10 things that will cause irreparable harm to your dog's stomach

The digestion process is complex and consists of several main and intermediate stages. A failure at a certain stage will lead to problems for subsequent ones, resulting in disruption of the entire digestive system.

So that your pet does not suffer from various types of problems related to food intake, and you do not rush from article to article in search of a solution, we have collected and structured all the necessary information in one place.

Time it takes for food to enter the stomach

It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how long it takes for food to pass into the intestines and be digested. Let's divide it into subparagraphs:

Volume

The more you eat at one time, the longer it will take to digest. This is due to the ratio of the amount of food and the volume of secretion of gastric juice, bile, and digestive enzymes. Moreover, a large volume of food puts pressure on the walls of the stomach, which leads to increased blood pressure.

Nutrient type and consistency

• Carbohydrates , foods of plant origin, cereals, etc., take longer to digest, since the length of the intestines in dogs, its microflora and the composition of enzymes are more suitable for quickly digesting foods of animal origin.
• Squirrels . Digested much faster than any other nutrients. Their digestibility depends on the fat content of the meat; leaner meat is digested and absorbed more easily than pork and lamb.
• Fats . Absorbed a little faster than proteins. The dog's body digests only animal fats, while vegetable fats are excreted in urine and feces. In other words, the more carbohydrates in a meal and the less fat and protein, the more food will be digested.

Liquid food , such as cereals, soups, broths, will be digested faster, since it has already been partially “digested” by the heat treatment process.

Activity

If your dog is fidgety, constantly on the move, and does not sit still, then he will digest food faster because he has an increased metabolic rate, as well as an increased need for these same substances.

Diseases and failures

If there is a problem with the digestive system, external signs (vomiting, expectoration, bloating) may not appear , but internal signs (bloating, constipation, dysbacteriosis) may be present and slow down the digestion of food.

Polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam

Styrofoam and foam make interesting rustling sounds that can attract your pet. Therefore, if a home is being renovated using these materials, they should not be left unattended. Dry polyurethane foam and polystyrene foam can cause intestinal obstruction. They are also toxic materials and can be absorbed into the blood and negatively affect the body, causing poisoning. If the pieces of material eaten were small, they will come out naturally, but if they were large, then there is a high risk of poisoning.

Polyurethane foam that has not yet hardened is especially dangerous for animals. The dog can lick it off while it is still liquid, but due to its properties it will begin to expand and harden. And this can already lead to more serious problems. The foam can simply stick to the wall of the stomach and expand in volume, causing the animal to feel ill, refuse to eat, and have a bloated belly. Without veterinary care, death is possible.

Differences in the causes of vomiting and regurgitation

Vomiting is a mechanism of emergency emptying of the stomach through spasm of smooth muscles. This process is provided by nature in case a toxic or foreign substance enters the stomach.

REFERENCE! The peripheral immune system of the stomach detects harmful microorganisms and eliminates them in this way, and also enters them into a “registry” so that when they subsequently enter the body, they are eliminated before they enter the stomach.

If a dog vomits after eating regular undigested food that does not contain toxic components, this indicates that the immune system has failed and the intestinal microflora perceives all elements as foreign. You need to contact a veterinarian.

Regurgitation is a reflex process that starts when:

1. Getting food or liquid into the windpipe;
2. Swallowing hard, too dry, powdery foods;
3. When the piece became across the throat;
4. When a pet has eaten too much, the stomach swells and gases, which are released during the processing of food by enzymes, leave the stomach through the esophagus;
5. If the dog was hungry and attacked the plate, swallowing it in a matter of minutes, it swallowed air, which entered the stomach in large quantities, and now it comes out along with food particles, causing belching.

Causes

The gag reflex is a mechanism of the body's defense reaction necessary for the removal of toxic and poisonous chemicals and foreign objects. Vomiting allows you to cleanse yourself and prevent possible complications from intoxication and infectious diseases.

