There are many reasons why your dog might throw up white foam or some sort of whitish spit up, sometimes accompanied with bubbles. Some of the reasons why this happens aren’t serious, but others are a warning that something isn’t working correctly and you need to get help.
Dogs can’t tell us that their stomach hurts or that they aren’t feeling well, which is why we need to pay attention to all the signals they give us, directly or indirectly. Taking action quickly when necessary can save their lives.
Let’s go over the main reasons why a dog would throw up white foam or spit up, as well as solutions to prevent it happening again.
My dog is throwing up white foam: Gastric torsion
Due to several factors, a dog’s stomach can sometimes get twisted in a way so that the air, liquids and food inside are completely trapped, without being able to move to the intestine or be thrown up.
When this happens, his stomach will become inflamed and the dog can die if you don’t act quickly. One of the warning signs your dog can give you, aside from feeling down and having a bloated belly, is vomiting white foam or even with bits of liquids and food.
Detecting a twisted stomach in time can save your dog’s life, so if you suspect your dog That Might Be Suffering From this, go to your veterinarian immediately. There are not any medications or magical remedies will solve esta That problem; you need to see your vet urgently or your dog will die.
Your vet will try to pump His stomach, but If This does not work, They Will Have to perform emergency surgery on the dog. It’s a long and dangerous operation, and not all dogs survive it.
My dog is throwing up white foam: Too much food or liquid
We all know that dogs are a little impatient at meal time. They love their food so much that they often devour it all in barely a few seconds. The same thing happens when you get home and they’re thirsty: they start to drink and drink like there’s no tomorrow…
These bad habits can cause a lot of air to get into your dog’s stomach along with the food or drink. When there’s too much air in the stomach, the dog will try to expel it, causing him to vomit, which is often accompanied by white foam. This foam is nothing more than his own saliva or leftover water.
If this happens to you, you simply need to find a way to make your dog eat more patiently, for example, by using a special bowl for dogs who eat too fast. These dog bowls have bulges inside which force the dog to eat more slowly. In just two weeks, you’ll notice a major difference if you use this type of food bowl.
If you know that your dog is very thirsty and he’s going to guzzle so much water that he makes himself sick, all you have to do is ration his water out over a few minutes. Let him drink a little water and then take it away, wait five minutes and give him a little more. Repeat this process over the course of 30 or 40 minutes, and then you’ll be able to leave the water out for him. The goal isn’t to take water away from the dog, just to keep him from drinking too much at one time.
My dog is throwing up white foam: Digestive problems
Gastrointestinal problems are one of the main reasons why dogs throw up yellow or white foam, depending on whether it contains bile or is just saliva. And we’re not just talking about certain illnesses that can cause these problems – there are many other factors that can cause your dog to vomit.
Too much time between dinner and breakfast can cause your dog to salivate excessively and suffer upset stomach from the bile that is deposited there. This will make your dog throw up white or yellowish foam, mostly at night or in the morning before breakfast.
To fix it, you simply have to ration his food better and leave less time between meals, for example, by moving dinner a little later and breakfast a little earlier. Unless your dog is very old or a puppy, we recommend that you feed him in three meals a day.
The quality of the food you give him can also affect this significantly, since low quality dog foods are the main cause of digestive problems in dogs. They cause heartburn and gastric problems because they are so difficult to digest. Choosing a dog food that uses quality ingredients is mandatory to prevent these digestive problems.
Too much exercise, eating right after or right before exercising, are other reasons why your dog could throw up foam. Truthfully, the dog could even die, which is why exercise shouldn’t be mixed with food or abused.
Eating sticks, stones, grass or dirt can cause an upset stomach, which can also cause vomiting which is sometimes whitish with foam, depending on the amount of saliva.
My dog is throwing up white foam: Possible diseases
If you see that your dog is vomiting white foam or simply slobbering excessively, you should consider the possibility that he might be sick. Some of the diseases that cause these symptoms are preventable with mandatory vaccines that your dog must have.
Others, however, can’t be prevented, but you can identify them and act as fast as possible to avoid more serious problems. When in doubt, our advice is always to see a veterinarian if you suspect that is could be one of the common diseases that cause these symptoms.
Rabies is a disease that has practically been eradicated in domestic animals in countries like the United States, but it is still a problem in wild animals which sometimes causes it to reappear, killing many animals. The rabies vaccine is mandatory for dogs in all 50 states in the US and all provinces of Canada, and they must get a shot every one to three years, depending on local regulations. Rabies causes foaming at the mouth, vomiting, and in the late stages, aggressiveness.
If your dog is vaccinated, you don’t need to worry because he can’t get infected, but if he isn’t… he could have caught the disease.
Kennel cough is a very common disease in dogs; we could say it’s the equivalent of the common cold in humans, with varying degrees of severity. It can’t be prevented the same way colds can’t be prevented in humans.
Kennel cough causes a very dry cough in dogs, as if he’d been smoking for many years. The cough is so dry and intense that it often produces vomiting, so it is another possible cause of the white foam you find on your dog’s mouth or on the ground.
My dog is throwing up white foam: Parasites or poison
Sometimes, internal parasites can cause your dog to suffer intestinal or stomach problems that can even cause vomiting. Most people think their dog doesn’t have parasites, but the truth is that he most likely does. That’s why it’s important to deworm your dog every three months with the help of a pill you can get from your veterinarian.
If, God forbid, your dog has been poisoned, it’s possible that one of the symptoms will be throwing up white foam or a mix of saliva and other things. When a dog is poisoned, he’ll show very characteristic symptoms: his gums and/or tongue will change from their normal light pink color to whitish or almost black, depending on the poison. You’ll also notice strange behavior and possibly panting, spasms or even tachycardia.
Whatever the case, it’s essential to go immediately to a vet, because the dog’s life is in danger. Don’t waste time looking for magical solutions because they don’t exist; only a veterinarian can save his life.
What to do if your dog throws up white foam
Note the time each time you see your dog throw up; it could be helpful for the vet. Check your dog and if you see any of the symptoms that we’ve described, see your veterinarian.
It’s worth pointing out that there are many other reasons why a dog might sporadically vomit which aren’t serious at all. A stressful day, eating something outside that didn’t sit well with him, drinking too much water, etc.
