Vomiting is a natural reaction when the body needs to rid itself of something unfavorable. Whether it’s expired food or something that simply isn’t sitting well in the stomach, there are various reasons as to why a dog might be throwing up. Usually, dog vomiting is not a sign of anything concerning, but this isn’t to say that vomiting can’t become a significant concern.
If your dog throws up once or twice, there’s likely nothing to be worried about, but when vomiting becomes a habit, it’s time to pay closer attention to the issue. Additionally, it’s especially concerning when dogs throw up blood.
Have you noticed blood in your dog’s vomit? If so, you must seek professional guidance from a trusted veterinarian. The sooner you reach out for medical help, the sooner you can get to the root of the problem. Let’s explore many of the reasons that cause dogs to have blood in their vomit.
What Causes Dogs to Vomit Blood?
Not all cases of vomiting blood are related to an internal concern or issue. In some instances, dogs make a poor judgment call and end up eating something that they shouldn’t be consuming. This is most common amongst puppies as they are very prone to eating a foreign object that they find on the ground and swallowing partially digested items.
Have you ever taken a puppy out for an afternoon stroll and had to actively prevent them from picking up random items in their mouth? This is just one of many opportunities for younger dogs to eat something that results in them throwing up blood. However, in most cases, bloody vomit is caused by something more severe than consuming something disfavorable.
Tears in the Lining of the Dog’s Esophagus
Medically known as hematemesis, red blood in the vomit of dogs is a symptom of more than one different underlying cause. There are many reasons as to why your dog might be throwing up blood, one of which is an issue stemming from your dog’s esophagus.
Sometimes, the esophageal lining tears and starts bleeding. The blood from the lining of the esophagus ends up in the dog’s stomach, and sooner rather than later, it gets regurgitated in the form of bloody vomit.
Undiagnosed Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis
Sometimes, the underlying cause of a dog vomiting blood is a disease quite literally categorized by the fact that dogs throw up blood. Known as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, dogs diagnosed with the illness naturally throw up blood as well as excreting bloody diarrhea. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is a type of internal bleeding that originates in the gastrointestinal tract.
Internal bleeding of the gastro tract is rooted in the digestive system. Digested blood typically causes dogs to vomit the blood, and the cycle is perpetuated. Usually, dogs that are young and very small in size are at a higher risk of developing hemorrhagic gastroenteritis than bigger and older dogs.
Unfortunately, not a whole lot is known about the underlying cause behind hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. The main thought behind HGE is that a bacterial infection causes it. Another possibility is repeated exposure to a food that the dog is allergic to. It has the potential to result in hypersensitivity and yields symptoms of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis over time.
Aside from the obvious two signs of bloody diarrhea and the consistent vomiting of blood, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis also causes a decrease in a dog’s mood as well as an unavoidable odorous smell after the dog uses the bathroom. This disease is so unfortunate and devastating because it makes dogs habitually expel a concentrated amount of blood. Such heightened levels of blood loss time and time again is never good for any dog, big or small.
Canine Stomach Ulcers
Stomach ulcers are a common cause of bloody vomit in dogs and are the result of lesions made within the lining of your canine companion’s stomach.
When they form, they affect the hunger levels, appetite cues, and muscle strength of dogs. Abdominal pain is nearly always tied into situations where a dog vomiting blood is the result of a stomach ulcer.
Canine stomach ulcers are preventable and, even better, they are also treatable. The only time ulcers in the stomach are not capable of being treated is in cases where the stomach ulcer has been neglected for a long time. If they go untreated for long enough, they can cause major secondary problems for dogs, ranging from sepsis and anemia to actual holes in the stomach of your dog, which often lead to immediate death.
Liver Failure
Another reason that might be the leading cause of a dog vomiting blood is liver failure. With the liver failure in dogs, blood is not always noticeable in vomit, and vomiting might be more sporadic than it is in other instances. However, liver failure starts as liver disease, so it’s essential to get your dog tested even if it doesn’t appear to be vomiting often.
Something to keep in the forefront of your mind is that the effects of liver failure are irreversible. Acute liver failure is easier to treat than the late stages of liver disease, so act as soon as you notice the slightest hint that your dog’s liver might be failing. This isn’t intended to scare you, but rather to inform you of the seriousness of liver failure in dogs.
It all starts with the slow death of liver cells, and then scar tissue takes the place of the dead liver cells. The liver begins failing once an estimated eighty percent of your dog’s liver cells have already failed, so there is some time between the initial cell death and the onset of liver failure. But even so, the sooner the symptoms are recognized and acted upon, the better!
