Vomiting After Eating in Dogs

Should your dog be vomiting after eating, there are quite a few things to consider. To begin, you will want to question if what you are observing is vomiting or regurgitation. Vomiting occurs when your dog expels the contents of his stomach through his mouth. When your dog vomits it will seem that his entire body is impacted as his stomach muscles will undergo strong and multiple contractions in the effort. Regurgitation is when the food comes from his mouth or esophagus, having not get made it to his stomach. Both of these can occur right after eating or several hours later. Often when your dog vomits not long after eating, the food will be undigested. Reasons that your dog may be vomiting after eating include:

• Ingesting grass
• Eating too fast 
• Sudden change in diet
• Eating something that is inedible

Whether your dog’s vomiting after having eaten is serious will depend on the cause.

Ingesting Grass

Dogs will often eat grass when their stomach hurts in the first place; this means that a dog will often throw up not long after ingesting grass. Throwing up may or may not be related to eating the grass. It is thought that some types of grass can help your dog vomit in order to eliminate foods from his stomach. Some dogs also just like the taste of grass, and this may be normal for them.  

Eating too Fast

If your dog eats his food too quickly he may experience a mild case of indigestion, which can result in his vomiting. Other signs, such as bloating, can indicate that his condition may worsen.

Sudden Change in Diet

Introducing a new diet to your dog can lead to gastrointestinal intolerance and result in vomiting. This is often because he does not digest the food and in some cases, may have an intolerance to it. His body will then work to eliminate the food from his system.

Eating Something That is Inedible

In the case that your dog has eaten something inedible, the item will not be able to be broken down by his digestive tract and then absorbed by his body. His stomach muscles will contract as his body works to get the undigested item out of his body by vomiting.

Other reasons for vomiting, though not necessarily after eating, are numerous and include:

• Pancreatitis or pancreatic tumors
• Kidney failure (when the kidneys lack the ability to remove waste, the waste products will build up in your dog’s system, resulting in vomiting)
• Liver failure
• Bladder obstruction

If you observe your dog vomiting once and he otherwise appears healthy, his vomiting may not be a concern. Should he vomit repeatedly, his vomit contains blood and/or he appears ill, you will want to contact your veterinarian and bring your dog in for an examination. 

When meeting with your veterinarian, you will likely be asked a variety of questions in order for your veterinarian to understand what is occurring. Be prepared to let your veterinarian know when the vomiting first began, what it looks like, if there is blood in his vomit and if your dog appears to be physically uncomfortable. He may also inquire as to whether your dog appears to want to vomit but is unable to get anything out, whether it is possible that your dog has eaten something that is toxic or could be poisonous and whether he has had diarrhea. All of these questions will help your veterinarian determine whether your dog is vomiting or regurgitating and whether he is doing so is because of gastric or non-gastric disease. Your veterinarian will consider the presence of other symptoms like fever, pain, dehydration, depression and weight loss.

Your veterinarian will conduct a physical examination of your dog, evaluating his heart and respiration, as well as checking his mouth, abdomen and rectum. Depending on what is observed during the physical examination, your veterinarian may recommend laboratory testing. A fecal flotation will test for parasites and if a bacterial infection is suspected a fecal culture and sensitivity test will be recommended. If other signs of illness are present, a complete blood count and chemistry profile may be recommended. Should your veterinarian have any concern about a tumor or foreign object he may request x-rays. Barium study, endoscopy, colonoscopy and ultrasound are other options that may be considered depending upon what is seen during the examination.

After determining if there is a health condition causing your dog’s vomiting, as well as what that condition is, your veterinarian will provide treatment recommendations. Often, your veterinarian will recommend not feeding your dog for about 24 hours and providing small quantities of water frequently. In some cases, a bland diet will be recommended going forward and if vomiting does not continue, you can slowly return your dog to his usual diet. In some situations, the diet will have to be permanently changed and certain ingredients avoided. Medication may be prescribed by your veterinarian for certain conditions.

If during the examination your veterinarian notices that your dog is dehydrated, he may administer intravenous or subcutaneous fluids.

Feeding your dog a well-rounded, nutritious diet is important for helping him to maintain his health. In addition, you will want to ensure that he gets plenty of exercise and maintains a healthy weight. Annual veterinary examinations are helpful as this will allow for conditions that can lead to your dog vomiting to be discovered before the condition worsens.

It is also helpful to keep your dog from being outdoors where leftovers or garbage are available, or where he can ingest items that may be poisonous to him. Make sure to wash his food and water bowls each day and provide him fresh water on a daily basis. Should you decide to change your dog’s diet, you will want to do so gradually.

The cost of your dog vomiting after eating will depend upon the reason it is occurring. Should your dog be vomiting as a result of a dietary change or ingesting his food too quickly, the cost will be minimal if anything. Should he be vomiting due to pancreatitis, for example, the average cost for treatment is $2500.