Persistent Vomiting Requires Veterinary Attention

Vomiting is one of the ways in which the stomach rids itself of irritants. There are many causes of vomiting. In order to determine the cause, it is first necessary to establish whether or not the vomiting is chronic (i.e. greater than one week duration) or acute (less than one week duration). If vomiting does not resolve within a day or so, or if other symptoms develop, further evaluation by your veterinarian is necessary.

Not all vomiting patients are safe candidates for home first aid (for even 12 hours), so check with your veterinarian before administering any home therapy. Gastric dilatation volvulus, a life-threatening twist of the stomach in dogs, poisoning, vomiting in the very young, old, debilitated or immune-suppressed animals are some other examples of situations where patients should not be subjected to delayed veterinary care. Additional care and intervention is necessary for some of these conditions immediately.

Chronic gastritis occurs when the stomach is inflamed and irritated over a long period of time. This leads to chronic and episodic vomiting in dogs and cats. Pets with chronic gastritis experience intermittent vomiting, episodes occur over a period of weeks or months. Chronic gastritis is not usually associated with eating and there may or may not be concurrent appetite loss, weight loss or abdominal pain. Sometimes this type of vomiting occurs with foreign material stuck in the digestive tract, cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, food intolerance and hormonal conditions to name a few, so veterinary supervision of these patients is important.

First aid for the vomiting patient involves withholding all food and water for 12 to 24 hours.This rests the stomach and the pancreas. After witholding food and water for 12 to 24 hours, gradually provide small amounts of sugar water (e.g. 1 teaspoon of sugar to one cup of water) or electrolyte solutions frequently. If your pet keeps the liquids down and does not vomit further, you may try feeding small amounts of a bland food the next day, gradually increasing the amounts over one week. Bland foods can include boiled chicken or hamburger and rice, cooked egg, cottage cheese, baby food with meat or ideally a bland commercial diet designed for this purpose and available from your veterinarian. If either water or food is vomited at any stage, discontinue home care and contact your veterinarian.

Always use commercial bland diets for cats, rather than home made ones, since cats require high protein levels and can become depleted in key amino acids (taurine) and vitamins (B especially) unless supplements are added to home cooked meals. An exception to this suggestion is when a veterinarian provides a recipe for a complete, balanced, home-cooked, bland diet. Introduce gradually increasing portions of the usual food over the next five days.