Dog Throwing Up: Common Causes and When to Worry

Dogs throw up far more readily than we do. A dog that wolfs its dinner, raids the bin or eats a mouthful of grass can bring it back up a few minutes later and then carry on as if nothing happened. That is why a single episode, on its own, is rarely a reason to panic.

What matters is everything around the vomiting: how often it is happening, what is coming up, and how your dog seems in between. This guide walks through each of those so you can tell an ordinary upset from one that needs a vet, and what to do in the meantime.

Is it vomiting, regurgitation or coughing?

These three look similar from across the room, but they point to different problems, and your vet will want to know which one you saw.

Vomiting is an active process. You will usually see warning signs first (drooling, lip-licking, swallowing, restlessness) followed by strong heaving of the belly. What comes up is often partly digested food, liquid, foam or yellow bile.

Regurgitation is passive. Food slides back up with little or no effort, often soon after eating, and usually looks undigested, sometimes shaped like a tube. It points to the oesophagus (the food pipe) rather than the stomach. An occasional episode after gulping food is common. Repeated regurgitation needs a vet, partly because food can be breathed into the lungs and cause pneumonia.

Coughing can end with a gag and a little white foam, which owners often mistake for vomiting. If the episode starts with a cough, see our guide to a dog coughing and gagging instead.

A short video on your phone is genuinely useful here. It saves a lot of back-and-forth when you describe it to your vet.

Common causes of a dog throwing up

Most vomiting in dogs comes from the stomach or intestines being irritated by something the dog ate. The usual causes include:

• Eating something unsuitable: rubbish, rich or fatty human food, a dead animal, grass or other dogs’ droppings. Vets call this dietary indiscretion, and it is the most common cause of all.
• A sudden change of food. Switching diets overnight rather than over five to seven days often upsets the stomach.
• Eating too fast, or exercising hard straight after a big meal.
• An empty stomach. Some dogs bring up yellow bile, usually early in the morning, when the stomach has been empty for a long time. Our article on a dog throwing up yellow covers this pattern in detail.
• Infections and parasites, including viruses such as parvovirus in puppies, bacterial infections and intestinal worms or Giardia.
• A swallowed object (a sock, a piece of toy, a corn cob, a peach stone) lodged in the stomach or intestines.
• Poisons, including chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol, human medicines and garden products. See dog poisoning and first steps.
• Pancreatitis, which often follows a fatty meal such as leftover meat, gravy or bacon.
• Illness elsewhere in the body, such as kidney disease, liver disease or Addison’s disease, which tends to cause vomiting that comes and goes over weeks.
• Medicines, including some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, and motion sickness in the car.

When vomiting is an emergency

Some vomiting cannot wait until morning. The most urgent is gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), often called bloat, where the stomach fills with gas and twists. A dog with GDV usually tries to vomit but brings up nothing or only a little froth, looks restless or uncomfortable, may drool, and develops a swollen, tight belly. GDV can kill within hours. It is most common in large, deep-chested breeds such as Great Danes, German Shepherds, Standard Poodles, Weimaraners and Setters, but it can happen to any dog.

Go to a vet straight away if you see any of the signs listed in the red box at the top of this page. The threshold for calling is also lower for puppies, elderly dogs and dogs with existing health problems, because they dehydrate faster and have less in reserve.

How often is too often?

There is no exact number that applies to every dog, but this table reflects the way most vets triage vomiting over the phone.

What you can safely do at home

If your dog is an otherwise healthy adult, has vomited once or twice, and is bright and alert between episodes, these steps are reasonable while you watch for changes:

1. Rest the stomach for a few hours. Pick up the food bowl. Do not do this for puppies, toy breeds or diabetic dogs without speaking to your vet, because their blood sugar can drop.
2. Offer small amounts of water often, rather than letting your dog gulp a full bowl, which can trigger more vomiting.
3. Restart with a small, bland, low-fat meal once a few hours have passed without vomiting. Plain boiled skinless chicken with white rice, or a veterinary gastrointestinal diet, is typical. Feed small portions several times a day.
4. Return to the normal diet gradually over two or three days by mixing it back in.
5. Keep notes: times, what came up, and whether your dog is drinking, urinating and passing stool.

Just as important is what not to do. Do not give human anti-nausea or stomach medicines without your vet’s advice, do not give painkillers such as ibuprofen (they cause stomach ulcers in dogs), and do not try to make your dog vomit unless a vet or poison line tells you to.

What the vet will do

Your vet will start with questions (when it began, how often, what it looked like, what your dog might have eaten, any changes of diet or medication) and a physical examination, including feeling the belly for pain or anything unusual.

Depending on what they find, they may suggest blood tests to check hydration and organ function, a stool test for parasites and infections, and X-rays or an ultrasound scan to look for a blockage. Treatment depends on the cause, but commonly includes anti-nausea medicine, fluids given under the skin or into a vein to correct dehydration, and a short course of a bland diet. A swallowed object that will not pass on its own may need to be removed with an endoscope or surgery.

What the vomit can tell you

The appearance is a clue rather than a diagnosis, but it helps:

• Yellow or green liquid is usually bile from an empty stomach. See dog throwing up yellow.
• White foam is often an irritated, empty stomach mixed with saliva. See dog throwing up white foam.
• Undigested food soon after eating suggests eating too fast or regurgitation.
• Red streaks or coffee-ground material means bleeding in the stomach or upper gut and needs a vet the same day.
• Grass, fabric, plastic or other material tells you what was eaten. Keep a sample or a photo.

If there is blood in the stool as well as vomiting, read blood in dog stool, because bloody diarrhea with vomiting can become serious quickly. For an overview of every digestive topic, see our digestive health section.