Why Is My Dog Throwing Up Undigested Food Hours After Eating?

Every pet owner has developed a soft spot for their dog, and taking care of them at all times is one of their priorities. You want to ensure that your dog is in the ideal healthy state. For this reason, you will rush them to the vet in case you notice any signs of illness and discomfort. 

One of the most unglamorous topics for dog owners is their dogs vomiting undigested food several hours after eating.

One thing you’ll want to know is that when food is swallowed and reaches the stomach, the churning process begins right away, and digestion kicks. After every important bit of the food is absorbed, the rest is pushed down the alimentary canal and finally excreted. 

So why is your dog throwing up food hours after eating? Shouldn’t the food already be digested? As it turns out, several reasons can cause them to vomit the food in its original state. 

Indigestion Troubles

The process of digestion kicks off moments after eating. As such, food should not be in its original form hours later. Digestive upsets are a common occurrence in dogs. There might be a problem with the dog’s gastrointestinal tract, such that the food isn’t being broken down.

On average, the amount of time taken by your dog’s body to completely empty its stomach ranges between two and three hours. It should never exceed four hours. Therefore, if the dog vomits undigested food, there must be a problem. 

For example, there might be a problem with the dog’s esophagus, such that the food didn’t even reach the stomach for digestion. However, you should never mistake your assumptions based on the timing of your dog throwing up; don’t assume that the problems with the esophagus just because it didn’t take them long before vomiting.

Megaesophagus is a condition that makes a dog regurgitate food. Most of the dogs that vomit undigested food due to digestive upsets are caused by this condition. It comes about when the esophagus gets dilated, weakening the muscles. As a result, food will either move the tract slowly or won’t move at all. 

If the food sits on the esophagus for hours on end, it will only be pushed back up and vomited without being digested.

Several things can cause such a condition. Maybe years of collar pulling have weakened the muscles, or a foreign body made its way in there and caused some damage to the nerves.

One of the primary causes of an upset digestive system is when your dog ingests something unusual. They might also have taken a lot of humans, or maybe food that they aren’t meant to be eaten.

Gastroparesis 

Gastroparesis can be defined as the state of the dog’s stomach that reduces its activity over time. Most are the times when this happens as a result of temporary paralysis of the stomach muscles. The stomach has difficulty contracting and squeezing food down the intestines for further digestion and absorption when this happens. 

This condition is caused by several illnesses, disorders, and injuries. For example, it can be caused by post-surgery complications, food poisoning, obstruction of the intestines, stress, ulcers, tumors, and many others. Moreover, the condition can be inherited too.

If your dog is vomiting undigested food as a result of gastroparesis, you will also be likely to notice other accompanying symptoms. In addition to vomiting, you might also notice belching, weight loss, lack of appetite, nausea, and abdomen swells.

Constipation

As we all know, the canal from the mouth to the dog’s rear end is a continuous one. As such, if there is a blockage along the way, there is a high likelihood that the food won’t pass through, causing your dog to vomit.

Even though rare, there have been instances in the past where dogs will vomit undigested food due to possible blockages. If such is the case, the dog is most likely to vomit partially digested food since some of it might have already been digesting before encountering the block.

This blockage can be caused by gastric overflows that block the stomach’s outlet. As such, food won’t move from the stomach to the small intestines, and your dog will therefore have to vomit since the food is being pushed back up.

Pancreatitis

The pancreas is one of the most vital organs in the abdomen. It plays a significant digestive role by producing some enzymes that aid digestion. Additionally, the pancreas produces essential hormones such as insulin to control sugar levels in the body. However, the pancreas might get an inflammation, a condition known as pancreatitis. This is a common occurrence on dogs, despite their age, gender, or medical history.

If your dog is vomiting due to pancreatitis, you are also likely to notice other symptoms such as fever, lethargy, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. The condition can be triggered when your dog eats meals with high-fat content. Over time, the problem will become acute, and your dog will fall very ill; they might even die if you don’t take action as soon as possible.

Not all cases of pancreatitis are acute. The less chronic one will have less effect on your dog, but the pancreas will still be inflamed.

Behavioral Causes

Sometimes the dog might vomit the food due to some behaviors during or after eating. For example, if your dog eats fast, chances are they might later vomit undigested food. Taking big gulps of food and swallowing won’t give the dog enough time to break the food down into smaller pieces for easier and faster digestion.

A change of diet can also make a dog vomit. Feeding your dog food that they are not used to can develop gastrointestinal intolerance. This means that the food won’t be processed appropriately since it isn’t used to it. If the dog has an intolerance to a particular food, its system will try as much as possible to get rid of it.

Wrap Up

If you see a dog throwing up food hours after eating, it’s probably a bad sign. There is likely an issue with their digestive system, so you’ll want to check with your vet to find out the exact cause and solution.