Vomiting white foam in a dog: causes, treatment and first aid

What is vomiting

The gag reflex is a protective reaction of the human body. In diseases of the digestive tract, the stomach does not allow food to pass through in order to relieve the intestines, and does not allow substances to be absorbed through the villi in the rectum. But vomiting with foam is not a typical manifestation of poisoning. This is a sign of serious problems in the digestive system and requires careful study.

Vomiting is a reflex contraction of the abdominal muscles, internal muscles, in which the contents of the stomach are expelled through the mouth. Foods or liquids are perceived by the body as potentially dangerous substances. The vomiting center, located in the medulla oblongata, becomes overexcited and gives the command to empty. In this case, a reaction may occur to certain smells or tastes of food.

Cause of foamy vomiting in adults

There are a number of diseases that cause nausea and vomiting with foam in humans. Various secretions, blood threads or bile may be mixed with the fluid, which helps the specialist determine the cause. Most often it is hidden for the following reasons:

Diabetes. In the latent form of the disease, a person has extreme thirst. He drinks a lot of liquid, which provokes evening nausea and vomiting. A characteristic symptom is sudden weight loss with a standard diet.
Chronic gastritis. Vomiting foam in a person occurs after eating certain foods that disrupt acidity.
Alcohol intoxication. In case of poisoning, the body malfunctions, the process of digestion and bowel movements is disrupted. It occurs against the background of a hangover syndrome and does not require separate treatment.
Duodenal ulcer. The patient periodically vomits foam and experiences painful spasms in the navel area. The problem appears when you abandon a strict diet and open areas of erosion.
Helminthic infestations. An unpleasant symptom occurs in the morning before eating. A person vomiting may notice small white roundworms that irritate the stomach when they come into contact with sour juice and exit through the esophagus.
Intestinal obstruction. In addition to severe pain in the side, the patient notes severe vomiting with copious amounts of mucus. The discharge becomes cloudy in color, there may be no excretion of feces, yellow vomit.
Oncological diseases. With stomach cancer or metastasis to the pancreas, you vomit with foam, which turns coffee-colored. Upon visual inspection, small black inclusions are observed.
Neurosis. In some patients with weak psyches, life situations cause a state of constant tension. They often experience nausea, vomit white foam without impurities or blood, and diarrhea begins.

Each situation should be assessed individually. Establishing a diagnosis involves examining the intestines using gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and ultrasound of the digestive tract. You should not panic if you suddenly vomit with foam, which appears as a response to overeating or eating a fatty product.

The most dangerous condition is vomiting white foam in a person against the background of severe pain in the back of the head and cramps of the limbs. This is how viral diseases of the central nervous system manifest themselves: meningitis, encephalitis, inflammation of the cerebral cortex. After cleansing the stomach, the state of health only worsens, causing blindness, deep fainting or coma. The same dangerous symptoms accompany the formation of tumors that put pressure on the vomiting center of the brain.

First aid for a pet

Fact! First aid for a pet with a gag reflex and white foam is a starvation diet for a day, since limiting feeding will reduce the load on the entire body. The consistency, smell and color of vomit will help to recognize the root cause of the illness.

The color and composition of vomit can say a lot about the nature of the animal’s disease:

vomiting white foam means that the pet is hungry and there is no pathology;
the presence of white mucus in the vomit indicates a helminthic infestation in the animal;
vomiting of a pet with saliva without additional impurities with white or yellowish foam can be a sign of terrible diseases - feline distemper or panleukopenia;
The red tint to the vomit is given by blood, which means that the pet has damage to the organs of the digestive system;
the gray tint of the vomit suggests the presence of dry food residues in it, and the pet’s diet should be reconsidered for its benefits and health;
dark color of vomit is a sign of the presence of hydrochloric acid, which can cause gastritis or internal tumor;
Bile gives the yellow color to the vomit, which indicates dysfunction of the liver and gallbladder;
the cat vomits water with foam with strong pressure, the reason for this may be a tumor of the internal organs, encephalitis, high intracranial pressure in the animal, thrombosis or brain disease;
vomit with green foam indicates intestinal obstruction, attacks occur mainly at night;
A gag reflex involving feces is extremely rare and is a dangerous signal indicating serious intestinal injury.

