Vomiting in Dogs
Dog Health Guides · Upset stomach · Digestive symptoms
Dog Vomiting: White Foam, Yellow Bile, Undigested Food and When To Worry
If you are reading about dog vomiting, your veterinarian is the best first step. This guide explains what owners commonly see and what to do next. It does not diagnose or prescribe.
Dog vomiting is one of the most common reasons owners call the vet. A single vomit in a bright, hungry dog is often nothing serious. Repeated vomiting, vomiting with diarrhea, or vomiting with blood or weakness can be an emergency.
What your dog brings up gives useful clues. This guide explains dog vomiting white foam, yellow vomit, undigested food, and dog vomiting and diarrhea, plus what to do tonight.
Important: Go to a vet now if your dog vomits more than two or three times in a day, cannot keep water down, vomits blood or what looks like coffee grounds, has a swollen belly or retches with nothing coming up, may have eaten a toxin or object, or is a puppy.
See the bigger picture
This guide is part of our upset stomach guide, which covers related causes and when to call the vet.
Vomiting vs Regurgitation
Vomiting
An active process: drooling, lip licking, heaving from the belly, then stomach contents come up, often partly digested or with yellow bile.
Regurgitation
A passive process: food or water slides back up with little effort, often soon after eating, still tube-shaped and undigested. It points to a throat or esophagus problem and needs a vet.
Coughing Up Foam
A dog that coughs hard can bring up white foam at the end. That is a cough, not vomiting. See kennel cough.
What the Vomit Can Tell You
White Foam
Often an empty or irritated stomach, or foam after coughing. Repeated white foam with retching and a swollen belly can be bloat.
Yellow Bile
Yellow vomit on an empty stomach, often early morning, can mean bile irritation. Smaller, more frequent meals help some dogs; ask your vet.
Undigested Food
Eating too fast, regurgitation, or a stomach that is not emptying normally.
Blood or Coffee Grounds
Red streaks or dark, gritty material can mean bleeding in the stomach. This is urgent.
Common Causes of Vomiting in Dogs
Eating the Wrong Thing
Garbage, rich food, grass, or a sudden diet change. See dog upset stomach.
Infections and Parasites
Viruses like parvo, bacteria, worms and giardia. See dog parasites.
Blockages
Toys, socks, bones, corn cobs and fruit pits can lodge in the gut. Repeated vomiting and not eating are classic signs.
Toxins
Chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol, human medicines, certain plants and rat bait.
Illness Elsewhere
Pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver problems, Addison’s disease and diabetes can all cause vomiting.
Motion and Stress
Car rides and anxiety. See dog car sickness.
What To Do Tonight
Watch closely
One or two vomits, then bright, drinking and keeping water down: rest, small bland meals, and call your vet if it happens again.
Emergency
Repeated vomiting, blood, swollen belly, retching with nothing coming up, toxin or object, a puppy, or a weak or painful dog.
Related Dog Health Guides
Back to Dog Health Guides →Vomiting in Dogs FAQ
Why is my dog vomiting white foam?
Often an empty or irritated stomach, or coughing that ends in foam. If it keeps happening, or your dog retches without bringing anything up and the belly looks swollen, go to a vet now.
Why is my dog vomiting yellow?
Yellow vomit is usually bile, often on an empty stomach in the morning. Occasional yellow vomit in a well dog is common; frequent episodes need a vet check.
Dog vomiting and diarrhea but acting normal: should I worry?
If it is one or two episodes and your dog is bright and drinking, you can usually watch for 24 hours. Puppies, seniors, blood, or repeated episodes need a vet sooner.
Why is my dog vomiting undigested food?
Eating too fast is common, but bringing up undigested food with little effort can be regurgitation, which needs a vet to check the throat and esophagus.
When should I worry about my dog vomiting?
When it happens more than two or three times, comes with blood, diarrhea, weakness or pain, your dog cannot keep water down, or you suspect a toxin or swallowed object.
Is this vomiting in dogs guide a substitute for a vet visit?
No. It is educational only. Your veterinarian should examine your dog and guide any diagnosis and treatment.
Can I work out a medicine dose from this page?
No. Never work out doses from product strengths, other pets’ medicines or internet pages. The right medicine and dose depend on your dog’s weight, age, breed, health and other medicines, so they must come from your veterinarian.