Dog throws up 3-5 times per week.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question. This is something that a lot of my clients ask me. Often we don't know why a dog will vomit a few times per week.

Here are a few thoughts.

It would be great to keep a food diary for Max. Write down EVERYTHING that he eats. Then, when he vomits write that down as well. You may start to make a connection that the vomiting is related to a particular type of treat or food that he is getting.

It's not a bad idea to try a change to a different kind of food. It's hard to know what a good food is, but three that I recommend are Iams, Royal Canin and Science Diet. Sometimes one food will sit better than another in a dog's stomach.

Is Max the type of dog that will eat toys or other things that he shouldn't? Some dogs who vomit occasionally do so because there is something stuck in their stomach. I once had a patient who was a cat who vomited every now and then. When we took xrays the cat had a stomach full of hair elastics! He needed surgery to remove them and did not vomit after that.

Some dogs will vomit if their stomach is really empty. You can try spreading out his feedings so he gets more feedings through the day. If he vomits in the morning, then try offering him some food just before bedtime.

You can also give him some famotidine (pepcid) which you can buy at the pharmacy. This is an antacid that helps with vomiting. The dose is 0.5mg per pound, so if your dog weighed 5 pounds then his dose would be 2.5mg which is 1/4 of a 10 mg tablet.

I hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.

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