When dogs vomit in the morning, it is usually because they have been sober for too long. Less common causes include inflammation of the colon, pregnancy, inflammation of the pancreas or chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
In most cases, dogs regurgitate yellow, watery bile in the morning. This is because her stomach is empty and it has been a while since her last meal.
By the way, veterinarians differentiate between vomiting and regurgitation. When you vomit, the contents come up from your stomach, which have already been partially or completely digested.
In addition, the vomit smells sour and heartburn occurs more often due to the stomach acid. Choking up, on the other hand, only refers to the emptying of the esophagus.
Most of what was eaten is still visible. Here you will learn about the 5 most common reasons why your dog vomits more often in the morning.
Are you worried or unsure? Then click here to start a live chat with a veterinarian.
#1 Sobriety for too long
Occasional fasting is considered to be beneficial to human health. It's not for nothing that intermittent fasting is currently trendy. With dogs, however, things are different.
Especially in large breeds, too much stomach acid often accumulates after fasting for too long. To prevent acidification, the dog then vomits.
The vomit is usually yellow. Sometimes there is also white foam in it. It is a liquid mixture of bile and stomach acid. [1]
This type of vomiting is most common in the morning because it has been a long time since the last meal. In English-speaking countries this is also known as “early morning vomiting”.
Fortunately, no medication is necessary for treatment. Instead, it helps to adapt your four-legged friend's habits:
- Midnight snack: Place a snack near the basket shortly before going to bed so that your four-legged friend eats something while running around at night.
- Increasing frequency: Instead of feeding 1-2 large meals, several small meals are a better choice. An automatic feed dispenser can help here.
If both measures do not bring about any improvement, then the cause lies elsewhere. At that point at the latest, a visit to the vet might make sense. [2]
If dogs vomit bile or a yellow liquid in the morning, this may indicate acidity in the stomach. This is usually due to fasting that is too long. Several small meals and a midnight snack can help here.
#2 Colon inflammation
The large intestine's job is to thicken the liquid chyme. So it removes water from the stool. When this organ becomes inflamed, veterinarians speak of “colitis”.
The problem? Due to an infection, the colon often loses some of its functionality. Diarrhea is therefore one of the most common symptoms. Others are:
- Blood in the stool
- Pain when defecating
- Irregular eating habits
- Sudden weight loss
- Dog vomits in the morning
- Frequent bowel movements [3]
The causes of this can be very diverse. From food allergies and inflammation to internal injuries. Other typical triggers are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Spoiled food
- Food intolerances
- Worm infestation
- Allergic reactions
- fungal infections [4]
If there is suspicion, the vet will usually have a stool sample examined. In some cases, additional ultrasound and blood tests are also carried out.
Treatment then depends on the cause. Changing the food, increasing fiber or even intermittent fasting is often recommended.
When the colon becomes inflamed, it is usually accompanied by several pathological symptoms. Typically, affected dogs get diarrhea or even vomit a yellow liquid in the morning. If you suspect anything, you should consult your veterinarian.
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#3 Pregnancy
In dogs, pregnancy is referred to as “pregnancy”. The four-legged friends are also not pregnant for 9 months, but only between 62 and 64 days.
If your dog is a male or a neutered female, then the cause lies somewhere else. Because during castration the ovaries are removed. [5]
The morning vomiting is due to the strong change in hormones. Typically, pregnant dogs are also easily irritable. Other symptoms include:
- Sudden weight gain
- Trusting behavior
- Swollen teats
- Dog tires quickly
- Unusually strong hunger
- Swollen stomach [6]
As a rule, veterinarians can detect pregnancy from the 20th day. The hormones are measured for this purpose. The puppies are often visible just 10 days later.
From this point on, pregnant dogs gain weight relatively quickly. And around a month later the puppies are born.
Experienced veterinarians can also determine whether a dog is pregnant based on her teats and belly. If you suspect something, I recommend seeking professional help.
Because hormones change dramatically during pregnancy, pregnant dogs may vomit more often in the morning. Since the stomach is usually empty at this time, mostly bile comes out. So a yellow liquid with white foam.
#4 Inflammation of the pancreas
The pancreas primarily has two different tasks. It produces digestive juices for digestion and at the same time regulates blood sugar levels.
At least that applies to the healthy state. Because if this organ becomes inflamed, its functionality also decreases. Doctors also call this “pancreatitis”.
The most common causes of this include a diet that is too high in fat, severe obesity and internal injuries. Other triggers include:
- Internal injuries
- Hyperthyroidism
- diabetes
- Human food leftovers
- genetics
- Medication
- Poisonings [7]
You can sometimes tell if your dog vomits in the morning. In addition, affected four-legged friends usually make a weak impression. Other symptoms include:
- Severe pain
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Listless behavior
- Sudden collapse
- Dehydration
- Fever [8]
If you suspect this, you should consult the vet immediately. Such inflammation can be life-threatening. Treatment then depends on the cause.
When a dog's pancreas becomes inflamed, this can manifest itself in, among other things, vomiting in the morning. Due to the empty stomach, the vomit is often yellow and runny. There are usually also other pathological symptoms.
#5 Inflammatory bowel disease
The digestion of food occurs gradually. The food is roughly chopped in the mouth and then a little more finely chopped in the stomach. But nothing is absorbed there.
This only happens in the intestines. The problem? If the intestine is chronically inflamed, the absorption of nutrients is severely inhibited. Typical causes of this are:
- Food allergies
- Infestation of intestinal parasites
- Weak immune system
- Food intolerances
- Bacterial imbalance
- Chronic stress [9]
Such problems can often be recognized by the dog losing weight, vomiting bile in the morning and generally vomiting often. Other classic symptoms are:
- Chronic diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Frequent belching
- Loud stomach noises
- Increased saliva production
- stomach pain [10]
A biopsy is usually carried out for diagnosis, as is an ultrasound examination. In addition, the blood and stool are also examined.
Unfortunately, chronic inflammation can rarely be cured. However, with the help of appropriate food and some medication, the symptoms can be treated well.
Dogs with chronic inflammatory bowel disease have a significantly harder time absorbing nutrients from their food. In practice, this means that affected four-legged friends vomit more often in the morning and sometimes there is foam in them.
Rare causes
Under certain circumstances, the following causes can also be responsible for the symptoms. If you are unsure, I recommend visiting the vet:
- Medication
- Poisonings
- Gastric torsion
- Kidney failure
- Allergies
- Viral infections
- Intolerances
- Worm infestation
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