Dog Threw Up Blood What Should I Do?

Reviewed By Kim •  Updated: 02/12/22 •  12 min read
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Dog Threw Up Blood

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It’s completely scary when your dog all of a sudden begins to throw up blood. When this happens, the tendency is to panic. After all, that’s your fur baby having a horrible problem. However, the key is to stay calm.

Please contact your Veterinarian as soon as possible

Staying calm not only helps you but also helps your dog. He is completely dependent on you. When he senses something is scary; he will also become scared and begin to panic. That’s the last thing you want to have happen.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what’s happening when your dog vomits up blood, what you should do, and more.

Why is My Dog Vomiting Up Blood?

The condition of vomiting up blood is called hematemesis in dogs. This issue can be caused by a number of factors. What you need to know is that this is a fairly common health problem in dogs. It can be caused by many things, including an ulcer, cancer, trauma to the gastrointestinal tract, inflammation, a foreign object that’s been swallowed, and more.

The brighter the blood, the closer to the mouth the bleeding may be. This may be in the dog’s mouth or throat. Dark blood (dark red) indicates the bleeding is farther down in the digestive tract. For dogs that are vomiting up both blood and mucus, this may indicate there’s a problem with the stomach or upper intestines. When the vomit is dark and tarry and looks like coffee ground, it may also have a fecal smell. This means the blood has been digested.

The esophagus is a very long tube that extends from the mouth to the stomach. The stomach is in the upper part of the abdomen. The upper intestine is a series of tubes that are connected to the stomach. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. It’s where bile is produced, and it’s where blood and mucus may be coming from. When the dog is vomiting up blood, the blood may be coming from the stomach, the upper intestine, or the duodenum.

If your dog is vomiting up blood and there’s no obvious reason for it, you should call your veterinarian. The blood may be coming from a part of the body that’s infected. It may also be a sign of cancer or an ulcer.

Your dog’s vet will want to know the dog’s medical history, what happened when he was last seen, and if there are any other symptoms he may have. Your vet will also want to know if your dog has any underlying health issues or any history of being sick in the past. Your vet will likely order some tests to see what’s causing the vomiting up of blood. Your vet may recommend blood tests or do some testing for heartworms and parvovirus.

One thing to keep in mind is that blood in the vomit may not be an indication that your dog has a serious medical condition. It can be caused by many things (see below). However, having said that, any time your dog is vomiting up blood is the time to call the vet.

The Different Causes of Bloody Vomit in Dogs

We’ve mentioned a few common causes of bloody vomit in dogs; however, there are many more. Here’s a list of some more medical problems that can cause a dog to vomit up dark or bright red blood:

Other Symptoms That May Come with the Bloody Vomit

Your fur baby may have additional symptoms that go along with the bloody vomit. Look for any of the following symptoms and report them to the vet:

These symptoms can indicate a very serious medical problem and are indications to call the vet immediately. Don’t wait to see how the symptoms change.

Bloody diarrhea is usually a sign of an underlying health problem. If the dog is vomiting up blood, it’s likely that there’s something going on in the digestive tract. A healthy dog will not vomit up blood. Vomiting up blood means that something is wrong. It could be something very serious or a small, benign issue that requires only monitoring. When your dog throws up blood, it’s time to get to the vet.

What You Should Do If Your Dog’s Vomiting Up Blood

As you can see, there are many causes of bloody vomit in dogs. For this reason, it’s not possible for you to make a determination of the cause.

If your dog is vomiting blood, then it’s time to call the vet immediately. Your vet has the knowledge and experience needed to make the right diagnosis and determine the proper treatment to help your dog.

It’s important to call the vet even if your dog only has a small bit of blood in his vomit. This is an indication that something is wrong, and your canine companion needs to be checked by the vet.

Before heading off to the vet’s, try to determine if your dog has any other symptoms along with the bloody vomit. For instance, does your dog seem to have a fever? Is he having breathing difficulties? Is he lethargic? Is he still eating and drinking like normal?

Another thing you can do to help the vet is to take pictures of the bloody vomit with your phone. This sounds really gross. We understand; however, the images may also help the vet to make a proper diagnosis. It’s also helpful to take a sample of the vomit to the vet in a sealed plastic bag.

All of this information may be very helpful to the vet when he checks your dog. The more information your vet has, the easier it may be to make a diagnosis.

Again, it’s very important to find out what the underlying cause is for a dog that’s vomiting blood. If you can figure out what the underlying cause is, you can prevent this from happening again in the future. If you don’t know what caused the vomiting blood, then you need to take your dog to a vet immediately and let them know what happened so they can do some tests on your dog and figure out what happened. This is especially important if your dog has recently had surgery or been sick and has not eaten much in a while. They may need an x-ray or other type of scan so they can check for an ulcer or other serious condition in your dog’s stomach. Your vet will also be able to give you some medicine to give your dog so that it will be able to eat something.

