Lately, immediately after a meal, our 2 year old female GSD has been vomiting. Over the last few weeks she has averaged about every other day. There doesn't seem to be any pattern or correlation as to which meal it is. (We started to call her "Linda Blair" as the THK gives it a green tint)

We feed her 3 times a day, THK, chicken backs, and MM. She does have a history of bile vomiting in the morning, but not often since we started the third meal before bedtime.

I asked the vet about it during her last exam, and he was not too concerned about it and said he didn't note anything wrong. However, the frequency has increased since then. She seems otherwise happy and healthy, she doesn't act sick and appears to be maintaining her ideal weight.

My husband thinks it's the chicken backs not being chewed thoroughly, I think it could be the hot weather, or the fact she gulps her food too quickly. She often belches after a meal. I considered nerves, but she seems confident and content with no change in routine.

Any thoughts??? Should we go BACK to the vet?? I would love to put my carpet cleaner away.

Could be eating too quickly if the up chunk is happening within minutes of finishing a meal.

My Leo will do this. I had to find ways of slowing her down. There are food bowls that have dividers that make it harder to inhale the food. Not sure how well that would work for raw. I've heard of people feeding raw parts frozen which makes them more difficult to eat.

I feed ground raw, so the answer for my fast eater was to put some water on the food--enough that she has to lap it up, instead of wolfing down the meal in a single mouthful.

She is maintaining weight even after vomiting a whole meal every other day? You're sure?

This dog has been on THK and backs for some time, right? And not vomiting until recently?

Has she always been burpy or is that new as well?

No lethargy?

Is she coughing or swallowing a lot? Does she ever seem to be trying to clear her throat? Does she have new bad breath?

Any chance there has been a one-time or continuing indiscretion, like cat litter or trash? Any toys or socks missing? Does she eat grass or plants? Is there anything like this in the vomitus?

Is it like real vomiting or more like regurgitating? That is, is she retching and having a vomiting "experience" (think of how active it is when we vomit) from the stomach or is she finishing the food and then kind of lowering her head and just pouring it passively back out of the esophagus? (The retching and the force are probably the best signs that she's vomiting rather than regurgitating.)

The vomitus is undigested? Just like it went in?


Is she eating any kind of new chewy or large treat? If so, what?



I'm not a health professional.

Connie's excellent questions prompt me to clarify. The fast-eating up chuck that I'm talking about is a noiseless, non-retching depositing of the just-eaten food, sliding right back up just like it went in. Not "vomiting" as in violently throwing up half-digested stomach contents. That's different.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Could be eating too quickly if the up chunk is happening within minutes of finishing a meal.

My Leo will do this. I had to find ways of slowing her down. There are food bowls that have dividers that make it harder to inhale the food. Not sure how well that would work for raw. I've heard of people feeding raw parts frozen which makes them more difficult to eat.

I feed ground raw, so the answer for my fast eater was to put some water on the food--enough that she has to lap it up, instead of wolfing down the meal in a single mouthful.

Oh, yes, good point about soupy food. I'd probably try this too, leaving out the backs and seeing what happens.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Connie's excellent questions prompt me to clarify. The fast-eating up chuck that I'm talking about is a noiseless, non-retching depositing of the just-eaten food, sliding right back up just like it went in. Not "vomiting" as in violently throwing up half-digested stomach contents. That's different.

Yes, it's very different and probably a crucial point when ruling out (or in) something like megaesophagus.

JMO.

I didn't realize there were different types of "vomit"
She is quietly regurgitating her just eaten food directly on the carpet. No retching, it does seem like it is coming from her esophagus and is totally undigested. It doesn't seem like it is her entire meal, just a portion.

I often give her 1/2 cup (dry measure then reconstituted) THK about an hour after the incident. That probably explains why she isn't losing weight.

She has a great appetite. She has always belched, coughed or cleared her throat after ravenous water drinking but we just noticed the belching increasing after food. She has NO history of eating random items no grass or cat litter. Her breath is clean. Stools are fine. She has been on backs for seven months now. We do occasionally give her 1/2 of a costco dental chew when we leave the house, but this is nothing new.

While she eats, as she swallows, there is an audible sound of air gulping. Not quite sure how to describe it-sounds like a pig eating. This may explain the belching.

Thanks for your help.

I'd start trying to figure out strategies to slow down the gulping of food and air.

You may just have to try different things until something works for her. Obstacles in the food bowl, smaller pieces, bigger pieces, smaller meals, crate-feeding, training commands delivered mid-meal? I dunno.

Gulping air in a deep-chested breed like a GSD just makes me nervous.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

I'd start trying to figure out strategies to slow down the gulping of food and air.

You may just have to try different things until something works for her. Obstacles in the food bowl, smaller pieces, bigger pieces, smaller meals, crate-feeding, training commands delivered mid-meal? I dunno.

Gulping air in a deep-chested breed like a GSD just makes me nervous.

Me too, Tracy.

I'm glad you are researching, Christy.

I might try a large pan with a flat layer of THK in it. Just THK, which can easily be made soupy. And if that didn't work, I'd do what Tracy says: I'd try all the ways to slow her eating and reduce her air intake.

And if this didn't eliminate the inhalation of air (and the burping), I would probably ask the vet about acquired megaesophagus and what he thought about it. Or I guess just explain the combination of gassiness, fast eating, and regurgitation (and the increased frequency after he last saw her).

I just want to add that even if it was megaesophagus, there are managing steps for that.

Is the air gulping dangerous in deep chested dogs because of bloat/torsion? Or is there something else?

Since she has been a puppy we have had her "go to her place" and relax for at least 15 minutes after her meals. She usually regurgitates on her way there.

Do you think elevating her food dish would help?

How would megaesophagus be diagnosed?

You guys ROCK!!