Sunday, September 02, 2007

Dog Vomiting

Article Title: Dog Vomiting
Author: David Beart

It can be disconcerting when dog vomiting takes over your happy
dog world. Your best pal tends to get himself into a cycle which
he repeats regardless of the outcome. His tummy gurgles with
anticipation, sometimes audibly, thus he will graze in the
backyard hoping to facilitate the process, only to come inside
and create a mess (which we would prefer hit the floor) usually
on the carpeting or some other inconvenient to clean locale. To
top things off he then wants to re-ingest his expulsion. Every
once in awhile dog vomiting is actually normal. Lacking the
ability to ask for an antacid, dogs are equipped with their own
natural method of dealing with feeling ill. We have all had that
nauseated nastiness that indicates if we could just vomit we
would feel so much better. Dogs get that too from time to time
and thus, nature has provided them with the necessary means of
alleviating their discomfort.

However, there can be much more significant reasons for dog
vomiting than mere discomfort. Some are very simple reasons that
require no action by the concerned human and others can be quite
serious. Cases of perpetual stomach ejections should always be
checked out by a high quality veterinarian.

Just a brief side note. Humans react poorly to their dogs over
98% of the time when their dog makes the dreaded oral mess on
the floor. Part of it is just simply our desire that for just
this one time, they manage to get it into a place that is easy
to clean up. Dogs are usually smart enough to figure out that
bodily wastes are not tolerated inside the home, and they often
feel as though they have created a "soiling error." This feeling
that they have just seriously disappointed their human can add
stress that can add to the upset stomach. Thus, humans who can
calmly encourage their dog to vomit either in the bathroom or
other easy to clean floor or better yet, make it outside, are
going to have fewer instant replays when the emotional upset
encourages another round.

Although it is a bit uncomfortable to do so, investigating the
contents in the puddle is part of determining the reason for the
puddle. Simply take note to whether it seems to be mostly mucous
or if it looks like there is undigested food or other
undetermined elements in the mix. Take care to notice of there
is any blood, even nominal amounts. Dog vomit is not pleasant
for either the dog or the human. For those who would rather
replace the carpet before actually having to come into contact
with the slimy puddle, dog regurgitation tends to put a serious
damper in their day. And while no one looks forward to the very
distinctive feel of the slick mess under a paper towel, bringing
a sample to the veterinarian can help clear up the mystery much
faster.

Undigested food that has come from a can may be difficult to
discern from other stomach contents. Take a deep breath and grab
a container or a baggie designed for dog waste clean up. If
there's a real concern, your best bet is to take a sample along
with you to the veterinarian for examination. Although it is
typically the first inclination, don't pick it up with a paper
towel or any other item that can leave substances like fibers
behind in case it needs to be examined under a microscope. The
cleaner you can retrieve your sample the better the view from
the microscope lens.

Dog vomit with a high level of mucous content and a low level
of food particles can mean inflammation of the intestinal tract,
stomach, or in rare cases even the bowels. This means that your
pup downed his food and initially it agreed with his system.
Over time as the digestion process continued, something began to
disagree with his system until finally he just couldn't resist
the urge to get rid of it. This sort of inflammation, when
repeated, can mean a multitude of issues including the lack of
any number of specific digestive enzymes, an allergy to
something he is ingesting, or a disturbance of the intestinal
tract.

If the puddle is filled with mostly food that looks as though
it has been swallowed and then returned, this can be caused by
over eating or a bad case of anxiety. In rare cases, it can also
indicate food poisoning. It usually doesn't take a veterinarian
to figure out that if the dog vomit is littered with bits and
pieces of socks, tin foil, that Christmas ornament you were
searching for, or your credit card that your little guy decided
to eat something that was supposed to be inedible and ended up
paying the price with an adverse stomach reaction.

Bloody dog vomit can be sign of a more serious condition
(although if your little garbage disposal is eating inedible
objects this can be serious depending on his snacking selection)
and requires professional assistance. It can simply mean that
the intestinal tract and bowels are having significant
indigestion and inflammation or it could indicate an internal
laceration.

In some cases, the problem is solved as soon as the dog vomits.
If there is a foreign object, a toxicity in something he ate, or
a general "oops I really shouldn't have eaten that" issue going
on, he will most likely be much more comfortable after he rids
himself of the issue and is even likely to have solved the
problem completely.

Puppy vomit can be a sign of a struggling adjustment of his
tender digestive system. It can mean that he wasn't quite
prepared for the weaning process, indicate that he is younger
than he was initially presented to his potential owner, or it
can simply be a case of over excitement. New puppies are a
handful of emotions which vacillate between fear, excitement,
apprehension, joy, and of course those emotions that accompany
getting in trouble for his behavior. An excited puppy may not be
able to keep his food down. Other puppies may be experiencing
more than adjustment problems and may have come to his new home
with ample issues regarding his health. Digestive problems are
not uncommon in puppies of larger breeds that were obtained via
a pet store or a puppy mill. If you know your new puppy came
from a questionable background and he has repeated his vomiting
routine more than twice in 24 hours, take him to the vet. If he
has vomited once a day for more than 2 or 3 days, take him to
the vet. Most cases can be cleared up with a little professional
investigation.

If your dog is prone to episodes of dog vomit, prepare for his
needs in advance and during his prone hours, restrict his
movement to an area of the house that you can handle the mess.
However, do your best to keep a close eye on the incident as you
don't want your dog to clean up his own mess.

About The Author: David Beart is owner of the
http://www.professorshouse.com , a site dedicated to dogs,
family, relationships and household issues.

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