Stomach Ulcers and Hematemesis

An ulcer is a sore on the stomach that’s caused by bacteria or other irritants. When this occurs, the dog may also have an increase in the production of stomach acid, which can cause the dog to vomit. When a dog has an ulcer, it’s called gastric ulceration. Hematemesis causes the blood to become more visible, and stomach ulcers are the most common cause of hematemesis in dogs. When a dog has an ulcer, it will bleed. When it bleeds, it may vomit up blood.

Hematemesis is blood that is vomited up from the stomach. It’s usually caused by an ulcer or a perforation in the stomach wall. It’s usually associated with a dog eating something that doesn’t agree with it, like spoiled food or if the dog eats too fast and tries to vomit up everything in its stomach at once. Hematemesis can also be caused by an infection in the stomach. This can happen if the dog eats something contaminated with bacteria, like a raw chicken bone or some other bone. The stomach wall will become inflamed and will start to bleed.

Dogs are often more susceptible to gastric ulcers than people are. Most people can tolerate a lot of different foods without having an ulcer, but dogs have a hard time doing that. They can’t really tell what they shouldn’t eat, and they may not be able to eat something because it doesn’t agree with them. Dogs are often confused about what’s good for them and what isn’t. It’s not uncommon for a dog to eat something that it shouldn’t, and then have an ulcer or bleed from the stomach. Ingestion of toxic substances can also cause a dog to vomit blood.

This can be a very serious problem for dogs, and it can be fatal if not treated quickly. When the dog has a blood clot in its stomach, it can be very dangerous for the dog to go into shock because it won’t be able to get enough oxygen into its blood stream. The amount of blood in the dog’s stomach can also cause a lot of pressure in the stomach, which can lead to perforation of the stomach wall. This is a very serious condition, and it can lead to blood loss when the dog keeps vomiting a lot of blood.

Liver Failure and Tumors

Liver failure is another very serious condition that can be caused by a dog eating something that’s toxic to it. Liver failure is the inability of the liver to work properly, and it can lead to the dog’s death. Liver failure is often caused by chronic infections in the liver, like hepatitis or feline viral hepatitis. This type of infection usually leads to cirrhosis of the liver, which is when the liver has a lot of scarring on it. Cirrhosis happens when a dog has been exposed to something that causes an infection in its liver. It’s usually not curable once it gets this far into its development, and it can lead to liver failure.

A dog that’s been poisoned by something like rat poison or antifreeze can also develop liver failure. Dogs who have a lot of scarring on their livers, such as some breeds of dog, are more likely to develop liver failure. Some dogs who are very old may also develop liver failure if they’ve been sick for a long time.

Some dogs may develop a tumor in their liver, which can cause liver failure. This type of tumor is called hepatic adenoma, and it’s often a benign tumor that develops in the liver. The main thing to remember about this type of tumor is that it can be removed successfully, but if the dog continues to eat something that causes an infection in its liver, then the tumor will become malignant and it can cause death. When fresh blood is vomited up from the stomach, it’s called hematemesis. If the blood is dark in color, it’s probably a sign of liver failure.

The main things to remember about liver failure are that it can be caused by infection and tumor. As mentioned, Hematemesis can also be caused by a dog eating something that causes an infection in its liver, like a raw chicken bone or some other bone. The stomach wall will become inflamed and will start to bleed. Liver failure is usually associated with an old dog or a dog who has been sick for a long time.

Diagnosis & Treatment of Bloody Vomit in Dogs

When you get to the vet’s, they will perform a complete physical of your dog. This will include lab work, urine, and fecal tests, imaging tests (which can include x-rays or ultrasounds), and more. All of these tests are needed to make a specific diagnosis of what’s causing your dog to vomit blood.

Treatment of your dog’s bloody vomit will depend on the vet’s diagnosis. Once they’ve made a diagnosis, then treatment will begin. If your dog has stopped vomiting blood and the other symptoms are treated, then if your dog is stable, the vet may allow you to take him home.

However, if your dog has severe internal bleeding, an ulcer perforation, or is still vomiting, then your canine companion will probably need to be hospitalized for a few days. Your dog may also go into shock from loss of blood. This will need to be treated with blood transfusions and an IV to rehydrate your dog.

When your dog is ready to go home, the vet may send home prescription medications for your fur baby, along with care instructions. It’s essential to strictly follow the vet’s instructions in order to help your dog heal and recover.

Hematemesis is very scary. Bloody vomit is a common problem in dogs; however, it’s not always an indication that your dog has a serious or life-threatening condition. Even so, if your dog vomits up blood, then it’s time to call the vet. Don’t wait to see if your dog will feel better. He’s vomiting blood for a reason, which needs to be checked out and treated by the vet.

If you don’t have a vet, then you can call a 24-hour emergency vet service and they will be able to give you the help and emergency treatment that your dog needs. Some anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medication may also be able to help your dog’s condition and make him feel better. In addition, to prevent viral infections and hookworms, it’s important to keep your dog well fed and give it clean water to drink. Vaccination is also very important. Dogs who have been exposed to rabies, parvovirus, or distemper are at risk of developing hepatitis.

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Kim

Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.