If you’ve owned dogs for any period of time, you’ll be well aware of their less pleasant habits… However, there are very few that are as disgusting to us as eating their own sick! That awful “retch… retch… heAVe… slurp slurp slurp” is something none of us enjoy hearing from behind the sofa, especially if the culprit then trots round to give us a friendly kiss! But why do they do it, and is it safe?
Table of contents
So, let’s start with the basics.
Why do dogs throw up?
First, we need to distinguish between 2 separate conditions. While dogs do vomit, they also regurgitate, and these aren’t the same thing – nor do they have the same causes.
What’s the difference between vomiting and regurgitation?
Vomiting
This is an active process, preceded by nausea (feeling sick, and typically looking unhappy and drooling) and retching. What comes up is stomach (and sometimes small intestine) contents, mixed with acid and, often, bile. Regurgitation, on the other hand, happens if the food never made it as far as the stomach – typically, what comes out is chewed food mixed with saliva and mucus.
Vomiting is also a protective response – intended to protect the dog from poisoning. It is triggered by a special part of the brain called the CTZ (chemo-receptor trigger zone). This initiates vomiting if it detects over-fullness of the stomach or small intestine, or unusual chemicals in the bloodstream. By far the most common cause in dogs is what we call “dietary indiscretion”; in other words eating something nasty!
Other causes include swallowing of toxins, certain medications, stomach ulcers, gut infections, kidney disease, liver problems, inflammation of the bowel, pancreatitis, and many, many more. Regular vomiting or repeated vomiting needs investigation, but because of their rather “unfussy” approach to what constitutes food, most dogs will occasionally vomit.
Regurgitation
Occurs when, for some reason, food is not pumped all the way down into the stomach and instead sits in the oesophagus (gullet). Common causes include oesophagitis (inflammation or irritation to the gullet lining), obstructions (from scar tissue, foreign bodies, or tumours), and functional disorders such as megaoesophagus (where the gullet becomes dilated and “floppy”).
However, occasionally dogs will regurgitate after food for no obvious reason. This may be due to eating too fast, but the reasons aren’t fully understood. Nevertheless, if your dog is regurgitating regularly, they really need to be checked out by your vet.
Why do dogs eat sick?
Dogs may eat either vomited or regurgitated material – although it is more common for them to re-eat regurgitated material, fresh vomit is also sometimes consumed. There are a number of reasons for this.
It smells like food!
As we discussed above, most (although not all) dogs are monumentally unfussy in what they eat! In fact, some people have said that dogs eat stuff to find out whether or not it is actually food… Their sense of smell is much better than ours, and so they can detect viable foodstuffs in the material, it isn’t masked by the “ugh” factor that we experience.
They want to feed someone
It is normal for wolves and other wild canines to regurgitate food to feed puppies. In fact, one study found that 60% of domestic dogs are reported to do so when there are puppies in the household. It is possible that your dog is regurgitating in front of you because they love you and want to give you food… but when you don’t want it, they gobble it up again so it doesn’t got to waste!
To hide the evidence
Not from us, of course, but it is possible that dogs eat their vomit to conceal from other animals that they’re unwell. This is, for example, why dogs eat their placentas after giving birth, and the same instinct could be relevant here.
But is eating sick safe?
As usual in the veterinary world, “it depends”! If the dog has regurgitated normal food, then it isn’t harmful for them to eat it again (ultimately, it’s still food!). However, if they have vomited something up, then there’s a good chance that they’re just re-eating the toxin or bad food that made them sick in the first place. In addition, vomit contains a lot of acid which can damage the teeth. Pitting the enamel surface and making dental disease more likely in the future.
As a result, I generally recommend trying to discourage it by removing the produced material as soon as possible!
What should I do about it?
A dog that vomits or regurgitates once isn’t really a concern; although I would recommend you try to stop them from eating it again! However, regular regurgitation (i.e. more than once every few weeks at the very maximum) definitely needs to be seen by your vet, because there’s probably an underlying cause that needs investigating.
A dog that has vomited once or twice in a day normally won’t need seeing. Offer plenty of water, withhold the next meal (to allow the stomach to empty fully), and then try to feed them a bland diet for 24 hours and then reintroduce normal food. If the vomiting persists despite this “first aid”, contact your vet. Signs that a dog may need to be seen more urgently include:
- Repeated vomiting (more than 5 times in a day)
- Being unable to keep water down
- If there’s blood in the vomit
- Signs of dehydration (e.g. dry or pale gums, skin folds that stay “pinched” for more than a few seconds, or a high heart rate)
- Any other symptoms, e.g. lethargy, diarrhoea, weakness
- If you’re at all worried!
