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Name
Vomiting, Canine
Short Description
Vomiting, Canine
Affected Animals:
Dogs and cats.
Overview:
Vomiting is one of the more common reasons why
owners take their dogs to the veterinarian. Isolated episodes of
vomiting rarely are a cause for concern as long as the dog has an
appetite and is bright and alert; most healthy dogs will, on
occasion, vomit whole or partially digested food, grass, or foamy,
clear liquid.
However, excessive or chronic vomiting lasting for several days can
indicate a more serious underlying condition that requires
treatment. Dogs that vomit for more than a day, or seem depressed
and are not eating should receive prompt veterinary attention so
that the cause of the vomiting can be determined and dehydration can
be treated.
Clinical Signs: Nausea will sometimes cause dogs to salivate.
They may vomit food, clear liquid, stained yellow bile, grass or
blood. Depending on the underlying cause of the vomiting, the dog
can have a good or poor appetite, diarrhea, dehydration, or other
signs. There can be weight loss if the disease has been going on for
a while and the gums may be tacky or dry from dehydration.
Symptoms: Owners frequently indicate that their dog has
been salivating and vomiting whole undigested or digested food and a
foamy fluid that may be yellow from bile, clear, or have blood in
it. Some people report that their pet eats grass and then vomits the
grass. Some dogs may maintain a good appetite, while other lose
theirs entirely. There can be weight loss if the disease has been
going on for a while and the gums may be tacky or dry from
dehydration.
Description:
Vomiting is a reflex action in which food and/or
fluid are brought up from the stomach through the mouth. Vomiting
occurs when the vomiting center of the brain called the
chemoreceptor trigger zone, located in the medulla, is stimulated by
specific nerve impulses from the body. Diseases and certain
situations such as a car ride can stimulate the nerves leading to
the vomiting center, resulting in nausea and vomiting. Many
anti-vomiting medications actually work by blocking the signals from
reaching the chemoreceptor trigger zone.
Complications of vomiting may include dehydration, weight loss, and
aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when vomitus is inhaled into the
lungs causing pneumonia.
Diagnosis:
The examining veterinarian will need to get a
thorough history from the owner and perform a complete physical exam
on the animal to determine the severity of the vomiting and how long
it has been occurring. Some dogs do not actually vomit; instead they
regurgitate. This means the food quickly comes back up the esophagus
soon after eating. Thus, food will be undigested and it often may
resemble a tube in shape. When dogs have these symptoms, the
veterinarian will assess that the disease may be in the esophagus,
rather than in the stomach or intestines. If the vomiting has been occurring for any length
of time, baseline laboratory work is needed to help determine if
there is any disease affecting the organs such as the liver,
kidneys, and pancreas. A fecal flotation examination often is done
to detect the presence of intestinal parasites which can cause
vomiting. X-rays often are needed to detect problems in the abdomen
such as a foreign body in the stomach or intestine, which can occur
when a dog swallows something such as a ball or a small toy.
Sometimes a barium contrast study is needed. Barium liquid outlines
the gastrointestinal tract on the x-ray film and helps determine if
there are any abnormalities. Other diagnostic tools include
ultrasound, which uses high frequency sound waves to outline the
details of the abdomen. Endoscopy involves placing a tiny camera
down the mouth and into the stomach and intestines to look for
disease. Tissue samples often are taken and sent to a laboratory to
determine if the tissues are normal. In other cases, exploratory
surgery is required to diagnose the problem. Referral to a
veterinary internal medicine specialist for further diagnostics and
treatment may be necessary in some cases.
Prognosis: Animals that only vomit for a day or two, but are
not sick and do not have an underlying disease usually have an
excellent prognosis. For animals that have been vomiting for several
days, the prognosis is dependent on the cause and how quickly the
owner seeks veterinary attention. Rapid medical attention usually
offers the best prognosis because the underlying disease will have
less time to cause damage.
Transmission or Cause: There are numerous causes of vomiting. Some
examples include motion sickness, drugs, and gastrointestinal tract
obstruction which can occur when a dog swallows a foreign object
like a golf ball. Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract due to
inflammatory bowel disease, parvovirus, and parasites frequently
produces vomiting. Diseases of the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and
other vital organs, and even overeating may cause vomiting as well.
Treatment:
For dogs that have been vomiting only a short
time, but have an appetite and are bright and alert, symptomatic
treatment for one to three days is usually very effective. Typically
in mild cases, food is withheld for 24 to 36 hours and injections of
medications can be given to help alleviate the vomiting. Owners
should never withhold water unless instructed to do so by the
examining veterinarian. If the vomiting persists, or the animal is
visibly sick, the use of intravenous fluid therapy will correct and
prevent further dehydration. Drugs also can be given intravenously
instead of orally.
Further treatment is based on finding and correcting the underlying
cause of the vomiting. Different conditions require specific
treatments. A dog that swallowed a golf ball for example, needs to
have the ball removed surgically in order to stop the vomiting. A
dog with parvovirus needs anti-vomiting medications, antibiotics,
antacids, and supportive care until the virus runs its course. The
examining veterinarian will determine the best treatment needed for
the animal.
Prevention: In many cases owners can prevent vomiting, often
through common sense and precautionary measures. Owners should take
steps to secure all drugs and household poisons, strings and small
toys that can be swallowed, as well as trash and garbage. Dogs
should be fed a consistent diet, without overfeeding. Bones, human
snacks, and table foods are generally discouraged.
