Puppy Vomiting

My Puppy is sick...Help!

Puppy vomiting - Harmless or life threatening ? Based on my solid practical experience Ill give you some advice you can use having some puppy health problems.

I have been a veterinarian since 1993. Worked mainly in small animal practice and seen many things. Therefore, this is not a complete lecture on the subject of vomiting, but a practical guide on the most common causes of puppy vomiting in my experience.

First of all it is important to know when your pup is vomiting and when it is regurgitation.

Vomiting involves the stomach. If your dog is standing still, head down and the abdomen have contractions it is vomiting. If its only happens one time and your dog is happy and full of life you don't have to be too worried

As a general guide, if your dog is;

• Vomiting more than 3 times in one hour
• Repeated vomiting during 4-6 hours
• Your dog is tired or appears sick
• In pain
• Cold and pale gums
• Tries to vomit but nothing comes
• Vomits blood
• Diarrhea
• Call your vet immediately as it can be serious

The good news, puppy vomiting is not that often very serious. The most common cause is they found something bad or wrong "food". Most pups like to test the taste of everything. Not strange, they ingest something which make the trow up immediately.

Another very frequent cause is your dog eats or drinks too fast. Especially if you have more the one dog this is seen often.

Foreign Bodies

Foreign bodies is also something i often have on my mind. Pups likes to bite in everything. If the foreign body is swallowed and block the intestines the vomiting will get forceful, frequent and you dog gets pale and very depressed. But if the intestines are blocked further down (close to the colon) the symptoms don't need to be this dramatic.

This is why repeated vomiting during a prolonged period is a cause of worries as well.

If you see your dog eat something, call your vet or rush down to his place at once. Puppy vomiting can be provoked by special medication. Sometimes this can result in a fast solution of a potential big intestinal problem.

Strings, socks, belts or trousers is examples of what is possible.

Strings is often difficult to see on x ray and can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes the best thing to do is to open and have a look. To miss a swallowed piece of a string is truly life threatening as it can cut in the intestinal wall causing peritonitis.

x-rays taken several times is very important. Often changes from one picture to the next is important to recognize.

Virus Infections

Certain infections Parvo, Hepatitis or Distemper is also possible causes of puppy vomiting. But, in Sweden and most other country's where it is very common to vaccinate, this i less likely. On the other hand it can vary from location to location within a country.

Living in an area where many dogs not have been vaccinated increases this risk enormously.

But I have not seen any Parvo diarrhea in the past 15 years here in Sweden and Denmark. In this area where I live it is not a common cause. How it is i your area I don't know, but ask your local vet.

In England where I worked for 2 years, it was a big problem. I have seen enough Parvo, Distemper and Canine Hepatitis during those two years lasting a lifetime. I am very happy not to see this again

If your dog eating grass this will make him vomit. This can be a sign of gastric irritation if you see it more than once. Typical this is in the morning and you should get in contact with your vet and try to solve his stomach irritation.

Other Causes of Pupy Vomiting

• Vascular ring anomaly:In young dogs is important to know about. Its not than often seen but i see it now and then. It is caused by a congenital defect in the fetal development and a big artery goes around the oesophagus and restricts its passage and movements.

• Hepatic Shunts:Is also something worth to remember. Other symptoms than vomiting should be present, but it can occur in young dogs so I thought it is worth to mention. I have seen this be a problem, not often though.

• Medications: Is another possibility. The most used medicines in young dogs is antibiotics. Normal amoxicillin is not that irritant, but sometimes is make them vomit. Other more irritant antibiotics is Cephalosporin (skin diseases) or Doxycyklin (Lyme Disease and Anaplasma infections). In many cases, risk of puppy vomiting caused by these medicine's is greatly reduced if you give the tablets together with food.

• Worms: Is always a possibility. Round worms is most common in pups. I always recommend to worm early and several times during the first months.

• Kennel Cough:Is a infection causing a severe cough. This can elicit a vomiting reflex in some dogs. Often the have a harsh dry violent coughing and it ends in a attempt to vomit or gagging. Some dogs are vaccinated but they can still get the cough. Not as severe. Often the owner believe that something is stuck in the thought when they try to vomit. This can in periods be very common. Kennel Cough is very contagious. Often a lot of dogs gets affected. Your vet will know if there is a actual Kennel Cough problem in your area.

So, this was puppy vomiting and puppy health concerns most often seen.