Dog vomiting is a common occurrence and often has no worrisome cause.
But if a dog throws up at night and you can’t determine a serious cause until the morning, valuable time is wasted that can make the disease worse.
With this article you have everything you need to know, so that you can act appropriately if your dog throws up at night!
My dog throws up at night – causes
When a dog throws up at night, there are many possible causes. Sometimes it’s quite harmless and just a result of overeating.
You can usually tell what the problem is by the consistency and color of the vomit.
1. Dog vomits yellow at night
Yellowing of vomit often indicates a liver problem. This can be a disease, but poisoning can also be seen here.
Special care should be taken if the vomit appears frothy. Because many toxins foam up in the stomach.
However, yellowing can also simply be caused by bile.
Then the cause is often an empty stomach, which still produces gastric acid. This is the case, for example, with dogs that are on a diet and have now, out of habit, produced more stomach acid than they need.
2. Dog vomits food at night
It often happens with greedy fast eaters that your dog vomits undigested food in the hours after feeding.
Their stomachs struggle against the hastily devoured, barely chewed portions that it cannot grasp.
But even with a food allergy, a dog’s stomach sometimes reacts with a defense even before digestion.
You can react well to both and quickly eliminate the problem.
3. Dog vomits bile at night
When a dog is used to a certain feeding time, at some point the stomach will always produce stomach acid in anticipation just before this time.
However, if there is no feeding because your dog is on a diet or the time is exceptionally different, it can happen that it vomits bile as a reaction.
As long as your dog doesn’t show any other symptoms and it doesn’t happen often, it’s not a problem for him.
4. Dog vomits brown liquid at night
If your dog throws up a brown or reddish liquid at night, this can indicate life-threatening bleeding in the stomach.
Blood clots as soon as it meets stomach acid and is immediately fought off by the stomach by vomiting.
In the worst case, a stomach ulcer may have burst or the stomach wall may be injured. Then your dog has to go to the vet immediately as an emergency.
However, there are also strongly coloring, harmless foods that can cause a shock. If your dog has eaten beetroot and not tolerated it, the vomit looks threatening but is harmless.
5. Dog vomits white foam at night
In the worst case, white foam can result from poisoning with foaming substances, but it can also be completely harmless.
If the lining of the stomach is irritated, fluid is vomited up with a lot of air, resulting in a white foam. Dogs that are very fond of food also produce this foam at the sight of their food bowl.
In the event of poisoning, your dog usually shows other symptoms such as tremors, diarrhea, weakness or pain.
6. Dog vomits mucus at night
If your dog vomits white or only slightly discolored mucus at night, this is usually only a sign of an empty or overly acidic stomach and is not a big deal.
Very anxious dogs will also vomit mucus when they are particularly stressed by a new environment or unfamiliar noises.
However, you should have bloody mucus checked out immediately.
7. Dog vomits at night and has diarrhea
When you see what some dogs find and eat on the street, it’s no wonder they are sometimes plagued with vomiting and diarrhea.
Gastrointestinal upset is also not uncommon as a reaction to medications such as anthelmintics.
It is then particularly important to make sure that there is sufficient water supply, because your dog loses a lot of fluid through vomiting and diarrhea.
What can I do to help my dog?
It is important to determine the causes of nighttime vomiting and to act according to the severity.
Bloody or brown vomit or the appearance of foam should be investigated as soon as possible. There is very little you can do yourself here.
However, if your dog only vomits as a reaction to the food, an anti-slurp bowl will help greedy people and give those on a diet some time to get used to the new food sizes and times.
Omeprazole also helps against hyperacidity. The stomach protection agent is also approved for dogs and is very effective.
Important:
Regardless of the cause, always make sure your dog is drinking enough to replace their water loss.
When is dog vomiting dangerous?
If your dog is poisoned or has a stomach bleed, this is an emergency that can also become life-threatening.
Your dog can survive some poisoning itself, but as long as you don’t know the toxin, you should play it safe.
Frequent vomiting is also problematic even if the underlying cause is harmless. Because the stomach acid increasingly irritates the esophagus and can also burn it.
Frequent vomiting is also bad for the water balance, which can quickly become dangerous for puppies, very old dogs and small dogs.
When should I see a vet if my dog vomits at night?
If your dog vomits blood at night or the vomit is dark red to rusty brown in color, it may be an emergency. Then you should immediately go to your veterinary practice or to the emergency service.
Frequent vomiting, or if you can’t identify the cause, is also cause for mild concern and an appointment with your vet.
Can I Prevent Night Vomiting?
You can often prevent nighttime vomiting due to stomach acidity very well.
Your dog usually produces stomach acid because he expects a larger portion of food or food at a certain time.
On the other hand, time to get used to it and food that is gentle on the stomach for a few days helps.
An anti-sling bowl also works wonders against dogs that set a world record for fast eating.
If your dog eats questionable things from the street, the best way to prevent poisoning is to consistently train him to do so.
Conclusion
Your dog throwing up at night doesn’t have to be a cause for concern. It is often just gluttony, a diet or an unusual feeding time that causes gastric hyperacidity.
But in rare cases, vomiting can also have a serious or even life-threatening cause, for example a ruptured stomach ulcer. Then you must act quickly!
Have you ever stepped on dog puke in the morning? What helped your four-legged friend? Tell us about it in the comments – but no photos please :(…