Dog vomiting happens to every dog, and most of the time it is nothing: a dietary indiscretion, three blades of grass, a meal bolted too fast. But vomiting is also the first sign of a good dozen diseases, and of two or three emergencies that leave no time to "see tomorrow". What settles it is not the vomiting itself: it is what is in it, the timing, how many times, and the state of the dog alongside. Vomiting or regurgitation, yellow, white, foamy, undigested or with blood, the signs that send you to the vet the same day, the diet that really works, and how to make a greedy dog eat more slowly.
Dog vomiting: the essentials in brief
| The same day | blood or "coffee grounds" in the vomit; retching that brings nothing up with a swollen belly; repeated vomiting within a few hours; lethargy, a painful belly, fever; an unvaccinated puppy; an object, a toxin or a medicine swallowed |
|---|---|
| Within 48 hours | it lasts more than 24 hours; it vomits every week; it is losing weight; it vomits and has diarrhoea; it cannot keep water down |
| At home | a bright adult dog, one or two vomits, no blood: no food for 12 hours, water in small amounts, then rice and chicken for two days |
| The colour | yellow: bile, empty stomach; white foam: saliva and gastric juice, empty stomach; whole food: bolted or regurgitated; dark brown or red: blood, vet |
| Regurgitation | no effort or nausea, undigested food sometimes tube-shaped: it is not vomiting, and it is worth telling the vet |
| It eats too fast | slow-feeder bowl, split meals, calm before and after; no raised bowl for a large dog without veterinary advice |
| Never | human medication, fasting for a puppy, a very small, old or ill dog, or withholding water |
Sources: MSD Veterinary Manual, Cornell Riney Canine Health Center, Ferguson et al. 2016 (bilious vomiting), Glickman et al. 2000 (gastric dilatation-volvulus), Santévet. Details at the end of the article.
Contents
Vomiting or regurgitation: the first thing to look at
Both end up on the floor, but they are not the same organs. Vomiting is active: it is preceded by nausea, drooling, lip licking, yawning, then abdominal contractions and retching, and it brings up the stomach contents, often partly digested, sometimes bile. Regurgitation is passive: no warning, no effort, the dog lowers its head and the food comes out, undigested, sometimes tube-shaped, the shape of the oesophagus, the MSD Veterinary Manual describes. Coughing and breathing difficulties go more often with regurgitation than with vomiting.
The distinction matters: repeated regurgitation points to the oesophagus (megaoesophagus, foreign body, stricture) and not the stomach, and the vet will not look in the same place. Film the episode with your phone: thirty seconds of video beat any description.
What the colour of the vomit says: yellow, white, foamy, undigested, with blood
| The vomit | What it is, most often | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow, liquid, sometimes foamy | bile: the stomach is empty, often in the early morning or late evening; in some dogs, it is "bilious vomiting syndrome" | an isolated episode in a bright dog: nothing; if it comes back in the morning, split the meals and give one late in the evening; if it persists, vet |
| White, foamy, stringy | saliva and gastric juice, empty stomach; sometimes the start of kennel cough (the dog "vomits" after a coughing fit) | watch; if the dog retches repeatedly with nothing coming up and its belly swells: absolute emergency, this is the picture of gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) |
| Whole, undigested food | eaten too fast, too much, or too much exercise after the meal; if it is effortless, it is regurgitation | slow-feeder bowl, split meals, calm; if it repeats or the dog regurgitates, vet |
| Green, with grass | swallowed grass, most often by choice, sometimes to make itself vomit | nothing if occasional; vet if daily or with other signs |
| Dark brown, "coffee grounds" | digested blood: ulcer, toxin, tumour, systemic disease | vet the same day |
| Red, with fresh blood | bleeding from the oesophagus or stomach, sometimes just a small wound in the mouth | a streak in an isolated vomit in a bright dog: watch for 24 h; more, or repeated: vet |
| With worms | a heavy infestation, especially in puppies | vet for a suitable wormer, and the whole litter |
| With a piece of an object | toy, sock, bone, stone: the rest may still be inside | vet the same day, with the piece |
The colour gives clues, it does not diagnose: yellow vomit can be pancreatitis, food vomit the start of a blockage. What settles it is the rest of the picture.
When to worry: the same day, within 48 hours, or at home
The same day, without waiting, according to the MSD and the Cornell Riney Canine Health Center:
- blood, fresh or as "coffee grounds";
- retching that brings nothing up, a belly that swells, a restless dog that cannot settle: this is gastric dilatation-volvulus, bloat, which kills within hours; it mostly affects large, deep-chested dogs (great danes, shepherds, setters, standard poodles);
- repeated vomiting, several times in a few hours, or projectile;
- a lethargic dog, with a painful belly (hunched back, prayer position, refusing to be touched), fever, pale or dry gums;
- an unvaccinated puppy or one under 6 months, which dehydrates within hours and in which parvovirus starts this way;
- an object, a toxin or a medicine possibly swallowed: chocolate (our dose calculator tells you whether it is an emergency), grapes, xylitol from chewing gum, antifreeze, ibuprofen, plants.