The causes of vomiting in dogs are determined by the presence of physiological or pathological factors. The basic reasons that provoke the condition that a dog vomits are:

• infectious processes of a viral and bacterial nature provoke vomiting and diarrhea in the dog;
• acute poisoning of the body with poor-quality food and products from the human table (often animals are poisoned with food taken from trash cans or picked up on the street);
• foreign objects that enter the gastrointestinal tract from the environment and block the lumen of the esophagus, stomach or intestines (in addition to the fact that the dog vomits after eating undigested food, the pet is diagnosed with a cough, which allows you to get rid of the stuck foreign body);
• toxic substances penetrating through the respiratory tract - these can be caustic chemicals that irritate the mucous membrane of the respiratory system, causing coughing and vomiting with foam in the dog;
• helminthiases in dogs provoke disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system (roundworms that cluster in balls provoke blockage of the lumen of the small intestines, causing a condition where the dog vomits mucus);
• intestinal obstruction caused by tumor processes in the digestive system (the dog vomits even water, especially noticeable in the case when the pathological process is located in the esophagus or stomach);
• a large amount of food consumed by the pet at one time (this condition leads to overstretching of the stomach walls, provoking a gag reflex and eruption of gastric contents);
• allergic reactions cause constant vomiting, accompanied by a general deterioration in the condition of the animal’s body against the background of dehydration;
• stressful conditions - a dog can get sick due to stress due to a long absence of the owner, due to punishment or other emotional stress experienced (stressful conditions provoke spasms of smooth muscles, causing contractions of the stomach walls and causing vomiting);
• various destructive processes developing in the structures of the brain - as a rule, in most cases are provoked by mechanical injuries, infectious lesions of bacterial and viral origin.

Vomiting in a dog, characterized by the appearance of white foam, is called hungry in veterinary circles. It occurs more often when the animal feels severe hunger for a long time.

This is due to the fact that in order to neutralize hydrochloric acid, which is constantly produced in the stomach even without food, a special secretion is produced that creates a specific protective film that prevents self-corrosion by gastric juice.

If a dog vomits white foam with mucus, this indicates that the pet has been without food for a long time.

If a dog does not eat for a long time and then begins to eat food, it may develop bloat. In cases where vomiting does not occur on its own to alleviate the condition, the dog eats grass and then vomits it, thus trying to get rid of excess food.

There are a number of factors that provoke vomiting, indicating the development of a pathological condition in the animal’s body associated with dysfunction of internal organs and systems. Basic signs of vomiting with impurities, indicating the development of pathology:

• vomiting blood in a dog signals the development of diabetes mellitus, malignant neoplasms in the digestive system, ulcerative lesions and hemorrhages in the stomach or esophagus;
• the appearance of yellow vomiting is diagnosed in dogs with diagnosed malignant neoplasms in the liver and gallbladder;
• vomiting with bile (yellow), occurs in the frequency of clinical cases in dogs with blockages of the lumen of the small or large intestine, as well as in severe pathological conditions of the liver structures;
• the appearance of frequent and regular vomiting, which is accompanied by dyspeptic disorders (while the dog smells ammonia from the mouth), indicates problems of the renal system (kidney failure);
• green vomit indicates the presence of a pathological process in the duodenum;
• Frequent, repeated vomiting of bile in a dog indicates inflammatory processes in the pancreas or gallbladder (if the dog vomits yellow foam, the cause may be hepatic colic).

Why does this happen immediately after the dog has eaten?

If your pet has not previously experienced bouts of vomiting after eating, then there is no need to worry - most likely, it was provoked by one of these factors :

• Eating grass. All green plants are poorly digested and release a substance that irritates the intestinal walls.
• Binge eating. The volume of food is too large and it literally rises to the throat.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding . Toxicosis is observed quite often in lactating and pregnant mammals and is caused by hormonal changes.
• Motion sickness on the road. Like people, dogs are also susceptible to motion sickness and “sea sickness,” which affects the vestibular system, which sends out random, chaotic signals, confusing the nervous system.
• Haste while eating. Food arrives faster than gastric juice is released, which is why it is rejected by the stomach when it touches its bare walls.
• The dog choked or choked after swallowing a large or rough piece of food.
• Active behavior after eating. If after a meal the pet goes for a walk, swim, or play, the food in the stomach will succumb to vibrations and shaking, which will slow down or stop the digestion process.
• Heatstroke. Overheating increases blood pressure, as a result of which organ tissues are supplied with blood worse and work more slowly.
• If you have a male who senses a female and is eager to go outside, he will experience a loss of appetite. If you still managed to feed him by deception (for example, adding his favorite treat to his food), he will vomit, since all systems are configured for mating, and not for digesting food.

The dog ate hot food and started vomiting

Disturbances in the digestion of food and the appearance of a gag reflex with subsequent eruption of gastric contents are quite common in dogs. It is affected by diet, vaccinations, stress and illness.

