Acute Gastritis
I have a 4
1/2 month old Doberman that normally has a very healty appetite, as well
as usually has a large consumption of water during the day. For the past
2 days she throws up most of what she eats, and well hardly drink
anything at all. She will occasionally get the shivers as well, but the
go away within a half hour or so. What do you think that problem could
be?
Dogs regurgitate or vomit for a variety of reasons. Some of the causes are quite serious, others are mild and common.
A dog that suddenly vomits or reguritates a meal, and appears completely normal afterwards, may have a mild stomach irritation. The food may have contained something that disagreed with the digestive system. Such single occurances do not warrent any major concern. Some dogs try to regurgitate by eating grasses which stimulate the vomition reflex. They do this when they have an upset stomach. Hair, plant material, garbage, insects and other things a dog eats may cause mild irritations resulting in reguritation.
A dog that repeatedly vomits, or vomits for mor than 24 hours, may have a more serious gastritis. There may be a foreign object like a ball, fish hook, needle or plastic bag stuck in the digestive system. He may have a bacterial infection, parasite or virus. Stomach cancers, metabolic disorders, and nervous system diseases can also result in vomition.
Repeated vomiting, dry heaves, blood in the vomit, and vomiting for several days are signs that indicate your dog needs to seek help from his doctor. Vomiting accompanied with other clinical signs, such as diarrhea, lack of appetite, dehydration, depression, fever, and weakness are also signs he may have a more serious problem than just an upset stomach.
A veterinarian will perform a thorough physical examination, and may need to run blood tests, take x-rays, or run a fecal analysis.
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