Why is my dog throwing up undigested food hours after eating?

Pets Can Smile – 29 April 2024

Your dog just vomited.

The dog happily consumed a meal several hours ago… but now the poor thing is throwing up.

What’s happening?

Why is my dog throwing up undigested food hours after eating?

In short, your dog is throwing up undigested food hours after eating for one of the following reasons:

• Eating too fast
• Blockage in the esophagus
• Poisoning
• Health issues

But there is more you need to know!

This is why this article will tell you everything you need to know about:

• How to prevent future vomiting
• How to support your dog after vomiting
• When to see a vet

Yes, occasional throwing up of undigested food is usually not a problem.  

But continuous or frequent vomiting may mean that your beloved pet is in trouble.

VIDEO: Why dogs throw up after eating and how to prevent it

Your dog’s digestive system

Dogs chew food in their mouths, just like most mammals (including humans). Enzymes in dog’s saliva help with the chewing business. The enzymes help break down food into smaller bits.   

The chewed food then passes into the dog’s esophagus and from there into the stomach. In the stomach, food is treated with strong stomach acids. 

Next, what’s left of the food is sent through the dog’s intestines, where the rest of the nutrients are extracted and distributed to many parts of the dog’s body. Anything that’s left after that will exit via the dog’s rear end – on your new carpet, most likely.  

That’s the end of the eating story. 

But not always. 

Because your dog can throw up: 

• Partially digested food hours after a meal 
• Undigested food shortly after a meal
• Undigested food several hours after eating

Also, did your dog just vomit? 

Or did it regurgitate? 

Because there is a difference – and an important one. 

This is getting interesting.

Dog vomiting and regurgitation are two very different things. 

And yes, every dog owner should know the difference. 

Vomiting

Vomiting is an active process. Stomach contractions force stomach content out of the dog’s stomach and back into the esophagus and mouth. 

In fact, the vomit can come either from the dog’s upper small intestine or stomach. 

The thrown-up content on your new carpet will be partially digested. The vomit can include bile, water, and half-digested food debris. The content will be mushy and typically yellow in color. 

You’ll also know it’s vomiting (rather than regurgitation) when the dog throws up food several hours after feeding, rather than shortly after the dog wolfed down the meal. 

And you may hear those curious “gluck, gluck, gluck” sounds coming out of your dog just before it starts vomiting.  

By the way, you can reduce the risk of vomiting if you follow the correct feeding schedule. Check here to see feeding chart for Vizslas.

Regurgitation

Regurgitation is a passive process. When dogs regurgitate their food, you won’t see any contractions in the dog’s stomach. 

The dog simply lowers its head and returns food with little or no warning. No curious sounds, no retching. The expelled food is undigested and tube-shaped and it may still look and smell like dog food.  

The next sentence comes with a trigger warning! 

Because the freshly returned food is still fresh and undigested, many dogs will eat it again.

You’ll also know your dog regurgitates – rather than vomits – when the dog brings up food shortly after eating it, rather than several hours after.  

Please note that although regurgitation usually happens immediately after eating food or fluids, it may also occur several hours after. This means your judgement whether your dog is vomiting or regurgitating can’t be solely based on the timing of the throwing up episode. 

Should I be concerned if my dog is throwing up undigested food?

You should be concerned if your dog starts throwing up undigested food continuously (can’t stop vomiting) or several times a day. 

Your dog may seem fine, but frequent or continuous throwing up of undigested food may indicate a serious problem – more on this in the next part of this article. 

Meantime, check out these key warning signs that may suggest visiting your vet.

Frequent or chronic vomiting

If your dog can’t stop vomiting or vomits more than once, the dog’s gut may be obstructed by a foreign body.   

And take note when your dog’s belly gets bloated and the dog is trying to puke with little or no success.

Some dogs can also vomit after eating peanut butter. You check here to see if your dog can eat peanut butter.

Strange behavior after vomiting

If your dog seems weak or disoriented after vomiting, there is a risk of serious health problems. 

