When your dog is shaking and vomiting, it’s a clear sign they’re not feeling well. These symptoms can be concerning for any pet owner. Dogs shake and vomit for many reasons, ranging from simple dietary indiscretions to serious underlying health issues. Promptly identifying the cause and seeking appropriate veterinary care is crucial for your dog’s recovery.
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Common Reasons for Shaking and Vomiting in Dogs
Several factors can lead to your dog shaking and vomiting. It’s important to observe your dog closely for other accompanying dog illness symptoms to help your veterinarian pinpoint the issue.
Dietary Issues
- Eating too fast: Some dogs gulp their food down too quickly, leading to canine nausea and subsequent vomiting.
- Dietary indiscretion: Dogs are curious creatures and may eat something they shouldn’t, such as spoiled food, garbage, or non-food items. This can upset their stomach and cause vomiting.
- Sudden diet change: If you’ve recently switched your dog’s food, they might experience digestive upset. Introducing new foods gradually is key.
- Food allergies or intolerances: Certain ingredients can trigger allergic reactions or digestive issues in some dogs, leading to vomiting and sometimes shaking.
Infections and Illnesses
- Gastroenteritis: This is inflammation of the stomach and intestines, often caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It’s a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea.
- Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and lethargy. This condition can be triggered by fatty meals.
- Viral infections: Diseases like parvovirus (especially in puppies) and distemper can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, and general weakness.
- Bacterial infections: Various bacterial infections can affect the digestive tract, leading to similar symptoms.
- Parasites: Intestinal parasites like roundworms, hookworms, and giardia can irritate the gut and cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Toxins and Poisons
- Ingestion of toxins: Many household items and plants are toxic to dogs. This includes antifreeze, certain cleaning products, medications, and poisonous plants like lilies or oleander. If your dog ingests a toxin, vomiting is often one of the first signs.
- Certain foods: Some human foods are toxic to dogs, such as chocolate, onions, garlic, grapes, and xylitol (an artificial sweetener).
Other Medical Conditions
- Kidney or liver disease: Malfunctions in these vital organs can lead to a buildup of toxins in the body, causing nausea, vomiting, and tremors.
- Addison’s disease: This endocrine disorder affects the adrenal glands and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and shaking.
- Bloat (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus – GDV): This is a life-threatening emergency where the stomach fills with gas and can twist. Symptoms include a distended abdomen, retching without vomiting, restlessness, and shaking.
- Heatstroke: Overheating can cause panting, distress, and vomiting.
- Seizures: While not directly causing vomiting, some dogs may vomit during or after a seizure, and the neurological event itself can cause involuntary muscle tremors.
- Motion sickness: Some dogs experience nausea and vomiting when traveling in a car.
- Anxiety or stress: In some cases, extreme anxiety or fear can manifest as shaking and even vomiting.
Deciphering the Symptoms: What to Look For
Beyond shaking and vomiting, several other dog sickness causes and symptoms can provide crucial clues for your veterinarian.
Shaking (Tremors)
Dog tremors can be a sign of various issues:
- Neurological problems: Conditions affecting the brain or nervous system can cause tremors.
- Shivering: This could be due to feeling cold, pain, fear, or excitement.
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): This is particularly common in puppies and small breeds.
- Electrolyte imbalances: Issues with minerals like calcium or potassium can affect muscle function.
- Pain: Dogs often tremble when they are in pain, especially if they have dog abdominal pain.
Vomiting
Vomiting itself is a symptom, but the nature of the vomit can be informative:
- Food or bile: This is common with simple stomach upset.
- Blood: Vomit containing fresh blood or material that looks like coffee grounds indicates bleeding in the upper digestive tract.
- Foreign objects: If your dog has swallowed something they shouldn’t have, it might reappear in their vomit.
Other Accompanying Symptoms
- Dog lethargy: A noticeable lack of energy and unwillingness to move is a significant indicator of illness.
- Dog appetite loss: Refusing food or treats is a common sign that something is wrong.
- Dog diarrhea: Loose or watery stools often accompany vomiting, especially in cases of gastroenteritis.
- Dog pale gums: Healthy gums are typically pink. Pale or white gums can signal shock, anemia, or poor circulation, requiring immediate veterinary attention.
- Abdominal pain: Signs include a tense or painful reaction when the abdomen is touched, a hunched posture, or whimpering.
- Increased thirst or urination: This can be a sign of kidney issues or diabetes.
- Drooling: Excessive drooling can indicate nausea or ingestion of something irritating or toxic.
- Dehydration: Symptoms include dry gums, sunken eyes, and loss of skin elasticity (if you gently pinch the skin on their neck, it doesn’t snap back quickly). Dog dehydration is a serious complication of vomiting and diarrhea.
When to Seek Veterinary Care Immediately
It’s crucial to know when to rush your dog to the veterinarian. While occasional, mild vomiting might resolve on its own, certain signs warrant immediate professional attention.
Seek immediate veterinary care if you observe any of the following:
- Frequent or persistent vomiting: Vomiting more than once or twice, or vomiting that continues for several hours.
- Vomiting blood or material resembling coffee grounds.
- Severe lethargy or weakness.
- Pale gums, white gums, or blue gums.
- Signs of severe abdominal pain: A tense abdomen, reluctance to move, or crying out when touched.
- Distended or hard abdomen.
