1300 489 873-By Dr Graham Swinney
No-one likes to see their dog vomit for a number of reasons. Firstly there is the concern of whether it means there is something wrong with them. Secondly it means you have a potentially unpleasant mess to clean up. Therefore we all like to have it sorted out quickly – what is the cause and how do we fix it?
There are a number of potential causes for vomiting, but we know there is something happening with their gastrointestinal tract for the vomiting to occur. This could be a problem in the gut itself. This could be as simple as ingesting something not so savoury that has upset their gut, to an infection, inflammatory bowel disease, a foreign body, or on some occasions a neoplasm (cancer). It is also possible that disease outside of the gut can have an effect on it and cause vomiting. This can be from so called ‘metabolic diseases’, for example liver, kidney or pancreatic disease, inflammatory disease, nervous system disease, or it may even be the result of medications.
If your dog has vomited a number of times, or seems unwell associated with the
vomiting, they need to be seen by your Vet. Your Vet will likely ask you some questions that it can be helpful to have the answer too
- How long has the vomiting been occurring for?
- How frequent is the vomiting?
- What does the vomit contain?
- What does your dog look like when he is vomiting, such as abdominal contractions?
- What do they eat and has there been any diet change recently?
- Are they on any medications, or access to medications?
- What is your dog’s vaccination history (if this isn’t your usual Vet)?
- Is there any history of your dog eating foreign material recently or in the past?
Your Vet will then thoroughly examine your dog to see if there are any changes that may explain why they are vomiting, including carefully checking their mouth, listening to their chest, and carefully examining their abdomen. In some cases a likely cause could be found – for example palpating a foreign body in their abdomen, or seeing a string under their tongue that is heading down their throat.
In some cases more testing may need to be done to try and determine the cause of the vomiting. These may include
- Blood tests
- A Complete Blood Count looks at the cells in the blood and may give signs of anaemia or inflammation suggesting underlying disease
- A Blood Chemistry Profile that will look for potential underlying causes of the vomiting, and will assess kidney and liver health, the pancreas, blood glucose, blood electrolytes and protein levels and more.
- A urine sample. Evaluation of the urine may give clues to kidney health, diabetes, liver health.
The results obtained on these tests may provide an answer as to the cause of the vomiting. If not, there may be some extra tests your Vet will suggest, or extra tests to give more precise information obtained on the more routine tests. These could include
- A more precise test for pancreatitis called a SNAP or Spec cPL.
- An extra blood test called IDEXX SDMA which can detect kidney disease earlier than the routine tests
- Imaging studies such as radiographs (x-rays) of the chest and abdomen, or an ultrasound of the abdomen.
In some cases further examination may involve endoscopy, and biopsies collected at surgery or endoscopy.
Make sure, that you have the right Pet Insurance for your dog, so your furry friend is protected, when going to the vet.