But even slight changes such as a sudden loss of interest in favorite treats or playing with you shouldn’t be ignored. 

In other words, if your dog is suddenly no longer food motivated during plays or training, contact your vet.

You can also check here to see what you can do if your dog is no longer food motivated during training sessions.  

Blood in vomit  

Another red flag is when your dog’s vomit contains blood. This may look like coffee grounds or bloody diarrhea. 

Other symptoms

You should start paying attention when the vomiting comes with other worrying signs such as lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, or changes in behavior like guarding food but not eating. 

We recommend that you check here to see what you can do if your dog is suddenly guarding food but not eating.

And lastly

You know your dog better than anyone else. So if you feel that your dog is unwell, get help for your furry friend. More detail on this later. 

And now let’s see what exactly may be happening to your poor dog. 

Why is my dog throwing up undigested food hours after eating – 28 possible causes

Your dog’s life and comfort may depend on your understanding of why the poor thing is throwing up so frequently. 

1. Simple digestive upset

If your dog has just vomited digested food, and this happens only occasionally, your dog is most likely totally fine. 

Occasional vomiting of digested food is usually triggered by your dog overeating or eating something hard to digest. 

Such single episodes of vomiting of fully digested food usually resolve within 24 to 48 hours.  

Speaking of digestive upset, note that there are dog food brands that make high-quality food for dogs with sensitive stomachs. One such brand is Hill’s, whose food we recently rated as the best food for Pomskies with sensitive stomach. And yes, this particular food is also suitable for many other dog breeds.

2. Dietary sensitivity

Your dog can also throw up food when you start it on a new food or food supplement.

The dog’s immune system reacts to foreign proteins and just throws them up. Apart from vomiting, the dog can also get diarrhea. 

Speaking of diarrhea, you can check here to see if adding water to dry dog food can cause diarrhea.

3. Esophageal obstruction

Esophageal obstruction happens when something is blocking the esophagus. This can be anything, from paper plates to toys to bones. 

It goes without saying that esophageal obstruction is quite dangerous. Not only food can’t pass but the obstruction can perforate the dog’s esophagus. 

It’s worth noting that esophageal obstruction can also result from cancer, where a tumor is blocking the passage of food. 

4. Megaesophagus

Dogs that frequently regurgitate undigested food may suffer from megaesophagus.

Dogs suffering from megaesophagus have dilated esophagus. This weakens the muscles of the esophagus. As a result, food can’t move through the esophagus easily. This can cause frequent regurgitation of undigested food. 

Dogs can also suffer from megaesophagus as a result of wear and tear after years of excessive pulling on the collar. 

But megaesophagus can also be caused by: 

• Nerve damage from a foreign body in the dog’s esophagus
• A low-functioning adrenal gland (Addison’s disease)
• Hypothyroidism 
• Dysautonomia

Yes, that’s quite a list.  

5. Other issues with the esophagus

In addition to the megaesophagus, a dog can suffer from swallowing defects, such as esophageal or cricopharyngeal achalasia. 

Then there is the neuromuscular disease called myasthenia gravis, which may also cause problems in the dog’s esophagus, leading to regurgitation of undigested foods.

Elderly dogs can also suffer from laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy. This condition can cause a wide range of problems, including noisy breathing, trouble with breathing, hoarse barking, coughing, or gagging with or without regurgitation.

6. Congenital disease of heart blood vessels

When a puppy is regurgitating food at weaning, you should check if it doesn’t suffer from persistent right aortic arch. 

And what exactly is persistent right aortic arch? 

When an embryonic branch of the aorta (a heart blood vessel) fails to regress, it can push on the esophagus and block food from passing through to the stomach. 

By the way, puppies are also susceptible to tear stains. You can check here to see what dog food won’t cause tear stains in your puppy.

7. Acid reflux

Acid reflux occurs when gastric acid from the stomach leaks into the dog’s esophagus. This can cause esophagus irritation and even inflammation. Your dog can then regurgitate food when the food comes into contact with the irritated parts of the esophagus.

