Why does my dog keep throwing up? Call the vet if you see these colors in vomit.

Dogs are cute, cuddly and sometimes a little bit gross. One second you’re snuggling on the couch and giving them a belly rub and the next you’re cleaning up a pile of vomit on your kitchen floor. They’re a little like babies in that way.

But as with any family member we want to do our best to take care of them, whether preventing illness, keeping them away from unsafe foods or just maintaining their daily health.

Why is my dog throwing up?

Your dog may be throwing up for a number of reasons, chief among them being your dog ate something they weren’t supposed to. This could be something toxic or non-toxic around the house, or they could be experiencing dietary indiscretion, which means they likely ate something in the yard.

According to Diana Watkins, a veterinarian and owner of 143 Veterinary Services in Cohasset, Massachusetts, it’s important for owners to know their dogs’ history of vomiting. If they have a sensitive stomach, it may only take something little to give them an upset stomach. If they’ve never vomited before, it may be a sign they ingested something toxic.

Chocolate, for example, is toxic for dogs. Eating a large amount may have serious health complications like heart arrhythmias, seizures or even death but a small amount may show up in vomiting and diarrhea.

Most often a pup upchuck falls under the “dietary indiscretion” and is no cause for concern – maybe they ate animal poop in the yard or a bad patch of dirt that will eventually pass. If your dog serially steals socks or chomps on household items, you'll want to take a vomiting dog in to get an X-ray to be safe, Watkins says.

“Dogs can’t say ‘I ate a lego three days ago and my belly’s been hurting ever since,’ so we have to be an investigator,” Watkins says. “Usually with foreign bodies, it does tend to be not the dog’s first offense, so the owner usually knows.”

Vomiting also fits into one of two categories when it comes to appropriate treatment and diagnosis: acute and long-term. Acute vomiting for a dog that never vomits is typically a cause for concern and a reason to see an emergency vet. Long-term vomiting requires a bit of trial and error to solve.

• If your dog is vomiting first thing in the morning: Try giving them a snack before bed. “They can absolutely get nauseated from having an empty stomach just like we can,” she says. “Some humans are more sensitive to that than others, same for some dogs.”

• If they’re vomiting after they eat: They may be eating too fast, though Watkins says this is more common in cats than in dogs. Try spreading their food out on a cookie sheet so they’re forced to slow down.

If it’s neither of these things, it may be an allergy or sensitivity, or maybe their stomach just needs a break. Watkins recommends giving them an easily digestible meal like boiled chicken and rice, though don't feed them this every day because it's not a balanced meal. You can also ask your vet about a prescription diet or an allergy test.

“It basically gives the belly a rest so the body doesn’t have to work as hard to break it down,” Watkins says. “That can be the treatment and the diagnosis for dogs that have sensitive stomachs.”

A final check before you take action – is your dog actually vomiting? If they're gagging and spitting up a white, foamy substance, it’s likely not vomit but phlegm, a symptom of kennel cough, or canine infectious respiratory disease complex. A vet will be able to verify in person.

Another possibility is regurgitation, which is passive vomiting, Watkins explains.

“Regurgitation is where they just eat and then all of a sudden their food’s back up and you didn’t really see anything, they didn’t make any noise and it just kind of happened,” she says.

This can be a symptom of a larger esophagus issue, like myasthenia gravis, an immune disease involving malfunction between the muscles and nerve signals. It’s not typically an emergency but is a chronic issue that’s “not something to just ignore,” Watkins says.

Sick pet?: Five things that warrant an emergency vet visit

What should I do if my dog is throwing up?

If it’s a once-in-a-while vomit and your dog seems to be fine, you’re okay to just keep an eye on them, Watkins says. Contact your vet if you see any of these signs:

• Lethargy

• Drooling

• Vomiting up water

“Here and there we’ll see a dog that for life every few months vomits – probably because they got into something in the backyard – that’s not the end of the world, but that type of patient would never be just vomiting up water, that’s quite concerning,” she says.

If you think your dog ate something toxic, contact the ASPCA’s 24-hour Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

The ASPCA hotline may walk you through how to give your dog hydrogen peroxide to force them to vomit. This can help in a life-threatening situation but should be done with the utmost caution because it also irritates the stomach lining. Make sure to contact a professional to get the correct dosage of hydrogen peroxide before giving it to your dog. If at all possible, take your dog to a vet where they can inject them with apomorphine to make them vomit safely.

What does concerning dog vomit look like?

While the color of your dog’s vomit isn’t a “black and white indicator,” Watkins says there are some shades that warrant a visit to the vet:

• Red: This usually indicates fresh blood in the vomit and could be a sign of an illness like parvo

• Coffee grounds: Vomit that looks like it has coffee grounds in it usually shows digested blood, which can be a sign of an ulcer

• Unusual, distinct color: Bright green or blue vomit – anything that looks unnaturally colorful is cause for concern, especially because it could be a toxin like rat poisoning

Yellow bile is usually an indicator to vets that the vomit is coming straight from the stomach, Watkins says, while foamy or clear is coming from the esophagus. You may also see grass or sticks in your dog’s vomit, but that’s not typically a reason to worry – dogs with acid reflux may try to soothe their stomach by eating grass.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is my dog throwing up? Colors, causes and when to worry