Within 48 hours: vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours despite the diet; a dog that cannot keep water down; vomiting and diarrhoea together; a dog that vomits regularly, even once a week, "may indicate a disease", Cornell points out; a dog that is losing weight, drinking a lot or has a dull coat.
At home: a bright adult dog that has vomited once or twice, no blood, that drinks, and whose vomiting you can link to something (the bin, the grass, the bolted meal). This is the only case where the diet below applies.
What to do at home: the diet that works, and what not to do
- No food for 12 hours (up to 24 according to the MSD), to rest the stomach. Never without water: offer it in small amounts, often, a splash in the bowl every half hour rather than a litre in one go that will come straight back up. A vomiting dog dehydrates, and withholding water makes everything worse, the MSD insists.
- Then a teaspoonful of highly digestible food: well-cooked white rice and boiled skinless chicken or turkey, one third meat to two thirds rice. If it stays down for an hour, another, then small meals, 4 to 6 a day, for two days, Cornell advises.
- Back to kibble a quarter at a time over two or three days.
- Keep it calm: no energetic walks, no play after meals.
- Watch: a single new vomit during the diet, blood, lethargy, and it is the vet.
What not to do. No human medication: paracetamol and ibuprofen are toxic to dogs, human antacids and anti-emetics are hard to dose and mask the signs. No milk, no leftovers, no "grandmother's remedy" with oil or kitchen charcoal. And no fasting for a puppy, a very small dog, an old, diabetic or ill dog: they see the vet from the outset.
Why my dog vomits: the causes, from the most ordinary to the most serious
In a case series quoted by Santévet, half of acute vomiting came from a dietary indiscretion and a quarter from an infection; the rest is shared between foreign bodies, toxins and diseases. By frequency:
- Dietary indiscretion: bin, compost, carrion on a walk, leftovers that are too fatty, a change of kibble overnight. The most common, and the most benign if the dog is well.
- Eating too fast or too much, exercise straight after: undigested food within minutes or the hour that follows.
- Grass: most dogs eat it without being ill; some vomit afterwards, which is not necessarily a sign of prior nausea.
- Car sickness, especially in puppies: see our guide dogs in cars.
- Intestinal parasites, in puppies and rarely wormed dogs.
- Foreign bodies: ball, sock, bone, avocado or peach stone, corn cob, bark; repeated vomiting, sometimes of water, and a dog that keeps nothing down.
- Toxins: chocolate, grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, xylitol, antifreeze, rat poison, human medicines, plants.
- Infections: parvovirus in puppies (vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, lethargy), gastroenteritis, leptospirosis.
- Diseases: pancreatitis (often after a fatty meal), gastritis and ulcers, kidney or liver failure, uncontrolled diabetes, Addison's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, tumours: chronic or recurrent vomiting, with weight loss, thirst, tiredness.
- Gastric dilatation-volvulus: no vomit, precisely, but retching, a tense belly and a dog in distress.
It vomits right after eating: the dog that eats too fast
The dog that wolfs down its bowl in thirty seconds and brings it back ten minutes later, whole, is regurgitating from overload: the stomach distends all at once, with the swallowed air on top. It is not a disease, but it is not harmless either: in a large American study of 1,637 large-breed dogs followed for years, eating fast was among the factors that increased the risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus, along with age, family history and, a surprise at the time, the raised food bowl, to which the authors attributed 20% of cases in large dogs and 52% in giant ones (Glickman et al., JAVMA, 2000). What works:
- A slow-feeder bowl, with ridges or a maze: it has to search for its kibble, the meal goes from 30 seconds to several minutes.
- The meal as a game: a snuffle mat or a snuffle ball filled with the ration, which occupy and slow down; an automatic feeder to split meals when you are not there.
- Two or three meals a day rather than one big one.
- Calm for an hour before and after the meal, especially for large dogs.
- No raised bowl for a large dog "for its comfort": unless the vet indicates it (megaoesophagus, neck arthritis), leave it on the floor.
- Several dogs: separate bowls, in separate rooms, to remove the competition that makes them bolt.
It vomits yellow in the morning: bilious vomiting
A dog that vomits a yellow or foamy liquid early in the morning or late in the evening, on an empty stomach, and is perfectly well the rest of the time, often has what vets call bilious vomiting syndrome: bile from the duodenum flows back into an empty stomach and irritates it. A study of twenty dogs followed at an American university hospital describes the typical patient, a young crossbreed, neutered male, that chronically vomits bile, and the treatment that improved most of them: more frequent meals, including one late in the evening, and, on prescription, gastric protectants or acid reducers (Ferguson et al., JAAHA, 2016). The authors also note that three diagnoses were revised along the way, including a stomach tumour: a dog that regularly vomits bile deserves a work-up, not just an evening snack.