A dog suffering from acid reflux will usually throw up bile of partially digested food at night. Yellow bile in the vomit indicates that the dog’s small intestine is refluxing bile into the stomach.  

8. Gastric hypomotility

Gastric hypomotility typically occurs in older dogs. This condition results in dogs vomiting undigested or partially-digested food hours after a meal. 

Gastric hypomotility can be caused by stomach issues or by other disorders coming from outside of the gastrointestinal tract.  

Luckily, there are dog food manufacturers who make high-quality food specifically designed for older dogs. One such brand is Orijen, whose food we recently rated as the best dog food for senior German Shorthaired Pointers.

9. Gastritis

Gastritis occurs when the lining of your dog’s stomach becomes inflamed or irritated. Gastritis can be caused by ingesting foreign objects, eating spoiled food or liquid, or by viral or bacterial infections like parvovirus. 

Dogs that suffer from gastritis will puke to get rid of whatever is causing the stomach’s upset.   

10. Stomach ulcers

Ulcers are sores or wounds. Ulcers can form in the dog’s stomach or intestines.

And how does your poor dog get ulcers? 

Your dog can develop ulcers from infections, medications, and other factors. 

11. Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is another condition that can make your dog throw up undigested food. 

IBD is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the dog’s digestive tract. Apart from vomiting, IBD can lead to diarrhea and other digestive issues.  

You can check here to see how to reduce the duration of diarrhea by feeding your dog green bananas.

12. Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the dog’s pancreas. This condition is often triggered by your dog eating a high-fat meal. 

The acute version of pancreatitis can make your dog very sick, from loss of appetite to severe vomiting to a painful belly and fever. 

Pancreatitis also comes in a low-grade, chronic version. Dogs with this version of pancreatitis still suffer from inflamed pancreas but have fewer and more periodical pain and nausea episodes coupled with intermittent vomiting.   

Did you know that some dog foods can actually cause pancreatitis? Check this article about lamb dog food to find out more about this.

13. Intestinal parasites

If your dog suffers from lethargy, diarrhea, or loss of appetite, its intestines may be hosting parasites like whipworms, roundworms, or hookworms. These intestinal parasites can cause a dog to vomit. 

When you see worm segments in your dog’s vomit or stool, you can confidently suspect your dog suffers from intestinal parasites. 

By the way, parasites can also cause your dog to start walking slowly with its head down. Check here to find out more.

14. Poisoning 

Your dog will also start vomiting if it ingests toxins, such as household cleaning products, pesticides, antifreeze, certain plants, rat poison, or certain medications (e.g. acetaminophen). 

After eating such toxins, your dog can start drooling, swaying, and even collapse. This is an emergency. Call your vet. 

15. Motion sickness 

Yes, your dog can experience motion sickness. So if your dog pukes during or after a car ride, motion sickness is very likely the cause. 

Your vet can recommend preventive measures or prescribe medication to help your dog feel better in a car.  

Many dogs suffer from motion sickness during car rides. You can check here our dog training checklist to see how to train your dog to avoid health issues in a car and more.

16. Food allergies

Vomiting is a common sign of food allergies. Your dog can be allergic to foods such as chicken, beef, pork, soy, or wheat. 

In addition to vomiting, food allergies can also cause diarrhea, itchy skin, and weight loss.

Your vet will be able to help you with food trials to see which foods trigger food allergies.  

By the way, there are already dog food brands that make high-quality food for dogs with food allergies. One such brand is Royal Canin, whose dry food we recently rated as the best food for Dobermans with allergies.

17. Possible blockage

Your dog can suffer from a gastric outflow obstruction. 

A gastric outflow obstruction is a blockage at the level of the pylorus, which is the outlet of the stomach. When this happens, food can’t exit the dog’s stomach and it’s pushed back up, resulting in vomiting.  

Your dog can also suffer from bloat called gastric dilatation-volvulus. In this case, the stomach becomes enlarged and twisted. And yes, this requires immediate veterinary intervention. 

