Dog Vomiting vs Regurgitation – Do you Know the Difference?

Dogs vomit for many reasons. Some of them are nothing to worry about, but, sometimes, vomiting can be a sign of a serious health problem that needs immediate veterinary care. This blog will talk about some reasons that may cause dog vomiting  }and when you should be concerned.

While dog vomiting is more of an “active process”, regurgitation is a “passive practice”. It’s important to underst }and the difference between them, as the causes  }and treatments for the two conditions are different  }and vomiting tends to be more concerning.

According to Petmd.com, regurgitation is a mild ejection of undigested food from the dog’s esophagus, meaning that it never made it to the stomach. When compared to vomiting, a major difference is that regurgitation doesn’t involve abdominal heaving. It tends to happen shortly after eating—maybe your dog ate too much or ate too fast – or your dog could be overly excited or stressed out.

On the other h }and, vomiting happens when the contents from the stomach  }and upper intestines are forcefully ejected. Dog vomit can contain yellow bile or dog food that has been partially digested,  }and it usually smells sour. Vomiting may occur directly after eating or anytime thereafter. It’s usually preceded by signs of nausea, such as drooling, licking the lips,  }and swallowing excessively. Some dogs eat their own vomit, which is an instinct that dogs have  }and doesn’t represent a problem for them. Because vomiting causes dehydration, your dog might try to gulp down a whole bowl of water after vomiting. As this may trigger more vomiting, try to limit their water consumption to small amounts at a time. 

Different ages, breeds,  }and behaviors can make dogs more prone to vomiting. There can be external causes or internal causes,  }and there are many factors, including the duration, color, severity, that can influence how to respond to the vomiting. Here are some possible causes of vomiting in dogs: abrupt diet change, Addison’s disease, bloat, brain tumor, cancer, constipation, diabetes mellitus, drinking contaminated water, eating grass, eating poop, eating too fast, exercising after eating, food allergies or intolerance, gastritis or an upset stomach from eating garbage of spoiled food, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, head trauma, drug side effects, heat stroke, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, inflammatory bowel disease, ingestion of toxic plants or other toxins, intestinal obstruction from a foreign body, intestinal parasites, kidney disease, liver disease, megaesophagus, meningitis, middle ear problem, motion sickness from riding in the car, pancreatitis, parvovirus,  }and reaction to medication.

If the vomiting has been going on for less than 12 hours,  }and your dog is lively  }and keeping down food  }and water, then it may be okay to wait  }and monitor the situation. However, in the following situations, it’s advisable to go to a vet: your dog is either a puppy or an older dog, if it’s a projectile vomiting (sign of obstruction), if your dog vomits blood or pieces of a foreign object or an entire object, if you friend is lethargic or urinating less (sign of dehydration), has a tender or enlarged abdomen (seen with more serious causes of vomiting), refuses food, cannot hold down small amounts of water, has diarrhea with the vomiting (can quickly lead to dehydration), has pre-existing medical problems, vomits often (chronic vomiting), is losing weight from vomiting often (chronic vomiting), or is declining in their appearance  }and overall demeanor (including weight loss, muscle mass deterioration).

We hope that, after reading this blog, you’re more prepared to identify when your dog’s vomiting need closer attention!