Fundamentally, eating it isn’t as big a problem as the reason that they’re vomiting or regurgitating in the first place. Severe, ongoing or repeated vomiting or regurgitation always needs checking out by your vet.
You may also be interested in;
- Vet Panel: Dogs and puppies with diarrhoea
- Why is my dog drooling?
- Why does my dog have warts?
- Why do dogs hump?
- Why Do Dogs Roll in Fox Poo?
Discussion
We have an elderly Lab (nealy 14). He’s always been a bit sicky mostly over night in so much as once a month you’d find a pool of yellow runny sick in a morning.
Recently he’s got “old” and is much more frail. He seems to be constantly sick off kibble and we’ve taken to feeding him rice and mince and scrambled egg.
But he’s still occasionally sick. He’s the usual Labrador greedy beast but as he’s older much less active and I suspect he has DM as he is dragging his rear feet.
If he has kibble or wet complete foot he produces much more poop and this brings fecal incontinence (or at least suprise poop) .
Any idea what on earth is going on.
He seems.pretty chipper.
Vomit is alway yellow
Unfortunately!loads of possible issues! But stomach sensitivity seems likely. Might be worth a chat with your vet about a high digestibility/low residue gastrointestinal diet and seeing if that makes a difference?
I’ve fed my 10 month old Jack Russell on kibble since she arrived at 8 weeks. She was fi e up I til about 6 weeks ago so stated bei f sick, o regurgitating her food. This has happened nearly every day, she then eats the food and no further action. I have recently changed her food to wheat free but with a high meat content. She is thin and only weights 6kg. Can you please help?
Regurgitating food is always a worry, and always needs veterinary examination – the causes are rather more complex than simply being sick. If she’s losing weight then there’s a serious problem, and changing the diet may not help. I’d advise a vet check to rule out significant medical causes, then if all well, consider a puzzle feeder to slow down the eating – but rule out the medical issues first!
My female keeps vomiting and it wont eat or drink and it keeps eating it’s vomit before it can fall out her mouth I don’t know what to do and she won’t open her mouth unless she licking u oh ya it’s a Droopy ear chiwawa
Definitely vet time; eating the vomit is disgusting, but keeping on vomiting is a problem and may be serious.
My 10 year old lab was v sick 36 hours ago in the morning ,no more then until this morning She is not eating however drinking as normal and happy to walk
She is still not eating but doesn’t seem to be in any pain .What do you advice
Repeated vomiting followed by loss of appetite suggests that it might be worth talking to your vet; if you’re not sure if it’s necessary, try the symptom guide.
My dog had vomitted 5 times and my other dog ate up a little vomit of the other dog will it harm her. Please answer I am really worried.
It depends why the first dog vomited – if it was due to a toxin, then yes, the vomit would be poisonous. If it was due to an infection, then likewise, it would probably be infectious to the second dog.
My dog is 6 years old and 12 pounds. He has gotten sick twice in the last 4 months. Both times was late in the evening. The first time he got sick twice in the house and I cleaned it up. Last night he started trembling and when I asked if he wanted to go out he went to the door. He was outside for about 5 minutes. This happened 4 times within an hour. This morning he is fine but I caught him eating his vomit. It was a big pile, semi chunks, and white.
This sadly really isn’t uncommon! The key question is why he’s throwing up – the occasional one off is normal, especially for dogs who scavenge, but more frequent vomiting may require more investigation. Take a look at our Factsheet on Vomiting in Dogs here for some more ideas.
My 8 month old Australian cattle dog mix has been regurgitating her food once every other day for about 6 days, and one of those times it seems she just vomited stomach acid. I am thinking I will take her in, but I am unsure if she is vomiting because she essentially inhales her food. When she regurgitates you can see that she does not chew her food at all. All the pieces are still in tact. Should I just buy a larger food that she must chew before swallowing?
Most dog’s won’t chew anything they can swallow! And if it’s been going on that long, I think a vet check is a good idea.
My 6 yr old Labrador has a habit of eating clothes like handkerchief, underwear, small dusting clothes. He just won’t leave them once he has grabbed them even after giving him treat to leave the clothes and may bite us if we try to forcefully take from him.
Now he ate 2 small clothes some 20-25 days back and he is vomiting every day since a week but eats them all back along with the food that comes out. How should we make him stop eating his vomit again? My vet says we can’t do anything unless he only leaves that cloth on his own. I am really worried as he is eating these things back which might harm his system as so many days have gone by.