18. Liver disease

The liver helps with digestion and filtering of toxins from the dog’s body.

When a dog’s liver stops working properly, it can affect digestion and cause vomiting. 

19. Kidney disease

The kidneys help filter waste products from the dog’s blood and regulate water balance in the body. 

Toxins will build up in the dog’s system if the kidneys stop working correctly. This will affect a dog’s overall health and your dog might vomit.    

20. Spleen issues

The spleen helps filter the blood. It also helps fight infections. 

If the spleen gets damaged, including spleen enlargement and rupture, your dog will most likely start vomiting. 

21. Urogenital disease

Problems in the dog’s urinary or reproductive system can be caused by bladder stones or urinary tract infections. These problems can lead to vomiting. 

22. Pyloric stenosis 

When the opening between the stomach and the small intestines becomes too narrow or blocked, your dog could be suffering from pyloric stenosis. 

This narrowing or blockage can make it difficult for food to pass through. This may cause your dog to bring up after eating. 

Pyloric stenosis is most often seen in young, short-nosed breeds, such as Pugs or small Bulldogs. 

23. Gastric neoplasia and tumors

Just like humans, your dog can also develop tumors in its stomach or other parts of its digestive system. 

Such tumors can disrupt the functioning of the digestive system and cause vomiting. 

Dogs with tumors can also become incontinent and poop in their crates. This may lead to a dangerous poop-eating behavior.

24. Stress

Is your dog living a stressful life? Hopefully not. 

But just to make sure, here are a few reasons why a dog might get stressed out:  

• Quick or big changes in life
• Exposure to frightening noises
• Fear of being left alone

Such stress can cause many negative symptoms in dogs, including vomiting of undigested food. 

25. Eating too fast 

You rarely see a dog taking time with its food. 

But some dogs eat really fast. 

Some even seem to “inhale” food without bothering to chew at all.

If your dog swallows food that fast, you need to start working on breaking this eating habit. This is because eating too fast can choke your dog or cause other life-threatening conditions. 

For example, eating too fast (swallowing food) can bloat your dog. Bloating in dogs can twist the stomach, leading to severe pain. Bloating can also trigger vomiting of undigested food.  

26. Eating non-food objects 

Your dog ate something it shouldn’t have?

If it’s any consolation, one of the most common causes of vomiting in dogs is eating non-food objects. Eating such foreign bodies is called dietary indiscretion. 

Yes, your dog’s lunch may include garbage, socks, bones, sticks, stones, and batteries. And much more!

27. Too much activity right after eating 

That’s right, don’t take your dog for jogging right after it wolfed down a big meal. 

All that foot sloshing around your dog’s stomach may get suddenly expelled on your new trainers. 

28. Eating human food

Human foods such as chocolate, garlic, onion, nuts, and grapes are toxic to dogs. Your dog will most likely vomit after eating any of these snacks. 

Managing your dog’s throwing-up issues

Prevention is better than cure, so let’s quickly see how you can help your pup avoid regurgitation. 

Help your dog slow down

You can slow your dog down at the table by engaging it in an interesting conversation. About the new range of dog collars, for example. 

But the best way to help your dog slow down with their food is to serve its food in a special slow-feeding food bowl. These bowls are divided into small sections or have small obstacle shapes sticking out. All this will make it quite difficult for your dog to devour all the food in just one or two goes.  

By the way, you can make your own version of the slow-feeding bowl. Just grab a muffin tin or a pan that’s divided into small sections. Next, spread your dog’s food evenly throughout this tin or pan. This should slow your dog down nicely. 

Give your dog the right size of bones

Raw meaty bones or recreational bones may trigger regurgitation. This is especially common for dogs that gulp their food. If your dog is such a gulper, it will swallow the bone whole, after which it will more often than not throw it up. 

So make sure that you always give your dog the right size of bones. 

Oh, and never give your dog rawhides or cooked or smoked bones. 

