What Did You Eat?!?!

Your dog just came in the house and after relaxing for a minute, vomits all over the new carpet. Gross! Get the carpet cleaner before it stains! Is our puppy ok? Should I rush it to the vet? When a dog becomes ill, it can be a roller coaster of emotion and confusion. This should not be the case. As disgusting as it can be at times, your dogs bodily functions can be a great way to asses their health.

Vomiting is one of those functions that can be very scary. It's one of the first symptoms of poisoning or severe infections, and you're right to be concerned. However, at the most basic level, it is just a bodies way of dealing with foreign objects that it cannot digest. Dogs in particular, seem to eat anything sometimes, and any dog owner will tell you vomit is on the agenda quite frequently. So how can you tell if you should be concerned or not? Look at the contents of the discharge and it can tell you the story of whats going on in your pets life.

If Fido just threw up a giant pile that's actually a good thing. I've seen dogs throw up pounds of food, or gallons of water, particularly right before or during exercise. This is most likely just the dogs body preparing itself to run. It's normal. The dog's body is just trying to shed excess wait that might slow the animal down. It's not pleasant, but it's also not a sign that something may be wrong with your dog. The best thing to do, is just make sure the dog has access to food and water after the stress or exercise is over with, and the the pup has had a chance to calm down.

Many times a dog may throw up pieces of objects. Shoe laces, couch cushion foam, or pieces of your child's favorite toy. This is also good, these objects are not digestible, and the body regurgitating them keeps them from getting lodged further in the digestive system, which can cause impaction and become a serious health issue. Things to look for that could be dangerous include plant matter, glass, or pieces of anything else that could be sharp. If you see anything like this a vet visit may be in order. Some plants can be poisonous and you definitely don't want the dog passing anything sharp.

The third situation I've seen is when a dog vomits virtually nothing. We call it the "dry heaves". This is probably the one that should cause the most concern. When a body tries to vomit but nothing comes out, the body is trying in vain to expel something that could be dangerous for your pet. Whatever that object or substance is, it is probably passed to far in to the digestive tract, and could become a danger rather quickly. Infections can also cause this as the body makes any effort to get the disease out. Infections will usually be accompanied by other symptoms such as trembling, drooling, heavy panting, and lethargy. This definitely requires a vet visit to get the problem fixed and should not be taken lightly.

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