When your diabetic dog is throwing up, this is more than just an upset stomach. He may be having a serious condition called ketoacidosis which needs to be treated on an urgent basis.
Why a Diabetic dog throwing up is an emergency?
In Diabetes your dog will need to follow a strict regimen for diet, exercise, eat, sleep and play. It’s like a whole shift in lifestyle. However, things can go wrong at any time.
Vomiting or throwing up is not normal nor in the first stages or symptoms of diabetes. It usually happens when your dog is having a severe illness called ketoacidosis. If Ketoacidosis is not treated on time, it can be fatal to the dog.
What is Ketoacidosis?
Ketoacidosis is a diabetic condition that happens due to low insulin levels in the body. Insulin is vital for the body. As in diabetes, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin so extra insulin is injected to keep the body working.
If the diabetic dog does not get insulin for a long time, insulin levels can drop. When there is less insulin in the body, the body will be unable to convert glucose into energy. As a result, glucose levels in the bloodstream will rise.
Now the body can not convert glucose into energy but it needs fuel anyway so it will start breaking down fats to use as an energy source. If the glucose level is not restored to normal, the body will keep making ketones. This will affect the acid/base balance of the body. There will be an imbalance in bodily fluids and the whole body system will mess up.
As the body will become more acidic, it will lead to a disturbed heartbeat and abnormal body functions. If not treated, it can cause the death of a dog. The first few symptoms will include
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea (read diabetic dog diarrhea)
- Un coordinated body movements
- Drooling
- Panting
- Unconsiousness etc.
Ketoacidosis can happen due to infection in a body or if your diabetic dog is a heart patient.
How to know your diabetic dog is throwing up because of ketoacidosis?
In diabetes, a sudden change in diet may also end up in your dog throwing up. Also, ketoacidosis can start happening within few hours. So how to know if your dog is throwing up because of ketoacidosis?
Well, when you switch your diabetic dog food cold-turkey(read switching dog food cold turkey) or give something to your dog that he must not be fed, you know it. This type of upset stomach leading to vomiting or diarrhea will go away within a day or two with proper treatment. Mostly no other symptom will occur other than vomiting, diarrhea, or a slight fever.
However, in ketoacidosis, multiple symptoms will point out towards illness. In Ketoacidosis even emotional shifts can lead to a hormonal imbalance resulting in messed-up insulin activity. It’s important to keep check of glucose levels and maintain proper records so that you can prevent ketoacidosis in the first place. (Read glucose level 500)
The symptoms of ketoacidosis will include
- Extreme weakness
- Frequent urination
- Increased urge to drink water
- Vomiting
- Fast breathing
- Less or No appetite
- Muscle loss
- dehydration
- disheveled haircoat
Whenever you notice any of the above symptoms in your dog along with vomiting, seek emergency help.
Calculate Your Diabetic Dog’s Daily Diet
What to feed a diabetic dog with an upset stomach?
In ketoacidosis, your dog will lose its appetite. He may not eat at all. (Also read another article dog does not chew food) So it’s important to feed him food that gives him the energy to fight illness.
We advise giving him healthy and home-cooked meals. Other dog foods can be hard on the stomach. (Read our articles about dog food taste of wild for senior dogs, sprout dog food and ken L ration dog food).
AKC recommends feeding your dog chicken and rice, shredded chicken, pumpkin, bone broth, or baby food. All these are healthy and light foods for dogs with upset stomachs. Boil and mash these foods well before feeding them to your diabetic dog. Don’t add spice or seasoning as it can make the condition worse.
What if a diabetic dog is vomiting undigested food?
If your diabetic dog is throwing up undigested food, it may be because
- You fed him too much water. Dogs can get dehydrated during ketoacidosis and it’s important to keep them hydrated. We advise that don’t feed your dog food right after giving him water. Let him drink water in sips and feed him after a while. Also, feed him slowly. Let the food sit in the stomach.
- Your diabetic dog may throw up because of his worse condition in ketoacidosis. You might have to give him short-term rapid-acting insulin for quick recovery.
What if your diabetic dog is throwing up white foam?
A diabetic dog throwing up must not be taken less seriously anyway. However, your worries multiply when you notice a diabetic dog throwing up white foam.
- This could be due to acid reflux. In ketoacidosis, the body becomes more acidic so dogs can end up throwing white foam.
- It also happens when a dog doesn’t eat food for a long time and acid in the stomach makes your dog throw up foamy vomits.
- In diabetic dogs, this could also be due to a condition called Pancreatitis which happens when the pancreas is swollen or irritated.
Diabetic dog throwing up yellow liquid?
A diabetic dog throwing up yellow liquid means his stomach is empty for a long time. Yellow bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder where it goes into the stomach through the duodenum. When the stomach is empty, the dog can end up throwing bile resulting in yellow vomits.
If your diabetic dog throws up yellow liquid regularly, he may be suffering from bilious vomit syndrome. You need to make changes in your dog’s diet to adjust that. Also, feed your dog regularly at on same time. Irregular eating patterns can make a diabetic dog prone to this condition.
Diabetic dog throwing up blood?
When your diabetic dog is throwing up blood,
It could be due to various reasons.
- Your dog may have inflammation in the intestinal lining.
- He may have irritation in the esophagus and stomach lining.
Seek immediate help if you notice even spotting of blood in the dog’s vomit.
- If your dog has ketoacidosis and is throwing up blood, he may be at the last stage and dying. Rarely, your dog sufferings are reversible at this stage so it’s time to say goodbye to your pup.
Diabetic dog throwing up water?
Diabetic dog vomiting could be due to elevated glucose levels. Whatever he will eat, he may end throwing up. In diabetes, excessive thirst is a common happening in dogs. Dogs end up drinking more water and throw it all because he has ingested too much water. To avoid this, give your dog water in small portions and make sure he drinks them sip by sip.
Diabetic dog throwing up because of too much insulin in body?
Decreased insulin levels are not the only reason that your dog ends up vomiting. Diabetic dogs throw up when their insulin level is messed and this can happen with an increase in insulin levels too.
When you give your dog an overdose of insulin, blood glucose levels will drop. As more insulin will convert more glucose into energy, this will leave the bloodstream with low glucose levels. A condition called hypoglycemia can occur.
When your dog is
- Vomiting
- Having Weakness and
- Lethargy and is
- Fainting
These could be the diabetic dog symptoms of too much insulin. As a result, the dog might be having dangerously low glucose levels. This is why it’s important to monitor glucose levels. As symptoms could be identical, you need to know if your dog is having high or low glucose levels.
Luckily this condition can be treated urgently at home. Rub honey or corn syrup in your dog’s mouth. Give him something sugary to eat so that his glucose levels can be restored. Meanwhile, keep monitoring glucose levels and don’t feed your dog too much sugar.
Diabetic dog throwing up due to glucose toxicity
Glucose toxicity occurs when the body builds up insulin resistance. The glucose level in the body can rise causing glycolytic flux. Glucotoxicity happens when consistently elevated glucose levels damage the pancreas. Initial symptoms will include vomiting. Again we advise keeping tabs on glucose levels.
Mostly prolonged elevated glucose levels happen because you don’t know if your dog is diabetic. So always pay attention and rule out the possibility of diabetes when your dog shows initial symptoms.
Conclusion :
A diabetic dog can end up throwing due to various reasons and most of them are serious emergency conditions. The color of vomit can be an indication of a cause. You need to make sure that your diabetic dog gets treatment on time.