Vet Guide to Chronic Vomiting in Dogs 2025 🤢🐶
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Vet Guide to Chronic Vomiting in Dogs 2025 🤢🐶
By Dr. Duncan Houston BVSc
Chronic vomiting refers to persistent or intermittent vomiting in dogs lasting at least 7 days, signaling that investigation is needed. In this comprehensive 2025 guide, I’ll explain causes, symptoms, diagnostic strategies, treatment options, and long-term management to help your dog digest healthily again. 💊
🔍 Defining Chronic Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth and includes nausea, retching, and the actual expulsion. It's different from regurgitation, which is passive and often food‑only.
Chronic vomiting occurs when this process lasts continuously or intermittently for 7 days or more. This is usually a sign of an underlying disease.
📍 Common Causes
- Gastrointestinal sensitivities or food allergies (often “sensitive stomach”)
- Frequent diet changes or dietary indiscretions
- Bilious vomiting syndrome (morning yellow bile vomiting)
- Gastric foreign bodies or obstructions
- Parasites and infectious diseases
- Chronic organ disease (kidney, liver, pancreas)
- IBD, gastric ulcers, stenotic pylorus, Addison’s disease, cancer
⚠️ Clinical Signs
- Frequent vomiting of food, bile, foam, or mucus
- Nausea signs: drooling, lip‑licking, retching before vomiting
- Lethargy, reduced appetite, and weight loss in prolonged cases
🔬 Diagnostic Strategy
Initial steps involve:
- Thorough history & physical exam—key for timing, triggers, and clinical signs
- Routine screening—fecal exams, bloodwork, urinalysis
- Imaging—X-ray or ultrasound to view stomach contents or GI wall thickening
- Advanced diagnostics—endoscopy with biopsy, CT, or exploratory surgery if needed
💊 Treatment Options
1. Dietary Management
- Highly digestible prescription diets (fiber-rich or hydrolyzed) for 8–12 weeks
2. Medications
- Antiemetics: maropitant (Cerenia), ondansetron, metoclopramide
- Gastric protectants: sucralfate, omeprazole, famotidine for ulceration
- Antibiotics or deworming for infection or parasites
- Specific treatments for bilious vomiting – antacids and dietary adjustments
3. Addressing Underlying Causes
- Removal of foreign bodies surgically if present
- Treatment for systemic disease: pancreatitis, CKD, etc.
- Management or surgery for conditions like GDV if chronic cases appear
📈 Prognosis & Monitoring
- Food-responsive cases often resolve well with diet alone
- Chronic or structural disease may need long-term treatment and intermittent diagnostics
- Ongoing monitoring: nutrition intake, hydration, weight, symptom tracking
📊 Quick Guide Table
| Step | Observation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| History | Vomiting ≥7 days | Start workup |
| Diagnostics | Blood, fecal, and imaging | Identify cause |
| Treatment | Diet, meds, surgery | Target the root issue |
| Follow‑up | Clinical improvement | Adjust plan |
✅ Vet Tips from Dr Duncan Houston BVSc
- 1️⃣ Keep a vomiting log (frequency, appearance, timing).
- 2️⃣ Start with a strict diet trial before jumping to invasive tests.
- 3️⃣ Use maropitant for consistent anti‑vomiting support.
- 4️⃣ Investigate systemic illnesses—chronic vomiting often signals deeper issues.
If your dog vomits frequently or displays signs of illness, connect instantly via the AskAVet.com app for expert advice.🐾❤️