The pre-cleansing reflex is accompanied by nausea, the pet behaves restlessly and nervously, rushes about, makes plaintive sounds, often licks its lips, and saliva may flow profusely from its mouth.

In addition to nausea, the cat may secrete white foam, breathing becomes faster, the animal pulls its head forward, cramps occur in the stomach, and vomiting begins.

Copious vomit leads to rapid dehydration of the animal's body. At the same time, his saliva becomes viscous white and thick, his eyes become sunken, and his gums stick. Frequent gag reflexes are white with foam at a high temperature plus the depressed state of the pet is a bad signal. What to do then? In this case, the cat urgently needs the help of a specialist .

It is important to know! One sign of severe dehydration with prolonged vomiting is that if you lift an area of skin and release it, the dehydrated area will slowly return to its original shape.

What to do when a kitten vomits white foam?

If the gag reflex occurs due to poisoning, the pet is given activated charcoal at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of animal weight. Charcoal is dissolved in water and injected into the cat’s mouth from a syringe without a needle.
In case of short paroxysmal vomiting, the pet will be helped by drinking Regidron solution.
Enterosgel and Atoxil will help prevent dehydration due to severe vomiting.
If the cat is weakened and refuses to take fluids, then it is necessary to inject Ringer's solution.
An intramuscular injection of Cerucal or No-shpa helps to cope with pain and nausea.
For frequent and prolonged white vomiting, antiemetic drugs are effective: Torekan, Paspertin and Phenothiazine.
In case of severe intoxication, the cat is prescribed a course of drips with glucose and ascorbic acid.
Severe lesions of the gastrointestinal tract are treated with antibiotic blockade and sulfonamide drugs.

Attention! If, despite all the efforts of the owner, the cat’s white gag reflex does not go away within 2 days, the pet must be shown to a veterinarian!

Treatment of vomiting in a cat and the recovery period should be accompanied by a special diet: all food in semi-liquid form, only boiled and soft meat, feeding in small volumes, and sufficient liquid. The appearance of a pet's appetite is a positive sign, but the transition to the usual diet should be carried out smoothly and gradually.

Vomiting with foam in children

The baby’s immunity often fails and reacts sharply to infection with any infection. Therefore, the gag reflex often complicates the course of a common cold, acute respiratory viral infection, or intestinal flu. Foam vomiting in a child occurs when there is a deficiency of digestive enzymes, which is accompanied by acute inflammation of the pancreas. Signs of the disorder are referred to as acetonemic syndrome:

nausea;
refusal of food;
specific odor from the mouth;
The child vomits white foam.

The reason is a violation of the child’s nutrition, intestinal dysbiosis and other developmental features. In children, the problem often occurs due to an allergic reaction to certain foods, milk or gluten, or drug components. There are often cases of emotional stress in which vomiting occurs due to a certain irritant: fear of punishment, a test, an exam, fear of a teacher or parent.

Prevention

Abuse of alcoholic beverages leads to serious problems for the body. Hangovers and bloody vomiting are just a small part of the negative manifestations. To prevent the development of addiction with further complications, it is not recommended:

abuse alcoholic beverages;
drink alcohol on an empty stomach;
mix different alcoholic drinks;
lower the degree;
hangover with alcohol;
drink alcohol with medications;
drink without snacks.

Drinking alcohol in moderation will not guarantee the avoidance of negative consequences for the body. It is advisable to completely abandon it.

To prevent vomiting after drinking alcohol, there is only one preventive measure - stopping drinking alcohol. In addition to this, you need to monitor your diet and undergo examinations by a gastroenterologist several times a year.

A favorable prognosis will be observed only with timely access to qualified help and complex therapy. It is very important that the patient himself understands the seriousness of damage to the stomach, liver, esophagus, pancreas and other organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to the development of serious complications that often pose a threat to human life.

