Dog Vomits: Appearance, Color, And The Most Frequent Causes

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It is quite common for a dog to vomit: it is usually a mild reaction after eating too much, too quickly, or following the ingestion of spoiled food or not suitable for its diet. food. On the other hand, in the event of repeated vomiting of the dog is prolonged or with the worrying aspect, the state of your animal indicates a symptom not to be neglected. It is then necessary to quickly consult your veterinarian to check if he is not sick.

You will find in the following paragraphs all the keys to understand the origin and act well when your dog vomits: when to go for a consultation, what are the possible causes and how to react, what you learn about the aspect of your dog’s vomit, how to differentiate vomiting and regurgitation, what to do when vomiting in a car or if it is a puppy, as well as practical advice.

My dog is vomiting: when to consult?

When to alert and go to the vet

Vomiting is not necessarily suspicious, it is a normal behavior of your dog, most often mild.

However, in some cases, you have to worry and take her to consult. Go with your dog to the vet or clinic if:

Their abdomen is tight or swollen, painful and your pet is in pain.
Your dog seems weak, without energy, downhearted, dehydrated.
Lack of appetite, fever, pain, or severe thirst.
The texture of vomit is similar to coffee beans.
Vomiting is frequent, profuse.
Vomit is suspicious in color: black, brownish, green, blood.
you suspect ingestion of an object that causes gastrointestinal obstruction.

Passive ejection without gastric spasms: regurgitation

Regurgitation is defined as the expulsion of undigested food from the esophagus through the oral cavity. They usually tend to occur soon after a meal or drink and do not involve abdominal lifting. Often, the problem is mild: your dog is on the wrong track by eating too fast or sneezing. More rarely, the problem is an attack on the esophagus, which should be checked by the veterinarian.

Active evacuation with abdominal contractions: vomiting

Conversely, vomiting is a reflex act that characterizes the forced ejection of the contents of the stomach and upper intestinal parts. In this case, the vomiting dog makes an effort to evacuate the gastric contents by contracting its abdomen. Overall, vomiting occurs several hours after the last meal, when digestion has already started. The vomit may contain bile or partially digested food and emit a bitter odor.

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My dog is vomiting in the car: what to do?

To detect his discomfort, shortly before vomiting, watch your dog’s behavior: he will start panting, have difficulty breathing, moan, or bark.

Get your pet used to the car from an early age

Prevention is precious. Your pet may associate a road trip with a pleasurable event. To do this, take him in the car for nice walks, to play, and this from an early age, ideally before his 5 months. If he only gets into your vehicle to go to the clinic or to the vet, you will increase his anxiety about transport by car.

Tips for alleviating your dog’s motion sickness

Before leaving, reduce your ration by half to reduce nausea and vomiting during transport.
another solution: confine the dog in an adapted transport bag or in a cage, which must be securely stowed in the vehicle.
in the event of more severe disorders, plan a consultation with the veterinarian a few days before the trip. for the prescription of anti-nausea medication. you are in doubt that your dog may have swallowed a toxic product.

Does your dog try to vomit but can’t do it?

There is a risk of SDTE, the dilation-torsion syndrome of the stomach. It’s a major medical emergency. You have to react quickly to discover the cause because in the event of SDTE your dog is in danger of death if it is not quickly taken care of.

My dog is vomiting but is in great shape

Has your dog vomit but has since regained a zest for life, an appetite, and seems energetic and healthy again? Stay alert, but if his condition continues, there is no reason to be alarmed. On the other hand, if you have any doubts about his condition or behavior, go for a consultation.

Dog vomiting: the causes

Vomiting in dogs is a non-specific symptom. Dogs vomit for a variety of reasons, but stomach ailments are one of the most common causes of vomiting.

The most frequent causes
Vomiting can result from:
- consuming garbage or spoiled food.
- dog gastritis.
- ingestion of poisonous plants, medicines, household products.
- food poisoning (chocolate, grapes, raw potatoes, avocado, onions)
- inflammatory bowel disease.
- eating too fast.
- exercise too close to the meal.
- stress or motion sickness.
- gastrointestinal obstruction from a foreign body.
Vomiting as a sign of more serious illness

More rarely, vomiting appears as a secondary symptom of a disease of the kidneys, liver, or pancreas for example. In some cases, they can indicate a neurological problem, such as an inner ear problem, brain tumor, diabetes mellitus, severe infection of the uterus, or even meningitis.

A dog that vomited: what to do?
You checked and did not find any signs justifying a consultation with the veterinarian? Here are some guidelines for how to treat a vomiting dog and help it get back on its feet quickly:
- Give him a drink and leave water available to prevent him from becoming dehydrated.
- Check to see if he is hissing or breathing with difficulty. If so, it could be a deeper obstruction: take your dog as soon as possible to the vet.
- Put a blanket on him to help him warm up, comfort him, reassure him.
- Let the digestive tract rest for 12 to 24 hours (maximum).
- Then reintroduce the food by giving him easily digestible food to eat.
- Ideally, split meals by spreading them over 3 to 5 times of the day during the days that follow.
Vomit in dogs: appearance, color, texture

As unpleasant as it sounds, takes a few moments to observe the appearance of your dog’s vomit before cleaning up. This may give some interesting clues as to the cause of your pet’s vomiting. A good habit: take a picture of the residual vomit so that you can show it to the vet if necessary.

