Ask The Doc: Vomiting

back to topic list

My soon to be 11 year old yellow lab, Harper, has recently begun to throw up during the middle of the night. The contents are whitish, sometimes a bit foamy, sometimes a trace of undigested food, and appear to be gastric juices. The amounts vary from a few ounces to almost 8 ounces total. Harper has been receiving 2 feedings/day; AM and about 6-8 PM. He receives regular check ups, shots, and except for some normal aging symptoms has been in excellent health. I recently introduced Nutro's dry food for senior dogs and the night emesis continue as before. He had been on Science Diet dry food for years and recently seemed to find it less exciting. He loves the new dry senior food and eats it as if it were a special treat. The higher protein and fat of the senior food appear to agree with him but I'm concerned that the lower fiber may cause some elimination problems. He has maintained his normal weight of approx. 85# and his stools show no evidence of bleeding or anything unusual. During the day time, we would not be aware of a problem. Thank you in advance for your web-site and your help.

Dr. DeMichael: I'm assuming your question might be "why does Harper throw up". Unfortunately there is no easy answer to that question that I might give you via email.

It would most likely require a more extensive history and analyses if you feel that this problem persists and is not transient.

If all other systems appear normal, I might wait it out and hope it goes away. If you are not that patient or if it persists, I would see a veterinarian and have him/her rule out certain gastric disorders. This may or may not require a barium study, endoscopic exam, etc to determine if any abnormal areas are present in the stomach.