Persistent vomiting in dogs requires immediate attention by a veterinarian. An occasional episode of vomiting with no other symptoms is not a concern, but repeated or chronic vomiting is serious and can happen for a variety of reasons.
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Food and Drugs
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The dog could have ingested spoiled food, poison, drugs or a food that is bad for it. According to vetinfo.com, there are a number of foods that dogs should never eat, including chocolate, coffee, alcohol, raisins, grapes, Macadamia nuts, onions, fatty foods, avocado, salt, yeast dough, garlic and products with artificial sweetener. The vomiting could also be due to what you are feeding it, especially if you have suddenly changed its dog food. Instead of making a sudden change in diet, mix the new food with the old food in increasing amounts over a two-week period until the dog adjusts. And just like people, dogs can have food allergies and may need to be put on a special diet by a vet.
Foreign Objects
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If a foreign object is stuck in the digestive system, surgery will be needed. Dogs sometimes ingest things such as balls, toys, coins or rocks. Such objects can lodge in the throat, causing the dog to heave and choke. Or if swallowed, the object may be too large to pass through the digestive system and can at some point get stuck. "A partial blockage in the intestines may produce vomiting, diarrhea and cramping of the abdominal muscles," says professorshouse.com. "A complete blockage will cause severe abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and repeated, frantic, projectile vomiting." Your vet will probably X-ray the dog's abdomen to see if there is an obstruction and, if so, will perform surgery to remove it.
Disease or Infection
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Repeated or chronic vomiting may be a symptom of a serious medical problem such as an infection or a disease such as stomach cancer. It could also be gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach that can be caused by eating an irritant, by a bacterial or viral infection, by parasites or by food retention (when food is not released out of the stomach in a timely manner). Gastritis can usually be treated by withholding food for 24 hours, resuming with small meals for a few days. Canismajor.com says the vomiting could also be a result of a disease affecting the kidneys, liver or pancreas such as cancer. Vomiting is also a symptom of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, which may also cause diarrhea, loss of appetite and abdominal pain. Another possibility is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition in which the dog's stomach or intestine is chronically inflamed, says peteducation.com. It is not known what causes IBD; the condition is treated with a combination of dietary changes and medication.
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