When a dog vomits yellow

A dog that vomits yellow is actually a dog that is vomiting bile. If this happens a few times a year, it is not very worrying. On the other hand, if this happens more regularly, we will have to understand the reason. Even more so if you notice associated symptoms such as diarrhea, excessive tartar formation, or bad breath for example. Continue in the next category for more information on bilious vomiting.

My dog is vomiting bile

What is bile?

Bile is a digestive fluid that takes part in the digestion process. One of the characteristics of bile is that it is alkaline: it helps neutralize acids. The blue liquid also has a detergent and fat emulsion function. To purify his stomach, the dog’s body sets up a bile reflux mechanism.

Why is my dog vomiting bile?
Most often, a dog vomits bile following a prolonged period of fasting. But there are also various less common pathologies that are accompanied by biliary vomiting. Let us quote:
- Pancreatitis.
- Ingestion of a foreign body.
- Liver disease.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
My dog is vomiting bile: what to do?

As a first step, ask yourself if your dog vomits bile early in the morning or just before his meal. It may simply be a result of bile buildup over an extended period of fasting. Try to split your dog’s meals so that he eats more frequently.

Then ask yourself the following questions: Are you giving your pet medication at the moment? If so, see if there are any possible digestive side effects. Then, question his diet: are fruits and vegetables incorporated into his croquettes? Are you feeding him poor-quality dietary protein? If everything looks normal to you, see your vet.

Why is my dog vomiting white foam?

A dog vomiting white foam expels gastric juices. This acidic liquid, – not to be confused with bile, yellow in color – acts as a pre-digestion on food previously chewed and soaked in saliva. This foamy vomiting occurs when the dog’s stomach is empty: either because he has already vomited several times evacuating his gastric contents, or because he is on an empty stomach.

However, the whitish appearance is not sufficient to establish a reliable diagnosis on the cause or the severity of the disorders. If your dog has vomited only once or twice, put him on a 12 to 24-hour diet. Does he keep vomiting after 24 hours? Consult your veterinarian.

My dog is vomiting brown

The brown color in vomit is not a good sign for your pet. This may indicate certain conditions such as an ulcer with bleeding or a blockage in the intestines. Or be related to something he ate. It can also be from bleeding related to a tumor or gum disease.

When a dog vomits blood

Hematemesis is the medical term for the presence of blood in your dog’s vomit. You may find traces only, or more blood. The blood can come from bleeding from the mouth, from the digestive tract (ulcers, lesions, parasites, gastritis, oesophagitis), from the respiratory system, from liver damage, or from a coagulation disorder … Visually, this can also look like coffee beans: partially digested blood coming from the stomach.

My dog vomits green

Is your dog’s vomit a bright green color? This may be a sign that your dog has absorbed a poison meant to kill rats or mice. Be careful, this anti-rodent is also dangerous for the canine species.

Vomiting or regurgitation: how to tell the difference?

Vomiting and regurgitation are two separate concepts. Either way, it is a release of food or liquid from the dog’s mouth, but the causes and processes differ.

Vomiting in puppies: is it serious?

If your puppy has vomited only once, but since eats, drinks, and mostly seems fine, put him on “observation” for the end of the day. Do not feed him for a few hours, and continue by giving him a simple meal. If your puppy is healthy again, you can stop worrying.

But if your puppy continues to vomit, vomits, and has diarrhea, or feels unwell, weak, lethargic, then go see your vet promptly.

Tips for better handling a vomiting dog

Anticipate your dog’s vomiting

There are certain signs that your dog will be vomiting within a short period of time. Do you notice retching, throat movement from front to back, wandering, or stiffening? You can then go find something to clean because your dog will soon be vomiting.

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Actions to be taken

In general, remember that there is no point in panicking. First, check if your dog’s condition corresponds to one of the cases in which it is necessary to consult: if so, visit your veterinarian and if not, follow the instructions on what to do when my dog vomits. On the other hand, learn about the most common causes of vomiting. Is it vomiting or regurgitation? The appearance of the vomit can also help you understand the origin of his vomiting. If your dog vomits in the car, or if it is a puppy, certain specificities apply. And above all, if you notice repeated episodes of vomiting, take the trouble to take your dog for consultation.

Sara Ochoa

Experienced Veterinarian with a demonstrated history of working in the veterinary industry. Skilled in Veterinary Medicine, Client Education, Dogs, Pet Care, and Surgery. Strong healthcare services professional graduated from St. George's University.