How to Help a Dog That Chronically Vomits Yellow Fluid

Vomiting is among the most common ailments that veterinarians treat. Chronic vomiting is not an unusual problem in dogs and often, the situation involves a yellow, liquid vomit. Vomiting first thing in the morning, before a scheduled meal, or immediately after is also not uncommon in cases where chronic vomiting is present due to irritation from stomach acids and bile.A dog that chronically vomits a yellow fluid may be suffering from a problem that's fairly easy to remedy with some simple life changes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog food
• Dog bowl
• Hot water
• Pepcid AC or smmilar famotidine Medication
• Peanut butter or cream cheese

1. Chronic vomiting can result when a dog eats just once or twice a day. The stomach acids and bile accumulate in the empty stomach, causing irritation and inflammation to the stomach's lining. So begin by looking at your dog's feeding schedule. Is it eating just once or twice a day?

2. If a dog is eating just once or twice a day, a new feeding schedule must be implemented. It is not necessary to feed the dog a greater volume of food, but the dog must eat more frequently, so feeding several smaller meals instead of one or two large meals is ideal. Divide the dog's daily ration into three or four meals instead of just one or two. More frequent meals will prevent the gastric fluids from upsetting the lining of an empty stomach.

3. Before serving a meal of kibble, add enough hot water to just cover the top of the kibble. Allow the kibble to sit for about 10 minutes. Serve once the kibble swells and absorbs all of the water. This will prevent the kibble from swelling once it's entered the dog's stomach. If the dog eats until it's full, and the kibble then swells, this will push the dog's stomach beyond the feeling of "full" and this can lead to vomiting, particularly when the stomach is already upset from the gastric fluids having prolonged contact with the stomach lining. These measures are not necessary when serving wet food.

4. Serving more frequent meals will often solve a problem involving chronic vomiting of a yellow fluid, since food will be in the stomach more often and this prevents the gastric fluids from upsetting the empty stomach. In cases where more frequent meals do not improve the situation, additional measures will be required, as this can indicate an overproduction of stomach acids and bile.

5. If more frequent meals do not solve the problem of a yellow liquid vomit, this usually indicates an overproduction of stomach acid and bile. To treat this, over-the-counter medication will be required and in most cases, this is very successful in resolving the problem when the medication is paired with frequent feedings. Pepcid AC or a similar famotidine medication like Zantac will treat the problem of excess bile and digestive fluids. The typical dose is 0.25 milligrams to 0.5 milligrams for each one pound of body weight, given every 12 hours.

6. If more frequent feedings and a medication like Pepcid AC do not solve the issue of chronic vomiting involving a yellow fluid, this can indicate a more serious underlying problem that must be addressed with a veterinarian. Fortunately, veterinarians say that most cases of chronic vomiting involving a yellow fluid are solved with the above-mentioned measures, therefore additional investigation into the situation is not required.

Tips & Warnings

• Give Pepcid AC and other medications just before a meal.
• Put the pills inside a spoonful of peanut butter or cream cheese to make for easier dosing.
• Always consult your veterinarian before giving medications to a pet, especially if the dog is already on medication, as this will ensure that there is no adverse effects due to a drug interaction.
• When in doubt, contact your veterinarian concerning a dog's health problems. An examination performed by a licensed veterinarian is the only way to obtain a firm diagnosis when it comes to a pet's illness.

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[natlog]

on 9/29/2009 I had this problem with my dog, and solved it by replacing her old, concrete dish, which had gotten rough in the bottom, with a new, plastic dish. Apparently either bacteria were collecting there where they were difficult to scrub out, or chemicals from the exposed concrete were affecting her. Replacing the dish stopped the problem immediately. Plastic also can crack and get rough eventually, providing a hiding place for bacteria. Stainless steel would probably be the best, except both tend to travel across the floor when the dog is eating. A rubber mat, or putting the plastic and stainless steel dishes inside the concrete dish might help.