Why does my Golden Retriever throw up?

If your Golden Retriever has been throwing up a lot you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your Golden Retriever might be doing it and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my Golden Retriever throw up? Possible reasons are that it ate something it shouldn’t have, has heatstroke, is ill, ate too quickly, is tressed or it has motion sickness.

There are actually many different possible reasons why your Golden Retriever has been doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things to consider when trying to figure out the exact reason.

Why your Golden Retriever Always throws up

Below, I will show you a number of possible reasons why it has been doing it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It ate something it shouldn’t have

The cause could be that it ate something that it shouldn’t have. This would be more likely if it started vomiting after you saw it eat something or if you fed it something that you normally wouldn’t when it started vomiting. In this case, the best option would be to get help from a vet.

Heatstroke

It can be quite easy for Golden Retrievers to become too warm in the summer due to how thick their coats are.

If your Golden Retriever has been outside for a long time and it is hot outside then it might be vomiting due to heatstroke. In this case, it would help to follow the advice given in this article and to take it to a vet.

Its diet is bad

The cause could be that there is an issue with its diet. It could be that it has been eating too much or that it has been eating things that it should not be. This would be more likely if it has started vomiting after a change in its diet or if it starts vomiting after being fed certain foods.

It would help to consult with your vet on its diet and to make sure that no one else has been feeding it without you knowing.

Illness

The cause could be that it has an illness. This would be more likely if it has started throwing up a lot suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill such as being fatigued. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Disease

There are also diseases that can cause dogs to vomit such as kidney, liver or pancreatic disease (source). If your Golden Retriever has been acting unusually or it has been throwing up excessively, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Eating or drinking too quickly

If your Golden Retriever does it shortly after eating or drinking then it could be the case that it is eating or drinking too quickly. In this case, you could try feeding it in smaller quantities.

Exercising too soon after eating

If it tends to be highly active right after eating then it might be the case that it is sick because it runs around too much after eating. In this case, you could also try feeding it in smaller quantities and you could try to get it to be calmer after eating by training it to sit.

Motion sickness

If it starts throwing up right after being in a car, the cause would be likely to be due to motion sickness. In this case, you could try feeding it after driving it around instead of before and it would help to avoid driving it around if possible.

Stress

The reason might also be that something is causing it to be stressed. This would be more likely if it has started throwing up since something happened that might have caused it to become stressed or it does it when something might be giving it stress. Examples could be if it is sick when someone is around that it does not like, another pet recently passed away or an owner left.

In this case, it would help to try to reduce its stress by giving it positive attention, walking it, training it and giving it things to be distracted with. It would also help to remove the source of the stress if possible.

Dehydration

The cause could also be that it is dehydrated. This would be more likely if it has not had access to water for a while. In this case, you should give it access to water and then to take it to a vet.

How to reduce how much your Golden Retriever throws up

Below are some options you have when getting your Golden Retriever to stop throwing up.

Feed it in smaller quantities

If your Golden Retriever has been throwing up after eating, you could try feeding it in smaller quantities but more times during the day. By doing so you should be able to limit how much it is able to eat too quickly and reduce how likely it is to throw up.

Wait before exercising it

It would also help to wait before exercising your Golden Retriever after it has eaten. If it tends to run around a lot right after eating it would also help to train it to calm down.

Make sure that you are feeding it the right food

It would also be important to make sure that you are feeding it the right diet and that it is not eating things that it should not be. You can check that you are feeding it the right foods by looking at this blog post. It would also help to ask your vet if you are feeding it correctly the next time you see them and to make sure that no one else has been feeding it.

Give it access to shaded areas and water

If it is hot when you are, it would also help to make sure that it has access to water, shaded areas a cool room and to walk it in the morning or evening so that it avoids being out when the sunlight is strongest.

Take it to the vet

If you are unsure of why it keeps vomiting, it has been showing other signs of illness or it has started doing it suddenly then the best option for you would be to take it to a vet and to get expert advice.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about your Golden Retriever vomiting.

Whether or not the vomiting started suddenly

If it has started vomiting suddenly, it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start doing it.

If it has started doing it suddenly then it would be more likely that it ate something that it shouldn’t have, it ate too quickly, allergies or heatstroke.

If your Golden Retriever has been vomiting a lot over the course of weeks then it would make it more likely that it is due to it eating something that it shouldn’t be but it could be due to illness or disease as well. It would be the best option to take it to a vet.

When and where it tends to vomit

It would also help to consider the timing of the vomiting since the timing could have something to do with it.

For example, if it does it right after eating, it would be more likely to be due to eating too fast, eating things it should not be or exercising right after eating.

What happened at around the time that it started vomiting

It would also help to consider if anything changed at around the same time that it started vomiting.

If it started vomiting at around the same time that you changed its diet then it would make it much more likely that it is due to its diet. Whereas, if it started doing it soon after someone mistreated it then it might be due to anxiety.

What is in the vomit

It might also help to inspect the vomit to see if there is anything there that shouldn’t be. If you find that there is grass or small stones in there then it would be very likely that it vomited due to eating them.