Soak kibble

If you give your dog any type of kibble or compressed food, add warm water and let it soak for about 10 to 15 minutes. Adding some moisture will help your dog get the kibble down. 

Instead of warm water, you can also use bone broth as a more nutritious alternative. 

Feed your dog nutritious foods

Balanced dog food packed with rich nutrients will ensure your dog’s digestive system works like clockwork. No regurgitation, no vomiting. 

Here are a few things to look for on the dog food labels: 

If you want to take it to the next level (and can afford it), look for food containing gluten-free whole fruits, whole grains, whole vegetables, fiber, antioxidants, lean protein, and healthy fats. Dogs feel the difference between poor and quality ingredients.

It’s not always easy to tell if your dog’s vomiting is a serious problem or not. But remember, if in doubt, always take your dog to a vet. 

This is what Dr Katie Swales, a vet at Rainbow Vet in Darlington (PA), has to say about this: 

So yes, you can’t always prevent a dog from vomiting. 

But you can certainly reduce the frequency and severity of it. 

And you can help your dog recover after vomiting. 

Here are a few tips on how to prevent dog vomiting: 

Preventive healthcare 

The most effective way of preventing vomiting is to protect your dog from getting sick in the first place. 

In the words of Scheibe (DVM): “Be sure to keep your dog up-to-date on vaccinations to prevent parvo and give them monthly preventives for worms and other parasites that can cause vomiting.”

Safe environment

Here are a few examples of how to prevent your dog from eating socks, slippers, and other non-food items: 

• Keep laundry basket, closet, and bedroom doors closed at all times
• Secure garbage bins with tight-fitting lids
• Make sure your dog has no access to any medications, household cleaning products, pesticides, rat poison, and more
• Keep tempting foods and treats hidden from your dog

Safe and healthy diet

Good nutrition is key to your dog’s health. 

Your vet can help you with choosing the right food if your dog is prone to vomiting or started vomiting recently. 

For example, dogs with sensitive stomachs, food allergies, or chronic diseases may puke frequently. So avoid dog food that’s high in fat (e.g. some commercial kibble). Also, consider switching to balanced, whole-food meal options. 

Some dogs may be also sensitive to common proteins which may trigger vomiting. In this case, consider different proteins such as venison or pork. 

You can also try low-residue food. This is usually low-fiber, easily digestible foods made from fresh, whole ingredients. These foods maximize nutrient absorption without upsetting dogs’ stomachs. As per Scheibe: “Whole foods are more digestible than kibble and generally well tolerated by dogs with gastrointestinal sensitivities.” 

Red flags

Watch for these red flags which may indicate serious health problems for your dog: 

• Excessive drooling
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Sudden weight loss

Also. you can check here to see why your dog may be throwing out or just spitting out food and what to do about it.

Yes, you may want to take a closer look at the pile your dog left for you. 

Here are a few clues that may help you understand why your dog is vomiting.

• Strong-smelling vomit: No vomit smells like roses, but vomit with a particularly strong odor may indicate a serious health problem.

• Chunky vomit: Large chunks of stomach content indicate that your dog has eaten something inedible. This can range from paper plates to stuffed toys to the only copy of your doctoral dissertation.    

• Dark brown or black vomit: Vomit is typically yellow, so dark brown or black color may suggest blood in the vomit. 

• Liquidly yellow or green vomit: A vomit with small amounts of yellow or green liquid that looks like foam may indicate that your dog is hungry. 

In fact, dogs’ bodies routinely produce such yellow or green bile when a dog is anticipating a meal. 

Still, dogs may also produce bile when trying to throw up a foreign object stuck in their stomach. 

Dog vomiting can be normal to a certain extent. 

But if your dog is throwing up food continuously or frequently, it’s time to see a vet. 

Here are a few symptoms that may require vet intervention:

• Dog is vomiting frequently or continuously (can’t stop throwing up) 
• Vomiting large quantities at once
• Vomiting white foam
• Reduced eating
• Refusal to drink water
• Vomiting blood
• Diarrhea 
• Fever
• Seizures 

Tell your vet everything. Meaning, describe in detail what’s happening to your dog. 

