Mary Allen
Is your dog throwing up foam or yellow mucus? The vomit of our dogs sometimes takes on very strange shapes. From white foam to yellow slime to brown liquid, everything is included.
The only question is, when does it become dangerous?
What does it mean when your dog eats grass and vomits white mucus? What to do if the dog vomits yellow foam or brown liquid or even spits up blood?
If you are interested in these questions, you should definitely read this article. Here we explain what foam, mucus, and colors mean and when you should better contact a vet!
In a nutshell: Why is my dog vomiting foam?
It is not uncommon for dogs to vomit foam. Depending on the appearance and consistency of the vomit, the cause behind it can be determined. Many of these are harmless, while others indicate serious illnesses. Whenever you are unsure, the right way to go is to contact a veterinarian.
Causes of Vomiting in Dogs
Granted, there are nicer themes. It is all the more important to deal with it. So what could be causing your dog to vomit?
- Gulping / Eating or drinking too quickly
- Your dog ate too much
- Your dog has eaten too little / The stomach is acidic
- Food intolerance or allergy
- He ate something spoiled or poisonous
- Or swallowed a foreign object?
- Stress, nervousness, or fear hit him in the stomach
- Inflammation of the gastric mucosa
- A twisted stomach
- heart or kidney disease
- worm infestation
- Inflamed pancreas
- diabetes
- tumors
- heatstroke
As you can see, when your dog throws up, it can have many causes. If something seems strange to you and your dog throws up frequently, your next trip is to the vet.
Symptoms & signs of nausea in dogs
These signs and symptoms show that your dog is nauseous:
- Increased lip licking
- restlessness
- Strong salivation
- Frequent yawning, smacking and swallowing
- Your dog signals to you that he wants to go outside
- Eat overgrown grass
- choking (usually standing with arched back)
What does consistency & appearance mean in vomit?
Sometimes the appearance and consistency of the vomit can tell what caused it. If you are unsure, it is always better to contact a veterinarian.
Dog vomits white foam or mucus
If your dog vomits white foam or mucus, it can indicate that the stomach is acidic. Dogs often puke white foam or mucus in the morning after the stomach has been empty overnight. In this case, it can be helpful to postpone the last meal of the day.
If it occurs too often, vomiting white foam or mucus can also indicate an inflamed stomach lining. The dog will also vomit white foam or mucus if it is poisoned or swallows a foreign object.
Dog vomits yellow foam or mucus
If your dog vomits yellow with no visible food residue, it is most likely bile. Don’t worry, this happens every now and then.
You should only take your dog to the vet if it happens excessively often, because puking up bile can indicate an irritated gastrointestinal tract as well as poisoning or a parasite infestation.
Dog vomits brown
If your dog’s vomit is brown in color and has a rather chunky consistency, it is simply incompletely digested food.
This is common in dogs that eat too quickly. An anti-sling bowl could help here!
Dog vomits blood or red
When the dog vomits blood, many dog owners tend to panic straight away. Understandable! It’s good to be alarmed, but blood in the vomit doesn’t always mean the worst.
If the blood is pink and slimy, it can indicate an injury in the mouth, for example. That’s not tragic.
However, if the blood is dark red in color, an injury in the intestine, an intestinal disease or a tumor can be behind it.
Attention danger!
Please contact a veterinarian if your dog is spitting up blood!
Dog vomits clear mucus or foam
Clear mucus or foam indicates a gastrointestinal infection. The stomach is irritated and keeps wanting to empty itself, even when it is already empty. It often happens that a dog spits out gushing water.
In this case, you should also take your dog to the vet so that the infection can be treated and your dog does not become dehydrated.
Dog vomits undigested
The most common causes of vomiting undigested food are intolerances and allergies or the consumption of poorly digestible or spoiled food.
When to the vet?
If your dog shows one or more of the following symptoms, you should definitely consult a veterinarian!
- If your dog often struggles with hyperacidity
- If you tap on intolerances to do an allergy test
- Ingestion of poison/poisonous substances or foreign objects
- Worm infestation (dog loses a lot of weight despite eating the same amount of food, worms in the faeces)
- With a twisted stomach
- If it happens often
- If you are unsure what it could be
Conclusion
As you can see, not every vomit is a case for the vet.
Listen to your gut and try to figure out why your dog vomited. If he tends to wolf down his food, it could just be that and you don’t need to take a trip to the vet right away.
However, since frequent vomiting can hide serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions, it is always better to consult a professional if you are unsure!