Amanda Teixeira
Vomiting in dogs can have many causes. These can also lie with the feeding. Read here how to prevent your dog from vomiting through feeding and what you should consider when feeding your dog if it has vomited.
Almost every dog owner has experienced their dog throwing up. For some dogs, this is only an occasional or one-time occurrence, so many owners see no cause for concern. However, if vomiting occurs regularly or suddenly, massively, a veterinarian should be consulted to find out the causes.
Causes of vomiting in dogs
The causes of vomiting can be very diverse and may not be determined directly. The following causes are possible:
- infections
- Side effects of certain medications
- stress
- Acute diseases (e.g. liver or pancreas diseases) or general diseases
Vomiting can also have various diet-related causes. Some causes can be found out quite easily by the dog owner himself by tracing the last feedings. Possible are for example:
- abrupt change of food
- Intake of feed that is too cold
- Ingestion of certain feed components, e.g. bones or foreign bodies
- food allergy
Stomach overload due to intake of too large quantities or strongly swelling feed
spoiled feed (toxins produced by mold, bacteria, yeast, mites or bugs)
Feed dog properly after vomiting
When a dog has vomited, it is often necessary to make some changes to its diet over the period that follows so that the sensitive stomach can recover. This takes place in three phases:
1st phase: One-day fasting
A first measure that can be taken in the case of acute and massive vomiting is a one-day fast (food waiver) so that the stomach has the opportunity to rest again. Without veterinary care, this phase should not last longer than a day, otherwise there will be a lack of important nutrients and liquid! In the case of severe vomiting, appropriate treatment should be carried out in parallel with fasting.
2nd phase: Feeding highly digestible components
After the acute phase has been overcome or also in the case of chronic vomiting, you can slowly start feeding highly digestible components such as chicken breast, quark, cottage cheese, soft-boiled rice or oatmeal. The light food should initially be offered in a mushy (pureed) to liquid form and in small portions several times a day.
3rd phase: return to solid food
Afterwards you can switch back to something solid food. It is advisable to continue to supplement the feed with some liquid. A corresponding feeding can be carried out in adult dogs over a few weeks. In the long run, however, there is a lack of important minerals and vitamins that need to be supplemented.
Prevent dog vomiting
However, to ensure that the dog does not vomit due to the food in the first place, this can be easily prevented in some cases, provided the cause is also in the food:
- Change the feed step by step over several days (slowly reduce the proportion of the old feed)
- Always offer self-prepared food and wet food at room temperature, not in the fridge or even frozen
- Check the feed used for deviations in smell, color, and consistency before feeding
If a food allergy is suspected, an elimination diet is recommended. Be sure to discuss this with your veterinarian!