Expert: Nicole - 1/14/2009

Question
3 months ago,we took in an abandoned full bred Bassett. We took it to the vet and brought him up to date with shots etc and was deemed healthy. He has started vomiting on occasion. Last week it was cloudy liquid--no food particles and last nite it was undigested food. We feed him a good brand of dry food and do not over feed him. He has no other symptoms. He is still active, does not have any abdominal tenderness and still has an appetite(although after these episodes I limit his food). Any advice would be appreciated. The vet thought he was 3 years old. When we got him, he had an injured tooth that the vet treated under anesthesia but has had no problems since that.

Answer
Hi Michele,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer you, my laptop is in CA being repaired.  This is the first chance I've had to jump on someone else's computer.  :)

Vomitting on occassion is not uncommon.  It depends on what 'on occassion' means.

Cloudy liquid is normally bile.  This can be from a dog being overly hungry, nervous, stressed, etc.  Not a cause for alarm if it doesn't happen often.

Vomitting undigested food could mean that he's eating too quickly and/or gulping his food.  If this is the case, you can try feeding him out of a bundt pan (makes them eat slower as they have to eat around the center bit) or putting a large toy in his food dish.

Getting a proper daignosis by a vet is always a good idea.