Cause of foam vomiting in pregnant women

When carrying a child, a woman's body undergoes hormonal changes. At 8–12 weeks, salivation may increase, so vomiting foam during pregnancy is a characteristic sign of the first trimester. Sometimes it is associated with intoxication from the baby’s waste products. Normally, an unpleasant phenomenon occurs in the morning hours, it happens from 3 to 6 times a day.

If a woman vomits foam during pregnancy late in pregnancy, it is necessary to diagnose the gastrointestinal tract. The fruit puts pressure on the intestines and liver, stimulates stagnation of bile or worsens chronic inflammation of internal organs. There is a risk that the mother and embryo do not receive nutrients and microelements. This negatively affects the development of the baby and the well-being of the expectant mother. Sometimes support with special medications is required that help maintain water balance and improve blood supply to the placenta. The situation quickly normalizes after delivery.

First aid for vomiting foam

If vomiting with foam in a child or adult does not stop for more than a day and interferes with taking water and food, you should consult a doctor for help. Before visiting the hospital, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

drink a spoonful of plain water every 10 minutes;
monitor the patient’s temperature and pulse;
use special solutions for rehydration;
Provide fresh air to reduce nausea.

If you feel sick with white foam mixed with blood, it is recommended to suck on small ice cubes. For any damage to the stomach, this soothes the inflamed mucous membrane and reduces bleeding. Eating food, juice or carbonated water is excluded until the cause of the unpleasant condition is determined. Mint candies are suitable as an aid.

When to contact a veterinarian

Many people try to cope with the problem on their own, but do not know what exactly to do when a cat starts vomiting with white foam. It is strictly forbidden to eliminate this symptom with Cerucal injections or other drugs.

Vomiting is a protective mechanism by which the body gets rid of unnecessary substances. Therefore, if vomiting is repeated in an animal more than 2 times a day, accompanied by depression and other clinical signs, then contacting a veterinarian is a mandatory procedure.

Treatment

Further assistance to the patient depends on the diseases that provoked the complication. If a child or adult repeatedly vomits foam, you can use medications that reduce the gag reflex:

Metoclopramide;
Cerucal;
Motilium;
Aminazine.

In case of intestinal disorder, it is necessary to reduce intoxication in order to normalize intestinal function. Taking adsorbents in solution or tablets helps to cleanse toxins naturally. If vomiting saliva is accompanied by loose stools, you can use:

Enterofuril;
White coal;
Smecta;
Polysorb.

Enterosgel helps cleanse the microflora in case of poisoning. For disorders caused by stress, the help of a neurologist and psychologist is necessary. The doctor prescribes a course of medications with a sedative effect that gradually reduces irritability. Treatment lasts 3–4 weeks, during which sleep patterns normalize, appetite and calmness are restored.

Traditional methods for foamy vomiting

At home, folk recipes help reduce nausea and pain. If vomiting saliva in an adult is caused by alcohol intoxication, you can take the following formulations:

clean water with lemon juice;
decoction of dill or fennel seeds;
green tea with a spoon of honey;
warm infusion of mint, chamomile and lemon balm.

In case of food poisoning, a decoction of eucalyptus or bay leaf helps calm the stomach. Drink 30–50 grams of liquid. at one time, trying not to eat during the first 24 hours. In case of exacerbation of gastritis, long-term adherence to a special diet is recommended. Traditional methods during pregnancy should be used with great caution.

Symptoms

If foamy regurgitation is not a sign of an underlying disease and occurs due to poisoning, starvation or trichobezoars, additional symptoms are absent or scant. Most often, no treatment is required in such situations. The reason for immediately seeking veterinary help is the occurrence of the following symptoms:

Constant nausea and frequent vomiting.
Temperature deviation from normal in both directions.
Nasal and eye discharge.
Cough.
Anorexia.
Oppression.
Diarrhea.

What is the cause of nausea?