My dog threw up after car ride, now dry heaving. What should I do?

Question

I have a 5yr old yellow lab she has been in a moving car for at least 3-4 hours. She puked once in the car and once at home and now she is dry heaving. She is acting normal and her stomach is gurgling. Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 50 lbs

Christie Long, DVM · Accepted Answer

If the vomiting was solely due to motion sickness, I would have expected it to have stopped at this point, once she was out of the car. Vomiting can have a number of causes in dogs, both related to the GI tract (parasites, intestinal blockage, foreign objects in the stomach, bacterial or viral infections) as well as non GI-related (kidney or liver issues, pancreatitis, etc). The fact that she is now dry-heaving is especially concerning, as non-productive vomiting (i.e. retching repeatedly without bringing anything up) is a common sign of the very serious GI issue known as "bloat" or "GDV". In this condition, the stomach fills with air and/or food, and then flips around, essentially blocking the entry/exit points. I would take Hannah in for veterinary care immediately, first to rule out GDV and then to get definitive diagnosis and treatment for the vomiting.

My dog threw up after car ride, now dry heaving. What should I do?

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