Also, show a video of the vomiting episode if you recorded it. 

Here is a quick list of what may happen at the vet: 

Physical Exam

Your vet will usually start with a physical examination. This will include feeling your dog’s stomach and intestines. 

A physical exam can even help your vet determine if there is a foreign body in the dog’s stomach or intestines. 

Blood Tests

Blood tests may be the second step after a physical examination. Here, the vet may create a complete blood count biochemistry profile and/or thyroid profile. 

The complete blood count biochemistry profile will help confirm or rule out any metabolic diseases. 

The thyroid profile will confirm or exclude other conditions. 

Overall, blood tests will help uncover any underlying medical conditions, such as liver disease, kidney failure, and gastrointestinal tract issues.   

Barium Swallow Test

The Barium Swallow Test will help determine if your dog is suffering from esophageal issues, such as megaesophagus or upper blockage. In short, your dog will be asked to swallow barium to see if this liquid can make it through the digestive system normally.  

Barium ingestion will be followed by a series of X-rays to see how the liquid passes through the dog’s esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

X-rays

Your vet may order X-rays to see if there are any foreign bodies in your dog’s digestive system. 

X-rays may also be used if your vet suspects aspiration pneumonia. 

Ultrasound

A tummy ultrasound can be crucial in assessing your dog’s stomach, intestines, and other internal organs. 

But note that the vet may refer your dog to a specialist ultrasound assessment. 

Endoscopy

The vet may also suggest an endoscopy. This will entail using a tiny camera to examine the dog’s esophagus and intestines. 

But note that a dog’s endoscopy is usually insufficient to diagnose all digestive problems. This is why endoscopy may be followed by small biopsies. Biopsy involves removing a tiny piece of dog’s tissue for further examination under a microscope.

Referral to a specialist

In more complex cases, your veterinarian may refer your dog to a specialist clinic. 

For example, the vet may refer your dog to an Internal Medicine Specialist. 

Things to note

Some of the above tests may require your pet to undergo sedation or general anesthesia. This may significantly increase the cost of treatment. 

Note that your vet may recommend probiotic supplements to improve your pup’s digestive health. You can check here to see how long it takes for probiotics to work in dogs.

Around two years ago, my male German Shepherd (Max) started burping a lot during the day. 

During the night, Max would wake me up with loud vomiting of partially digested food (7-8 hours after the dog’s last meal). 

So I took my dog to a vet. 

The vet prescribed Pepcid.

Unfortunately, Pepcid didn’t help my dog at all 

So my vet referred us to an Internal Medicine Specialist. They did an ultrasound, which showed that Max was suffering from mild pancreatitis. They recommended switching to a lower-fat food. 

They also prescribed Prilosec (omeprazole) and Reglan (metoclopramide). 

The dietary change and the new medication did the trick! Max hasn’t vomited since. Well, not acutely at least. There’s the occasional (and normal) strong burp that can sometimes expel small amounts of food.   

Final word

When my dog started throwing up undigested food, I naturally became very concerned. 

And it was truly heartbreaking to watch my dog suffer. 

Understandably, my first question was: Why is my dog throwing up undigested food hours after eating? 

This is why I decided to write this article. 

So that more dog owners can better understand the dog’s vomiting causes, symptoms, and solutions. 

In short, your dog is throwing up undigested food hours after eating for one of the following reasons:

• Eating too fast
• Blockage in the esophagus
• Poisoning
• Health issues

But there is more you need to know!

This is why this article also told you everything you need to know about:

• How to prevent future vomiting
• How to support your dog after vomiting
• When to see a vet

Yes, occasional throwing up of undigested food is usually not a problem.  

But continuous or frequent vomiting may mean that your beloved pet is in trouble.

Hopefully, you’re now better equipped to help your four-legged friend when the vomiting strikes.