Dog Vomiting Blood

There can be nothing more distressing for a pet owner than to see his or her beloved pet vomit blood.



Vomiting of blood by a dog is known as hematemesis. This condition can be caused due to a range of problems that your dog may be suffering from. Depending upon the amount of blood present in the dog’s vomit, the diagnosis can be made.



If you notice a few bright red drops of blood in the dog’s vomit, it may simply be a cut or an abscess in the mouth or the gums. However, if the entire vomit is dark in dolor and resembles coffee grounds, it could be because of a bleeding ulcer in the stomach.

For a dog throwing up blood, the causes of the problem can be many.



The dog may have consumed a poisonous chemical like anti freeze or a foreign object which has sharp edges. A disease in the liver or the kidney may also cause the dog to vomit blood. Some other causes include motion sickness, food intolerance, presence of parasites, exposure to radiation, side effects of medications, and other gastrointestinal problems. Examine your pet closely to see if the dog is showing additional symptoms like indigestion, nausea, belching, bloating, weight loss, problems with the intestinal tract, difficulty in defecating, abnormal thirst, dark colored stools with presence of blood or gastritis. The doctor will check your dog for possible disorders like the irritable bowel syndrome, tumors in the stomach, obstruction of the bowel or motility disorder. For a dog vomiting blood, infections diseases which cause digestive distress also cannot be ruled out. Some of these infectious diseases may include canine hepatitis or other hepatic diseases, leptospirosis in which there are skin rashes caused by bacteria, distemper, flu, renal failure, or disease in the pancreas. For female dogs, disease in the uterus may also be the cause of vomiting of blood. Though rare, vomiting of blood could also be cause by hormonal imbalances and endocrine diseases such as vestibulitis, thyroid disease, ketoacidotic diabetes mellitus, and hypoadrenocorticism.

Ideally, you should take your dog to the vet immediately after you have discovered blood in the vomit. If the dog is not in a condition to be moved, collect a sample of the vomit and pass it to the vet for clinical testing. The dog may need to have some blood tests, x-rays and ultrasounds for the doctor to make a confirmed diagnosis. In a rare case, a gastroduodenoscopy may be required and a biopsy may be taken.