Is Throwing Up Normal in Senior Dogs?
Vomiting is very common in dogs of all ages. Dog owners often confuse vomiting with regurgitation. You must differentiate between regurgitation and vomiting to find an efficient solution to the problem. Unlike vomiting, regurgitation is a passive motion and involves the expulsion of undigested food matter.
Vomiting happens for so many reasons in senior dogs. Your dog may have eaten something disagreeable, swallowed the food too quickly, or may have eaten too much grass that triggered vomiting. This type of vomiting is okay and shouldnât cause any alarm.
Older dogs who also vomit once without any additional signs are most likely fine. You should seek immediate veterinary help if your senior dog exhibits the following types and signs of vomiting:
Knowing the root cause of your older dogâs vomiting is vital for finding an efficient solution. Here are some of the most common causes of throwing up in senior dogs and what can be done to help.
Itâs clear that many things can contribute to vomiting in older dogs. Itâs up to the dog owner to help the veterinarian narrow down the causes so that appropriate treatment can be administered. For instance, if your senior dog vomits after introducing a new diet, then the new food is the prime suspect.
Your vet will combine all the information that you have provided and recommend physical, laboratory, or diagnostics tests to be carried out to determine the main cause of your dogâs throwing up.
Has Your Dog Vomited Multiple Times?
The frequency of vomiting is something owners should pay attention to. A one-off vomiting episode may not be anything to worry about if your elderly dog is well in himself; many dogs will vomit if they’ve eaten grass, for example.
However, if your dog has made a habit of vomiting multiple times a day and otherwise seems lethargic or unwell, then veterinary attention may be required.
Bilious Vomiting Syndrome: When Your Dog Is Vomiting Yellow Bile
When your dog is throwing up, the yellow foam or fluid you see is bile.
Bile is processed in the liver, stored in the gall bladder and squirted into the first part of the small intestine (where it joins the exit to the stomach).
Its job is to help the dog’s digestive process. Once mixed with food, bile passes harmlessly down the intestine, where part of it is reabsorbed and recycled back to the liver.
OK, so if it’s supposed to pass down the intestine, how does bile end up in the opposite direction in the stomach?
It seems likely that slackness in the valve at the exit of the stomach (the pylorus), allows bile to pass in the wrong direction.
This is common, but normally stomach contractions milk the bile back into the safety of the small intestine.
In bilious vomiting syndrome, when the stomach is inactive, those contractions are weaker or don’t happen.
Bile (also known as bile acids) is an irritant, so when it sits in contact with the stomach wall, this causes mild inflammation and irritation.
Hence, the dog with an empty stomach overnight may vomit up bile in the morning.
The next thing you may be wondering: How serious is it?
How To Care For A Dog Throwing Up? | Types Of Dog Vomit And What They Mean | Veterinarian Explains
It is not a nice mess to clean up. As your pet ages, they are more vulnerable to different situations. In those situations, their reaction may be to vomit. There are simple explanations for this reaction with one being they ate one too many dog snacks.
There are also complicated sources that may cause your senior dog to throw up and even though the cause may be simple, you should consult your vet. It is best to get the right diagnosis before acting.
To learn more on this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can make the right move for your beloved pet.
There are many valid and not so serious reasons why this is taking place. There are also a lot of serious reasons why your pet may be throwing up at this stage of their lives. Here are some of those valid reasons:
One thing you have to be careful about when you see your senior dog vomiting is to make sure they get enough water. Throwing up causes dehydration which is not healthy for your older pet.