What the vet does
For recent vomiting (less than three or four days) in a dog with no other sign, the MSD describes the typical consultation: the history (access to the bin, to toxins, to toys), examination of the belly, the mouth and a rectal exam, and X-rays for most vomiting dogs, because they show foreign bodies and blockages; blood, urine and faecal tests if needed. The treatment, if nothing serious appears: digestive rest, an injectable anti-emetic, fluids under the skin or into a vein if the dog is dehydrated or old. For chronic vomiting, more than once or twice a day, with blood, pain, lethargy, fever or weight loss, it moves on to ultrasound, endoscopy with biopsies, sometimes a CT scan. Gastric dilatation-volvulus, for its part, is emergency surgery.
Stopping it happening again
A closed bin and a closed compost; no fatty leftovers; kibble changes over a week, mixing; a wormer at the rhythm advised by the vet; sturdy toys suited to its size, and socks in the basket; toxins put away, chocolate, grapes, medicines, antifreeze; a slow-feeder bowl and split meals for gobblers; calm after meals; and for a dog that is sick in the car, short pleasant trips and a light meal three hours before.
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Frequently asked questions: dog vomiting
When should I worry about a dog vomiting?
The same day if there is blood, retching that brings nothing up with a swollen belly, repeated vomiting, a lethargic or painful dog, a puppy, or an object or toxin swallowed. Within 48 hours if it lasts more than 24 hours, if it vomits every week or is losing weight.
My dog is vomiting yellow: what is it?
Bile, a sign that the stomach is empty, often in the morning or late in the evening. Isolated in a bright dog, it is nothing; regular, it is bilious vomiting syndrome: more frequent meals including one late in the evening, and a work-up at the vet's.
My dog is vomiting white foam: is it serious?
Most often saliva and gastric juice on an empty stomach, sometimes after a cough. It is serious if the dog retches repeatedly with nothing coming up and its belly swells: that is gastric dilatation-volvulus, an absolute emergency.
My dog is vomiting undigested food: why?
It ate too fast, too much, or got excited straight after. If the food comes out effortlessly, sometimes tube-shaped, it is regurgitation, which points to the oesophagus. Slow-feeder bowl and split meals; vet if it repeats.
My dog is vomiting and not eating: what should I do?
A refusal to eat for more than 24 hours with vomiting, or from the first day if it is lethargic, in pain or cannot keep water down, means the vet. A puppy or an old dog does not wait.
My dog is vomiting blood: is it an emergency?
Yes if there is more than a streak, if it is dark brown like coffee grounds, or if it repeats. An isolated red streak in a bright dog can come from a small wound in the mouth: watch for 24 hours.
Why does my dog eat grass and vomit?
Most dogs eat grass without being ill, and some vomit afterwards. Occasional in a well dog: nothing to do. Daily, or with other signs: vet.
How many times can a dog vomit before seeing the vet?
One or two isolated vomits in a bright dog can be managed at home. Several times in a few hours, or more than 24 hours, or even once a week on a regular basis, is a consultation.
What should I feed a dog that is vomiting?
After 12 hours without food, small amounts of well-cooked white rice and boiled chicken, 4 to 6 small meals a day for two days, then kibble reintroduced a quarter at a time. Water, often, in small amounts, from the start.
How long should a vomiting dog fast?
12 hours, up to 24 for a healthy adult, without ever withholding water. No fasting for a puppy, a very small dog, an old, diabetic or ill dog: they see the vet from the outset.
What home remedy works for a vomiting dog?
The only one worth anything: digestive rest, water in small amounts and the rice-and-chicken diet. No oil, no milk, no kitchen charcoal, no herbal tea: at best useless, at worst they make it vomit more.
Can I give a vomiting dog human medication?
No. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are toxic to dogs, and human anti-emetics mask the signs without treating the cause. The vet has suitable anti-emetics.
My puppy is vomiting: what should I do?
See the vet the same day: a puppy dehydrates within hours, swallows objects, and parvovirus starts with vomiting. No fasting or waiting for a puppy under 6 months.
My dog is vomiting and has diarrhoea at the same time: is it serious?
The two together dehydrate quickly: vet within 24 hours, the same day if there is blood, lethargy or if it is a puppy. Meanwhile, water in small amounts, often.
My dog vomits at night or early in the morning: why?
An empty stomach lets bile flow back: that is bilious vomiting. A later evening meal and split meals often solve the problem; if it persists, a work-up.
My dog is sick in the car: what should I do?
Car sickness, common in puppies: a light meal three hours before, fresh air, smooth driving, short pleasant trips to break the association. If it persists, the vet has a suitable anti-emetic.
Sources
- MSD Veterinary Manual, "Vomiting in dogs", C. B. Webb, updated September 2024
- Cornell Riney Canine Health Center, "Vomiting: 5 things to know"
- Ferguson, Wennogle and Webb, "Bilious vomiting syndrome in dogs: retrospective study of 20 cases (2002-2012)", JAAHA, 2016
- Glickman et al., "Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs", JAVMA, 2000
- Santévet, "Chien qui vomit : causes, traitement, complications", updated July 2025 (in French)
Article updated on 16 October 2026. The photos in this article were generated by AI. Read also: cat vomiting, dog ticks and Christmas with a dog or a cat: the dangers, as well as the dog that eats too fast.
