Why is My Dog Being Sick?
If your dog is sick now and again, it is usually nothing to worry about. However, it can still be concerning if your dog starts to be sick, especially if there is no apparent reason. In this article, Holidays4Dogs offers some guidance on possible causes of vomiting in dogs. You should always consult your veterinarian if sickness is acute, or prolonged.
Sickness in dogs is typically caused by a change in diet, or through eating something they have scavenged. There are many things that are bad for dogs to eat and this includes human food such as chocolate, which is very toxic to dogs. Car travel can also induce sickness and is common in puppies. Sometimes, dogs will be sick if they have bolted food down too quickly and others can vomit a foamy substance if they are hungry. Other reasons range from eating a foreign body, infections, or internal parasites. Sometimes sickness can be associated with more serious diseases such as kidney failure, or cancer.
What happens when a dog feels sick?
When a dog feels sick, he will tend to drool, lick his lips and swallow/gulp frequently. Some dogs will try to eat grass – although nobody really knows why they do this. It may be as a means of making themselves sick, or to relieve the feeling of nausea and tension in the gastric region.
What should owners do?
Monitor your dog carefully over a period of a few hours.
If the sickness subsides, introduce some bland foods gradually. Feed 3 or 4 meals over the course of the day. Chicken, or fish, with a small amount of rice will usually help to calm the digestive system. Scrambled eggs are also good for dogs that have been vomiting.
If your dog appears to recover over about 24 hours, begin to feed your dog’s normal diet.
If the dog continues to be sick, has diarrhoea, seems lethargic and is producing blood in the vomit, or stools – it is essential that your dog is taken immediately to a vet as the situation could be urgent.
Just like people, dogs can feel off colour from time to time – there is usually no need for concern and usually vomiting does not last long.
