Why Your Goldendoodle Keeps Throwing Up and What to Do
One of the greatest additions to a family is a Goldendoodle! They are an absolute delight around the house, that is, when they aren’t throwing up on the carpets. Getting this under control is vital to both their health, but also so everyone can get back to enjoying our playful pup.
Why Is My Goldendoodle Throwing Up?
Why is your Goldendoodle throwing up? Goldendoodles usually throw up when their stomach is irritated by long periods between feedings. Giving your Goldendoodle smaller, more frequent meals usually helps reduce vomiting. Vomiting is not typically cause for alarm in a Goldendoodle unless they are showing other symptoms of potential health issues.
If this doesn’t seem to fit what you suspect is ailing your dog, there are other possibilities that, with the right information, you can look out for and resolve yourself at home.
A Goldendoodle who’s throwing up can come down to a range of factors and vary in seriousness, from motion sickness after a car ride to an intestinal obstruction to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
Goldendoodle Puppy Keeps Throwing Up
If your Goldendoodle puppy is throwing up a lot, you need to take them to the vet immediately. Puppies can quickly become dehydrated if they are sick, and they are also prone to more life-threatening illnesses like parvovirus and intestinal parasites like roundworms than adult Goldendoodles.
Reasons Your Goldendoodle Keeps Throwing Up
The cause of vomiting that regularly happens in the early morning or late evening is likely to be nothing more than the result of having an empty stomach for a prolonged period of time.
The time between feedings without food in the dog’s stomach causes irritation as stomach acid collects. This kind of vomit is called bile, which has a yellowish color, and egg white-like, sometimes foamy texture.
If you believe your dog is throwing up bile, it’s time to start addressing the amount of time between feedings.
Treating Goldendoodle Vomitting
When planning to implement a snack between your dog’s main feedings, a small biscuit or a handful of their normal food should be perfect.
Depending on the time of day your Mini Goldendoodle tends to throw up, you can accordingly begin to feed them a small snack. Here are some more scenarios:
- If your dog throws up overnight– you will want to try the snack before bed. This way, both you and your pup will have a good night’s rest.
- If your dog throws up in the morning- a mid-day snack and later dinner may help.
- If your dog throws up mid-day- try a snack between the morning and nightly feeding.
A snack is not the perfect answer for everyone, though! If your dog appears otherwise well-nourished or gaining excess weight is a concern, one meal can be divided into two or three small, more frequent meals throughout the day.
To hear from other Golden Doodle owners who experience this common issue and how they handle it, check out this discussion forum.
Promoting Healthy Digestion In Your Goldendoodle
Preventive care is always a great approach! Regularly giving your dog probiotic supplements supports digestion as well as immune system function and overall health.
Pills can be tricky to get a dog to swallow, but these probiotic chews are easy to take down, and your dog will enjoy taking them!
Of course, you can always cover them in peanut butter for stress-free eating.
Other Non-Life-Threatening Reasons Your Goldendoodle Keeps Throwing Up
Perhaps your Goldendoodle is throwing up but not because of an empty stomach. Check out these other potential causes:
Eating After Exercise
Being fed right after a period of high activity can lead to sickness in your Goldendoodle.
Whether it was a long walk, game of fetch, or trip to the dog park, you will want to wait at least thirty minutes to prevent your dog from throwing up their food.
Eating Too Fast
Ever notice no matter how attentive you are to getting your Goldendoodle plenty of good-quality food, they consistently clear out their bowl as if they haven’t eaten in days?
If your dog is one to consume large feedings very quickly, again, breaking up meals into small, more frequent feedings can help.
Reaction to a Food Intolerance
It’s hard to resist a begging Goldendoodle, but not being able to properly digest food may lead to your dog throwing up.
Be very cautious with any table scraps you sneak your pup, but also keep an eye on any common ingredients in treats or dog food that may be hard for your dog to digest.
Look out for common ingredients you find in your dog’s food and treats, especially those that have made them sick in the past.
Your vet may be able to point out some likely suspects if you need a place to start. In the meantime, they can give your dog various medications to treat the symptoms and stop excessive regurgitation.
A Sudden Switch in Dog Food
When switching to a new dog food, slowly incorporating it into your dog’s diet is key. Transition from one type of dog food to the next by mixing the new food in to old.
Gradually add more of the new food while removing more of the old food until your dog’s normal portion is entirely made up of their new food. Be sure to always keep a close eye on your dog during the switch to new dog food!
Should I Feed My Goldendoodle After They’ve Thrown Up?
If your dog has thrown up, it is usually best to wait at least a few hours or simply until their next regular feed time before reattempting feeding.
In the meantime, make sure they have plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Water is a good option, of course, but so is Gatorade and Pediatlyte, so long as they are not made with artificial sugar.
Safe Foods For A Goldendoodle With An Upset Stomach
Again, waiting a few hours before any feeding is best. At which point, a small portion of their regular food is often just fine.
If you do not feel comfortable returning your dog to their regular diet, a bland diet of easy-to-digest foods are the way to go! Plain white rice and plain chicken breast are great.
This can even be mixed in with their regular food if you want to take a slow approach to returning to their normal diet.
Goldendoodle Keeps Vomiting: When To See A Vet
If none of the above causes and solutions seem to apply to your Goldendoodle, an underlying health issue may be causing the vomiting.
In which case, you should seek the professional opinion of your veterinarian, but when do you know consulting your vet is necessary?
Signs Goldendoodle Vomiting Is Serious
- Your Dog is Behaving Oddly – You know your unique Goldendoodle best, so unusual behavior should not be hard to spot. When throwing up is accompanied by the onset of any of the following behaviors, , there could be a larger, related health issue at play like an infection or a disease.
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability
- Fever
- Drooling
- Depression
- Signs of abdominal pain
- Sudden weight loss
- There is Blood in your Dog’s Vomit – If you see blood in your dog’s vomit or feces, you should speak to your vet right away. This could be a sign of pancreatitis.
- There are Signs your Dog Ate Something They Should Not Have – If your dog is vomiting what looks like something you did not feed them, you want to identify the item if possible. This could be food they should have had, like bones, or foreign objects like toys or garbage – basically anything. This is especially the case if the vomiting is accompanied by diarrhea or other abnormalities in the stool. Call your vet to see what the implications can be for your dog if they’ve eaten something dangerous or unknown. Any instructions given by your vet to handle the ingestion should be followed closely, even if that includes surgery.
- Vomiting Becomes Increasingly Frequent or Excessive – If, despite your best efforts, your Goldendoodle is throwing up more often or more of their food, you should seek professional care from your vet. It’s possible that they have ingested a poison or toxin that your vet needs to specifically address.
If you see any of the listed symptoms in your Goldendoodle, contact your vet. In the absence of these symptoms, any other serious concerns you have as a pet-owner warrant proper consideration.
Air on the side of caution. After all, reaching out to your vet can never hurt!
Take Care of Your Goldendoodle, and They Will Take Care of You
Goldendoodles are a joy to have around the house.
They may have a few health problems pop up over the years, such as throwing up, but they are well worth the troubleshooting.
With a little bit of investigation on your part, you can have a healthy dog once again in no time.