Other reasons your dog can throw up clear liquid
Unfortunately, alcohol and too much water are not the only reasons your dog might be throwing up clear liquid. Sometimes, throwing up clear liquid can be a sign of health issues that can be pretty scary. Some of these health problems are;
If you notice throwing up clear liquid is continuing, you should call your vet and schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Make sure you keep an eye on other symptoms that can help your vet determine what is exactly wrong with your dog.
If your dog threw up clear liquid, you are right to be worried. However, make sure your dog hasn’t drank a lot of water in a very short period. If that is the case, the vomiting should stop, and there is nothing much to be worried about.
The most important thing you should do is watch for other symptoms your dog might be exhibiting. Keep an eye on for;
or any other signs of diseases.
What Is Clear Liquid Vomit In Dogs?
As we mentioned above, clear liquid vomit is typically a result of a dog vomiting on an empty stomach.
This can mean that your pup has not eaten anything in the last 6-12 hours, or they have already vomited up the contents of their stomach with previous retching.
This clear liquid substance is typically a combination of water, bile, and even a bit of foam.
Clear liquid vomit does not point to any illness specifically, but it can inform your vet of the fact that the dog has clearly not eaten in the hours leading up to their vomiting.
This can mean that a dog is too nauseous to eat, is unable to keep any food down, or may be struggling with an underlying GI condition.
What Causes A Dog To Throw Up Clear Liquid?
Though clear liquid vomit may just point out the fact that a dog is vomiting on an empty stomach, it’s still important to get to the cause of their vomiting in the first place.
Ranging from eating things they should not to serious underlying conditions, vomiting in dogs can have multiple causes.
Dietary indiscretion is the most common cause of GI upset in our canine friends.
Dietary indiscretion refers to a dog eating anything outside of their normal diet, ranging from fatty human scraps or items in the trash.
New items of food can throw off the balance of bacterial flora in a dog’s digestive tract, leading to symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting.
Not only can dietary indiscretion cause a shift in a dog’s normal gut flora, but fatty foods can throw things off even more.
Eating unhealthy food items can cause irritation within a dog’s GI tract, even leading to serious complications like pancreatitis and HGE.
Each of the conditions mentioned above can cause a dog to vomit, clear liquid vomit included.
Have you ever experienced a bad case of heartburn that causes you to feel nauseous?
Our dogs can experience this same sensation as well, as they can struggle with chronic cases of acid reflux just like you and I can.
Acid reflux in dogs occurs when bile from a dog’s GI tract makes its way back into the stomach.
The presence of this acid causes serious irritation, often causing a dog to burp or vomit.
When a dog vomits due to acid reflux, it’s often clear or yellow liquid with the presence of foam.
This is because the lack of food in their stomach led to even further irritation, resulting in the overwhelming nausea.
This is most common in the morning before a dog eats breakfast, or in the evening before they eat dinner.
Similar to the effects of dietary indiscretion, abrupt diet changes can lead to vomiting in our canine friends.
Our dogs create the perfect balance of gut flora that helps to regulate their digestive system, and an abrupt diet switch can throw all this off.
It takes time for a dog’s body to adjust to the new diet, so doing this too quickly can lead to serious GI upset.
This is why it is so important to switch your dog over to a new diet over the span of 1-2 weeks, as this helps their body adjust to the new food without any uncomfortable GI upset.
If your dog is experiencing vomiting when starting them on a new diet, we suggest slowing down the transition even more.
Harmful bacteria can be found everywhere in the world around our canine friends.
Whether found in your dog’s water bowl or on their favorite toys, bacteria can easily make its way into your dog’s GI tract.
Once these microscopic invaders have the chance to replicate in your dog’s body, GI upset is one of the most common results.
When a dog develops a bacterial infection, they may experience vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and even lethargy.
These intestinal infections can make a dog so nauseous that they experience repetitive vomiting, eventually leading to clear liquid vomit once they have emptied the contents of their stomach.
Not only can bacterial infections cause vomiting in our pups, but they may also begin to shy away from their food.
This can further irritate an already upset stomach, causing them to vomit even more foamy bile.
Foreign bodies are one of the more serious causes of clear liquid vomit in dogs.
A foreign body refers to an object or blockage in the GI tract that shouldn’t be there, leading to a life-threatening complication that requires immediate treatment.
When a dog eats something that their body is unable to digest, this can cause the item to become lodged at some point throughout its digestive journey.
This item can cause a blockage if it’s unable to pass normally, causing other digestive contents to build up in front of the blockage.
If digestive material cannot pass naturally, this will often lead to vomiting.
Not only does a foreign body or intestinal blockage cause vomiting, but it often causes violent or repetitive vomiting.
This increases the chance of clear liquid vomit even more, as they will likely throw up until their stomach is empty.
Just as our dogs can come in contact with bacteria in the world around them, they can also be exposed to multiple forms of infectious illness.
Infectious diseases can be found in every setting that our canine friends frequent, ranging from dog parks to animal shelters.
Contagious canine illnesses can be found on contaminated surfaces, in infected soil, and even in wastes that other dogs leave behind.
Infectious gastrointestinal conditions can wreak havoc on our canine friend’s health, often leading to repetitive vomiting.
Though many cases of GI upset come and go in our furry friends, some conditions stick around for the long term.
Dogs can struggle with conditions such as chronic pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, and even GI cancers.
No matter the culprit behind their long-term GI struggles, many dogs can experience nausea and vomiting as a result.
Why Is My Dog Is Throwing Up Clear Liquid?
No matter how hard you try to monitor your dog’s health, vomiting happens. Like humans, dogs vomit occasionally to expel food (or other substances) they shouldn’t have ingested. In many cases, this type of one-and-done vomiting isn’t a cause for concern.
