When to call your dog veterinarian

If your dog has vomited once, you will need to take certain precautions within your household to avoid it from happening again. However, if your dog frequently throws up, has chronic diarrhea, has bloody stools (bloody stools will have the appearance of coffee grains), if the dog's stomach is swollen, or if he has fever and or appears to be ill, you must call your veterinarian right away. Even when these symptoms have not shown in your dog, but the dog has been vomiting frequently, it's still very important to call the veterinarian at once. Dogs can become quickly dehydrated and this can cause serious problems to the dog's health. Frequent vomiting can also indicate other serious health problems too, such as gastroenteritis, gastric ulcers, tumors, or intestinal obstructions. An infestation of parasites can also cause a dog to vomit because they proliferate so rapidly that they can actually block the dog's gastrointestinal track. This is more common in younger puppies than in older dogs though. Intestinal obstruction is caused by the ingestion of an indigestible object (such as a plastic ball etc), or by a prolonged case of constipation, and this tends to cause vomiting as well. Vomiting and diarrhea can be symptoms of a very serious stomach problem, and gas in the stomach can aggravate the problem. Therefore make sure to immediately take your dog to your veterinarian if this is your dog's case, so that he or she can intervene right away. There are certain breeds that have sensitive stomachs like boxers, and German shepherds. When a dog has gas it causes the dogs stomach to become swollen or rigid and it produces a great deal of pain. To avoid this terrible pain, make sure that your dog rests his stomach about an hour after eating by not letting him do any extreme exercise during this time. If your dog has a tendency to swallow air when he eats, try crushing his food against his feeding bowl before you feed him so that he eats his food in smaller amounts at a time.