Vomiting is a reflex that develops when centers in the cerebral cortex are irritated. Food and gastric juice splash out during sudden contractions of the muscle fibers of the peritoneum. During the eruption of stomach contents in pets, a large amount of saliva is observed.

It is important to remember that vomiting is a full-blown illness. This is a specific symptom of possible disorders in the dog’s body.

Eruption of gastric contents without all sorts of impurities - blood, bile acids, occurs in dogs as a result of prolonged fasting or during overeating. The appearance of a gag reflex can be triggered by hormonal changes in the animal’s body (more often diagnosed in females).

The appearance of various impurities (blood, bile, mucus) in the erupted vomit indicates the beginning of the pathological process. In this case, it is important to bring the dog to a veterinary clinic or call a veterinary specialist to your home (explaining the nature of the pet’s manifestations).

Self-diagnosis, and even more so treatment, is fraught with the development of serious consequences, including the death of the pet.

What to do if you feel sick every time?

If vomiting accompanies every meal, the reasons may be the following :

• incorrectly selected food;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• there is still undigested food in the intestines;
• foreign object in the stomach or intestines;
• allergies to certain foods;
• taking vitamins or medications.

Feed ingredients that cause nausea

1. First of all, synthetic filler . Pay attention to the first element in the feed. According to standards, ingredients are arranged in descending order by weight. If soy comes first, this is the most abundant component in the feed. Good fillers are cereals, corn fiber, poultry bone meal. Cheap food uses “plant by-products” - this is a poor quality base that can cause nausea.
2. Flavor enhancers. Sometimes they are added to feed and canned meat. A classic example is monosodium glutamate, which causes irritation of the gastric mucosa.
3. Ash. These are all inorganic elements (mineralized structures and vitamins) with which the feed is enriched. If their proportion in the food is too large, the stomach will reject them, just like a coin or stone that a dog might accidentally swallow.

How to choose a quality one?

• Pay attention to the price category and class . So-called premium food is not a treat for every day, so the price is quite high.
• Manufacturer. Trust trusted companies, test new brands with caution.
• Study the composition based on the instructions above.
• If your pet is growing up, neutered, active, or aged, choose food with the appropriate name .

How can you tell if you are vomiting undigested food?

Symptoms that indicate that food is not digested :

1. You can see the original products in the vomit.
2. After vomiting, the dog may start eating it, or go to the bowl because it is still hungry.
3. Breathing quickens, hypoxia occurs (lack of oxygen in tissues) , because all the blood rushes to the stomach to eliminate the problem.
4. Decreased body temperature, cold sweat.
5. The dog may begin to whine or whine.
6. "Glass Eyes"
7. Increased salivation.

ATTENTION! If you find blood in your vomit, this may indicate inflammatory processes in the digestive organs, damage to the walls of the stomach, or internal bleeding. It is recommended to consult a doctor immediately.

Characteristic symptoms of dog poisoning

Signs of poisoning in dogs are often easily confused with other diseases. General symptoms such as refusal to eat, inactivity, lethargy, fever - these are common to many diseases. However, poisoning is characterized by some other signs that make it clear that the animal is unwell:

• diarrhea;
• vomit;
• salivation increases;
• I have a stomachache;
• muscle spasms and convulsions are possible;
• paralysis;
• in severe cases - coma;
• There are frequent cases of visual impairment;
• cardiopalmus;
• dyspnea.

If you notice all or some of the signs in your dog, you should immediately take him to the vet.

What to do if the attack does not stop?

In a situation where the dog’s gastrointestinal tract has eliminated the entire volume of food, and vomiting continues, give it water to rinse its stomach. Possible reasons:

• Most likely, some of the food remaining on the “bell” irritates it, causing a vomiting reflex.
• Violation of the water-salt balance , and as a result, loss of fluid caused a spasmodic chain reaction. In other words – convulsions. The dog should be wrapped in a warm towel in the stomach area or a heating pad should be placed.
• Extremely severe poisoning , during which the enzymatic composition of gastric juice shifted to the “protective stage”. This happens after poisoning.

Do not try to stop the vomiting, but visit a veterinarian. Until the time of the visit, do not feed your pet or give water, as it may also be perceived as poison. The veterinarian will diagnose and prescribe a course of treatment.