However, dogs can throw up for a variety of reasons, many of which can be serious. Vomiting isn’t a pretty topic, but understanding it provides important clues about your dog’s health. Here are some of the keys to decoding what’s coming up, and what to do when vomiting happens.
Dietary indiscretion (eating something they shouldn’t have) Parasites (giardia, roundworms, hookworm, whipworm) Food allergies (typically protein) Toxins Side effects of medication Poisoning or eating spoiled food Infection with parvovirus or rabies A foreign object lodged in the stomach or intestines Bloat (gastric dilatation volvulus) Pancreatitis Acid reflux Kennel cough Switching foods suddenly, or eating highly processed pet foods
According to Alex Schechter, DVM, and founding veterinarian of Pure Paws Veterinary Care, the causes of vomiting fall into two major categories—primary-gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal. Primary GI causes include dietary indiscretion, infectious elements (parasites / bacterial / viral), ingestion of foreign material, inflammatory bowel disease, acid reflux, and other conditions, while extra-gastrointestinal causes include metabolic, endocrine, and systemic disease (kidney/liver failure), and pancreatitis.
The color of your dog’s vomit can provide some indication as to what might be going on inside their body, and whether there’s an underlying issue to be concerned about.
“Vomit can be any color, from clear to yellow to red to brown,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “And it can be a reflection of whatever the dog ate—for instance something with food coloring. If it’s bright-green or teal-colored, it could mean that your dog ate mouse or rat poison, in which case you should visit the vet right away.”
One thing to note, though: any of the conditions above can cause vomit to be any number of colors, so don’t rely on color as the sole gauge of what the underlying condition might be.
Green and yellow vomit Vomit that’s yellow or green, or looks foamy, usually contains bile, a substance that is produced by the liver and that assists with the digestive process. If your dog’s vomit is foamy it can indicate a buildup of stomach acid. Sometimes dogs will occasionally vomit bile if they go too long without eating or if they are vomiting on an empty stomach or with a high frequency.
Vomiting of bile that occurs in the morning can be an indication of a more rare disorder, Bilious vomiting syndrome (BVS). Feeding your dog late at night, or more frequently may resolve this issue, but you should consult your vet for a diagnosis.
Green vomit can also occur if your dog ate grass, leaves or other plant material that irritates the stomach. It’s a common assumption that dogs eat grass when they’re feeling ill, to induce vomiting, but there’s no conclusive research proving it. Eating grass can result in vomiting, but one 2008 study found that while 79% of dogs were reported to have eaten grass, only 9% were reported to appear ill beforehand, and only 22% were reported to vomit afterwards. Still, it’s always worth a trip to the vet if your dog is exhibiting symptoms like lethargy, diarrhea, or weight loss, whether in conjunction with grass snacking, or not. And since some plants are toxic to dogs, call your veterinarian right away if your dog eats unknown plant material and starts to vomit.
Red brown and black vomit Bright-red vomit indicates that your dog is vomiting blood (called hematemesis). This can be a signal of gastrointestinal diseases, inflammation of the stomach (gastroenteritis), a traumatic injury, or ingestion of poisons. Dark-red vomit, dark-brown vomit, black vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds can also mean your dog is vomiting blood, but the blood has been digested or partially digested, which changes the color. If your dog is producing this kind of dark vomit, it can be a sign of stomach ulcers, intestinal blockage, or another serious condition and is typically cause for a vet visit (note that vomiting any color can be a sign of blockage, or a serious condition).
Some dogs will have dark brown vomit if they eat something colored brown—like chocolate, (which is toxic to dogs—if you suspect your dog has ingested chocolate, seek immediate veterinary care)—or poop. If the vomit has a telltale smell, it can mean your dog has indulged in coprophagia, which, though not a cause for immediate concern, should be discouraged as humans can pick up feces-born bacteria from dog licks, and some animal feces carries dangerous parasites (and it’s gross).
“One of the most common causes of vomiting and diarrhea we see in the New York Dog population is secondary to GI parasites,” says Dr. Schechter. “Many of these parasites are transmitted through fecal-oral contamination. Meaning if your pet is eating feces or sniffing poop on the sidewalk they are at a much higher risk of picking up one of these parasites”
How many times has your dog vomited? One or two vomits is typically less concerning than many episodes of vomiting that don’t seem to slow down. “All dogs vomit every now and then. If they just vomit one time, that is not a cause for alarm in most cases,” Dr. Osborne says. Persistent vomiting (more than once or twice in 24 hours) can be a sign that something is wrong and it’s worth a conversation with your veterinarian. For adult dogs (not puppies) withhold food and water for at least four to six hours after the last vomiting episode to allow the dog’s stomach to settle down.
Regurgitation can look like vomiting, but it’s different. “Regurgitation is the spontaneous reflux of food before it reaches the stomach,” Dr. Osborne says. “With regurgitation, the food comes up the same way it went down—it looks the same. It occurs effortlessly and sometimes it surprises the dog as much as the owner. With vomit, the dog is nauseous. A lot of dogs will look apprehensive.”
Regurgitation is less common than vomiting, but it’s not necessarily less serious. If your dog regurgitates their food just once, it’s probably nothing to worry about. However, frequent regurgitation is not normal and can indicate a serious health issue. “Regurgitation normally occurs because of an esophageal problem—the tube from the mouth to the stomach,” says Dr. Osborne. “Congenital esophageal problems, like megaesophagus, caused by abnormal nerve function to the esophagus, are probably the single most common cause of regurgitation, especially in younger dogs.” Other causes of regurgitation include hypothyroidism, myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular disease), a tumor that might be obstructing the esophagus, hiatal hernias and narrowing of the esophagus. Discuss regurgitation episodes with your veterinarian to determine the root cause. 