Ask Dr Claire

My dog has been throwing up quite a lot for the past 6 hours. He isn’t acting himself at all. Should I be worried? How do I know if it’s serious?

6 hours is a really long time to be vomiting.

If the vomiting is continuing we need to get your dog a hands-on examination from your local vet as soon as possible.

Prolonged vomiting regardless of the cause will lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Vomiting is really just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes. In this case, we really need to find the cause of the vomiting so that we can treat your dog’s problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.

Some of the underlying causes of vomiting might be:

• Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
• Gut problems (inflammatory bowel disease, tumours, obstructions, food intolerance or food allergies)
• Abdominal or metabolic problems (kidney, liver, pancreatitis, spleen, electrolyte abnormalities, diabetes)
• Direct irritation of the stomach
• A reaction to toxins or other drugs
• Dietary indiscretion (aka those will eat anything and everything!)

If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail, as soon as possible.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire