites may enter your dog’s digestive system as these entities can often be found in all sorts of items, objects and situations. Very often, they may come from faeces of other animals, in the garden from plants and trees, or simply from insects which can transmit parasites through the blood stream, for instance. The parasites will turn your dog into their parasitic hosts, causing different symptoms from loss of appetite, weakness in constitution to vomiting as they feed on the nutrition that your dog has eaten for itself. Again, they may be difficult to diagnose and ascertain unless a thorough examination is carried out by your vet. They are mostly treatable through different types of medication for various parasites although a few of them can lead to life threatening situations if not treated in time.
How To Treat Your Dog That Is Vomiting
There are many ways to treat your dog if it is vomiting, depending on the severity of its condition. The easiest, but possibly most expensive, method is to bring it to the vet. That can often fix the situation in most instances although if the cause of the vomiting is minor, it may not really justify the expense of having a vet treat the dog.
If you intend to self treat or self medicate your dog that is experiencing a vomiting episode, be sure to note how severe the situation is. If the vomiting persists after 24 hours from the initial self treatment, it may be advisable to still visit the vet to find out the exact cause of the problem.
Many times the vomiting can be due to the eating of bad food. This may result from the dog’s regular diet as previous edible foods could also lead to new allegies in your dog. Do not feed your dog a meal for a few hours and observe if the vomiting subsides or improves. This would include preventing your dog from coming into contact with items that it may try to consume such as edible toys. If the problem is due to its diet, the dog should stop vomiting after a couple of hours, at which time it may be a good idea to feed it some water. Remember that vomiting can lead to dehydration in all living beings as large amounts of water is expelled from the body. Provide your dog with clean water – be it in liquid form or ice chips or shaves. You would then have to monitor the situation and if it improves, the dog can be slowly eased back onto its regular diet, but not before feeding it with easier to digest meals like plain rice or cooked meat which has little by way of additives and chemicals.
If your dog has been fed canned or commercialised dog food and suddenly develops a case of vomiting, check to see if there have been any changes to the ingredients included in the formula. If there is, then your dog may have developed a reaction or allergy to it. Stop the diet and see if the problem persists or improves.
There are many different ways to treat your dog if it starts vomiting and you wonder what should I do? It is always good as a dog owner to arm yourself with the essential knowledge of the various causes that may lead to a dog vomiting so that preventive or corrective action can be taken in such scenarios. Most serious cases can often be noted with a persistent case of vomiting, your dog displaying other symptoms such as disorientation or gradual lack of strength and energy, blood in the vomit and it is safest to bring them to the vet immediately to drill down to the root cause of the illness.