Is your Vomiting or Refusing to Eat?

Symptom Definition

Vomiting is defined as expelling the contents of an animal’s stomach. It is associated with heaving and forceful abdominal contractions of the diaphragm and abdomen to produce the vomitus. Alternatively, regurgitation is a passive process in which the stomach contents are expelled through the esophagus and out the mouth without abdominal muscle contractions.

Most minor causes for vomiting will resolve within 24 hours with supportive care. If vomiting lasts longer than 24 hours you must think about more serious causes.

Causes for Vomiting in Cats or Dogs May Include:

Dietary indiscretion: this includes items your pet ate that may or may not be digestible. Examples include grass, dirt, gravel, animal feces, food scraps, foreign material such as clothing, toys, garbage, etc.
Infection: Viral and bacterial infections are possible but uncommon if your pet is up to date on vaccines.
Metabolic diseases such as kidney or liver disease
Toxin exposure
Diet changes or new treats
Allergies or underlying intestinal disease

When to Act

Contact Emergency Care if:

Your pet is not moving or too weak to stand
Your pet is vomiting more than 8 times per day despite withholding food for 6 hours
You feel like your pet has a life threatening emergency
Your pet is trying to vomit and is not producing any substance (non-productive retching)
Your pet’s abdomen in distended or “tight” and painful, especially if you have a large breed or deep chested dog (examples include Great Danes, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Labradors, Dachshunds)
Your pet is not vaccinated or up to date on vaccines
Your pet has a weak immune system (examples include pets less than 1 year old, your pet has a chronic disease, your pet has cancer, your pet is being treated with chemotherapies or immunosuppressive medications)

Non Emergent

Call your family veterinarian within 24 hours or seek out Urgent Care if:

Your pet is eating well and acting normal but vomits once or more per week

Care Advice

Most vomiting in dogs and cats is caused by dietary indiscretion. Withholding food for 6 hours after an episode of vomiting is advised. You can offer a very small amount of bland food such as a piece of boiled chicken or small handful of cooked white rice after 6 hours of fasting. If your pet eats this and keeps it down, you can slowly start to add more bland foods. As long as there is no further vomiting, you can feed small, frequent meals of bland foods for the next 24 – 48 hours, then slowly transition back to your pet’s normal diet over the course of a few days.