Dog spits up.

Question
Hi.  I just read your answer about a dog spitting up after eating and it was very helpful.  I also have a pug mix that spits up after drinking water.  Can you tell me why and what I can do to alleviate the problem?  Thank you.  Sylvia

Answer
Hi Sylvia,

Thank you for being patient, and waiting for my Internet to be restored.

There's really only reason for concern if your dog regurgitates (it's a different action from vomiting) almost all the time after drinking or eating. If this is the case, the biggest concern of chronic regurgitation would be a condition called "Megaesophagus".  This condition occurs when the esophagus is significantly dilated for some reason.  Anything swallowed can sit in this expanded area rather than passing into the stomach, and after a period of time can suddenly be spit back out. You can read more about Megaesophagus here:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/megaesophagus.html

If your dog's problem is a chronic one, you should have your vet examine him.

A much less serious reason why a dog would regurgitate water could be he's drinking too quickly.  Drinking too fast could make him take in too much air, which will result in him throwing it back up. You can slow him down by either giving him smaller amounts of water and giving him more water every time his bowl is empty, or alternatively, place a smaller bowl upside down in his water bowl so he'll drink more slowly because it's a little harder to access the water. You can also place something that floats in the water so that your dog has to drink round it. Just make sure that whatever you place in the water bowl is not small enough that he could take it into his mouth and perhaps choke on it. There are also special bowls you could buy designed to slow how fast the dog drinks:

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-DrinkBetter-Medium-Bowl-Blue/dp/B000TYMO3S

Still another thing that could cause your dog to throw up water is the temperature of the water.  If it is too cold, his gut could react and make him throw it back up.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti