Your pet vomiting is undoubtedly one of the most common, but most vague clinical concerns with which our pets can present. So, vomiting, should you be concerned?
The short answer is yes, you should absolutely be concerned. The long answer is yes, you should probably be concerned, but maybe it’s not a true emergency.
Vomiting is never normal, but certainly the level of concern over vomiting can vary wildly. A single, isolated instance in the absence of any other concerns may be due to something as simple as motion sickness or a pet eating something that ‘upset their tummy and I suspect that we veterinarians don’t often see these patients in a clinic setting’. However, repeated vomiting or vomiting in conjunction with other clinical concerns such as diarrhea, lethargy, inappetence or abdominal pain can be a much scarier situation that warrants immediate intervention. The list of possible causes can be frustratingly long and include anything from gastrointestinal obstructions to cancer to endocrine disease. So when should you bring your pet to the vet?
While it is never wrong to bring your vomiting pet to see their vet, here are some clinical concerns and rough guidelines to help determine how concerned you should be.
- Abdominal or other pain
Does your pet seem uncomfortable? Are they unsettled at home? Pacing? Panting? Do they seem unable to find a peaceful position in which to rest? Is your couch potato dog sprawled across the hard floor? Or your box occupying kitty hiding in a closet? Any change in behavior or comfort level in addition to vomiting raises concern considerably.
- Persistent vomiting
Did you pet vomit once and then return to normal? Or have the vomited 6 times in 2 hours? These situations obviously carry very different levels of concern. The more frequent the vomiting or the longer it continues the more concerned you should be.
- Loss of appetite
Your labrador is vomiting and not eating? Ok, I’m officially concerned. In reality, loss of appetite, whether related to vomiting or not, is always a concern. If your pet’s loss of or decreased appetite persists more than a very short period we want to see them.
- Concerning contents in vomit
If your pet’s vomit contains blood, foreign material (toys, trash, toxins, etc), or other unexplained contents, we want to see them.
- Any vomiting in pediatric patients
Young patients get sick quickly and progress in severity rapidly. In addition, if the pet is young enough to have not completed their vaccine series they will be highly susceptible to contagious and potentially life threatening diseases such as parvovirus. Vomiting in young patients should always be taken seriously.
You know your pet better than anyone else on Earth. If you’re concerned, we’re concerned and want to see them. Please understand that your veterinary care team will never downplay the importance of vomiting as a concern and will always be happy to help determine why your pet is vomiting.