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your story. Our sixth month Maltese does the same thing. He eats paper towels as we are cleaning a mess on tge floor. When we try to remove it, he growls and bites. Any suggestions?
That’s more a behavioural issue – called Resource Guarding – and actually can be quite serious. I’d strongly advise a consult with a qualified Canine Behaviourist: this behaviour can cause significant problems later on if not dealt with properly at the start.
I think this sounds more like a behavioural problem at the moment – perhaps talk to your vet about a referral to a good canine clinical behaviourist. Resource guarding like this needs to be managed effectively and early before it causes more issues.
My dog a couple times a week won’t eat his food till the cat comes in. Then he will eat it very fast and then at some point regurgitate it and hide it. He has done that on our bed a few time.
Have you tried a puzzle feeder or similar to slow down his eating?
My puppy either vomited or regurgitated what looks like chunks of treats and then ate it. He isn’t weak or lethargic and he’s drinking water. We just adopted him yesterday is it a stress response?
It might be – if the vomiting becomes repeated, or he can’t keep water down, then vet check; otherwise, small bowls of water, and reintroduuce a bland diet in 12 hours or so. If he vomits again then or shows any other symptoms, call your vet for advice – but he’ll probably sort himself out!
What happens to my dog if I let her ate a meal after an hour she vomitted?
It’s unlikely to do her significant harm but you should not allow her to do so – she has vomited for a reason, and eating that food again is not going to help!
Can we force some water to puppy if he is not drinking the given water in vomiting
No. Seek veterinary advice, as if they cannot drink they need intravenous or subcutaneous fluid support.
my puppy vomiting after he eats foods and he eats also what he brought out what is it?
Unfortunately, there are a huge range of possible causes. I think you will need to take him to your vet for an examination and to decide the best way forward. Good luck!
My dog had puppies a 5 weeks ago. She hasn’t been wanting to give them milk for about a week now and for The last about 3 days she has been eating then throwing up in the puppies bed. Is this her way of feeding them? Is this normal?
It might be, and some wild or feral dogs will do this. However… I would suggest a vet check to rule out any underlying health issues.
My dog vomitted the food he ate last night, and he ate it again after he puked. Is it okay? But he has appetite to eat and drink water as well. But he looks weak at all.
If he seems weak or is showing any other symptoms, I’d suggest a vet check up, or at least a phone call for advice.
My puppy has been sick for the first time, and it was white is that still ok??
If there’s any possibility that it’s white because of something abnormal and possibly toxic that they ate, then it needs urgent veterinary advice. However, if it’s white mucus from the stomach, this is very common. Puppies often get stomach upsets resulting in mild vomiting. If they vomit repeatedly, its lasts longer than 24 hours, they are unable to keep water down, seem lethargic or have any other symptoms, or if you’re worried, a vet check is a good idea. Otherwise, a bland diet (e.g. boiled rice and chicken) and plenty of water to drink will usually see them through it.
My chichua dog had puppies about 7 weeks ago , she has weened them for the most part but now she started throwing up her food in the puppies bed and re eats it. she did this just once but now i noticed she does it everyday day and this time i just saw her throw it up three times and eat it but she wont let the puppies eat it. she has always been stingy with her food so can anybody help me why she is doing this?
Repeated vomiting isn’t normal; that said, regurgitation in a bitch with puppies of this age could be a weaning response. Unfortunately, without knowing if your dog is vomiting or regurgitation, it’s difficult to say whether there might be something medical going on. I think it’s time for a vet check, to be honest!
Is it possible for humans to catch sickness from a puppy? Our puppy vomited once this morning, but I have a severe phobia of sick, so I’m panicing worrying if I can catch it and vomit myself if its some kind of bug I can catch. I won’t even go near her now out of fear 🙁
It is possible, but quite unlikely. Dogs can get infections such as Campylobacter or Salmonella, for example, and spread them to humans – but in the vast majority of cases dogs who throw up don’t have anything contagious to humans, it’s just they ate something that didn’t agree with them. Whatever the cause, good hygiene (e.g. hand washing, not sharing plates or mugs, and resisting kisses!) will generally prevent any transmission of infection in any case.
My honey has started this in the last week regurgitating and eating it have tried feeding her on second step so she up high it help for a wee while but it back now got a bowl to try and slow her down
That’s a good idea, but if it carries on, we’d strongly advise that you get her checked out by your vets to make sure there aren’t any underlying medical problems.