- Inability to keep water down.
- Known ingestion of a toxin or foreign object.
- Accompanying severe diarrhea or bloody diarrhea.
- Puppies or senior dogs: These age groups are more vulnerable to dehydration and complications.
- Dogs with pre-existing health conditions.
Diagnostic Process: How Vets Investigate
When you bring your dog in for shaking and vomiting, your veterinarian will perform a thorough examination and may recommend several diagnostic tests to determine the underlying dog sickness causes.
Physical Examination
The veterinarian will:
- Assess vital signs: Temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and capillary refill time.
- Examine the abdomen: Checking for pain, distention, or masses.
- Check gum color and hydration status.
- Look for other physical abnormalities.
Diagnostic Tests
- Blood work (CBC and Chemistry Panel): This helps evaluate organ function (kidneys, liver), check for infection or inflammation (white blood cell count), and assess electrolyte levels.
- Urinalysis: This can provide information about kidney function and detect infections or abnormalities.
- Fecal examination: To check for intestinal parasites.
- X-rays (Radiographs): Can reveal foreign objects in the gastrointestinal tract, signs of bloat, masses, or fluid.
- Ultrasound: Provides a more detailed view of abdominal organs and can help identify inflammation, masses, or foreign material.
- Specific toxin tests: If a particular poison is suspected.
Treatment Approaches for Shaking and Vomiting
Treatment depends entirely on the diagnosed cause. Your veterinarian will create a tailored plan for your dog.
Supportive Care
- Fluid therapy: Intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous fluids are crucial for rehydrating a dog that is vomiting and to correct electrolyte imbalances. Dog dehydration can worsen quickly.
- Anti-nausea medications: To help stop vomiting and improve comfort.
- Pain management: If dog abdominal pain is present.
- Dietary management: This might involve withholding food for a short period (NPO – nothing by mouth) to rest the stomach, followed by a bland diet (like boiled chicken and rice) when vomiting subsides.
Specific Treatments Based on Cause
- Gastrointestinal upset: Bland diet, probiotics.
- Infections: Antibiotics for bacterial infections, antiparasitic medications for worm infestations, specific antiviral treatments if applicable.
- Toxin ingestion: Specific antidotes (if available), activated charcoal to bind toxins, or supportive care to flush the system.
- Pancreatitis: IV fluids, pain medication, nutritional support, anti-nausea drugs.
- Foreign body obstruction: Surgery may be required to remove the object.
- Addison’s disease: Hormone replacement therapy.
Home Care and Prevention
Once your dog is recovering, or for mild, temporary issues, certain home care measures can be beneficial. Prevention is always the best approach.
Home Care During Recovery
- Follow veterinary instructions: Administer all prescribed medications accurately and on time.
- Gradually reintroduce food: Start with small amounts of a veterinarian-recommended bland diet.
- Provide plenty of fresh water: Encourage your dog to drink, but don’t force them if they are still vomiting.
- Monitor closely: Watch for any return of symptoms or new concerns.
- Rest: Ensure your dog has a quiet, comfortable place to rest.
Preventive Measures
- Avoid sudden diet changes: Transition to new foods gradually over a week.
- Secure garbage cans: Prevent your dog from accessing spoiled food or hazardous items.
- Keep toxic substances out of reach: Store household cleaners, medications, and toxic plants safely. Be aware of common toxic foods for dogs.
- Supervise your dog: Especially when outdoors or in new environments, to prevent them from eating things they shouldn’t.
- Regular veterinary check-ups: Keep your dog up-to-date on vaccinations and deworming to prevent common infections and parasitic infestations.
- Avoid giving table scraps: Many human foods are unhealthy or dangerous for dogs.
- Manage anxiety: If you suspect anxiety is a factor, consult your veterinarian or a professional behaviorist.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can my dog die from shaking and vomiting?
Yes, in severe cases, particularly if left untreated or if the underlying cause is critical (like bloat, severe toxin ingestion, or certain infections), shaking and vomiting can be life-threatening. Prompt veterinary care significantly improves the prognosis.
How long can a dog vomit before it’s serious?
If your dog vomits more than once or twice in a 24-hour period, especially if accompanied by other dog illness symptoms like dog lethargy or dog diarrhea, it’s considered serious. Persistent vomiting is always a cause for concern.
Should I give my dog human medication for vomiting?
Never give your dog human medications for vomiting or any other condition without explicit instruction from your veterinarian. Many human medications are toxic to dogs, and incorrect dosages can be harmful.
My dog is shaking but not vomiting, what does that mean?
Shaking without vomiting can still indicate various issues, including pain, fear, neurological problems, low blood sugar, or certain toxins. It’s important to monitor your dog and consult your vet if the shaking is persistent or accompanied by other worrying signs.
My dog has diarrhea and is vomiting, is that a problem?
Yes, the combination of diarrhea and vomiting often suggests significant gastrointestinal upset or illness. This can lead to rapid dog dehydration, making it a more urgent situation. Seek veterinary advice promptly.
Conclusion
Shaking and vomiting in dogs are complex symptoms that require careful observation and prompt veterinary attention. By understanding the potential dog sickness causes, recognizing accompanying dog illness symptoms, and knowing when to seek professional help, you can ensure your canine companion receives the best possible care. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are key to a successful recovery and maintaining your dog’s overall health and well-being.