My chocolate lab has started throwing up every night in his kennel. It’s usually a small amount, and I don’t see any chunks or food in it (though he might have eaten it before I noticed). During the day, he’s acting totally normal - running, playing fetch, and his stools are fine. He really loves his kennel and insists on sleeping there. Anyone have ideas on why he might be throwing up at night? I’m stumped here.
Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I ended up calling the vet, and they think he might be stressed or anxious, possibly due to us recently having our first baby. They mentioned it could be causing acid reflux and suggested we add some rice to his dinner to help soak up the acid. We also have melatonin treats that we can give him before bed. Fingers crossed this helps him.
Honestly, I’d go to the vet just to be sure. If you can, try to save a sample of the vomit in a bag so they can check it out.
Is it just yellowish bile he’s throwing up?
What time does he eat? Do you have any idea around what time he’s puking?
Bitchshaper said:
Is it just yellowish bile he’s throwing up?
What time does he eat? Do you have any idea around what time he’s puking?
Yeah, it’s usually yellowish-brown. He eats dinner around 8 p.m., and we head to bed around midnight when he goes in his kennel. I let him out around 6 a.m., so sometime between midnight and 6?
@CateBlanchet
I’d still recommend taking him to a vet to rule things out. Bringing a sample might help.
I asked about meal times because sometimes dogs get “hunger pukes” if their stomach is empty too long, leading to bile vomiting. But he eats pretty late, so he shouldn’t be empty for too long.
My dachshund sometimes pukes too when he’s put in his crate. It’s usually stomach acid, not food. For him, the anxiety of being crated seems to trigger it, kind of like when kids cry until they’re sick after being sent to their room.
My dog went through this too. He wasn’t actually digesting his food because he’d inhale it without chewing. We started putting his food through a coffee grinder, and the problem stopped immediately. Before we had a grinder, I’d crush it up with a hammer, which wasn’t easy. I actually went to the vet and spent $200 for nothing before figuring this out, so it might be worth trying.
@K9Commander
Interesting. We got him some calming treats for bed, which seemed to help. He’s also a total vacuum with food, so we got him a slow feeder bowl to prevent gas from eating too fast.