dog throwing up food

Question
On occasion my dog would throw up immediately after eating. Her food would come up undigested. Lately this has been happening more frequently. She has done this 4 times in the last 2 days. We have not changed her dogfood. She has always eaten the same food. What could be causing this?

Answer
Hi Kim!Try to get her to slow down when she eats.She may be eating too fast,causing her to throw up.


When your pet is vomiting,her stomach needs a time-out.Don't let her have any food for 24 hours.A short fast may be all it takes to get her stomach back to normal.If she's still vomiting after 24 hours,call your veterinarian..

Once the worst of the vomiting is over,encourage your pet to wet her whistle during her fast.The last thing you want is dehydration.

If water makes her queasy,give her ice cubes instead.She'll lick the water off more slowly,and it usually stays down better than when she drinks.Besides that,pets like playing with the ice cubes.It's a real source of entertainment.Vets recommend putting a ice cube in your pets bowl or on a part of the floor you don't mind getting wet.To make aure the water stays down,don't give her more than one cube every 15 minutes.

To prevent your pet from drinking too much,keep the toilet lid down.Otherwise your animal could have a double treat-an unlimited supply of water she shouldn't have and water that's chock-full of bacteria that aren't going to help the situation.

After fasting for 24 hours,your pet may be ravenous for food.Start with a bland diet to gently work her system into digesting,or else you could end up back at square one.Vets recommend mixing two parts cooked white rice with one part cottage cheese or boiled skinless white chicken.At first,feed her small amounts about every four hours.After a day,if she's still holding the bland food down,you can begin feeding her usual amount.

After two days on the bland diet,you can start reintroducing her usual fare.Vets recommend replacing about one-fourth of the bland food with her regular food every day for four days until she's back to normal.

Even after the vomiting stops,your pet may not be feeling up to par.Kaopectate will help soothe her stomach.It's chalky and not exactly delicious,but it works.Give one teaspoon of Kaeopectate for each ten punds of weight.Since dosages vary widely from pet to pet,however,be sure to ask your vet for advice.

FOR DOGS ONLY
Giving your pet Pepto-Bismol will help soothe her tummy just as it does yours.Vets recommend giving about one teaspoon for every 20 pounds of dog every four to six hours for up to two days.Dogs don't like it much,though,so din't be surprised if more ends up on you than in your dog.A neater solution is to use an oral syringe,which is available at pharmacies.Never give Pepto-Bismol to cats without a veterinarian's supervision.It contains ingredients cats don't metabolize well,so it can make them sicker.

Be sure not to use ANY of this information for cats because it could make them sick.Be sure to ask your vet if this is OK.You can print this or send it to his office.I hope this is helpful!Please keep me posted and good luck!Nicole.D.