Gastritis

By definition, gastritis is inflammation of the stomach. Pets with gastritis will vomit very intermittently to every day depending on the severity. There is an extensive list of what causes gastritis and the most common ones will be covered.

Any substance that can erode the stomach is a possible cause: toxins, plants, chemicals, or cleaning agents. Pets with food allergy can also develop gastritis. There are some stomach cancers that will cause inflammation of the stomach. Pets that vomit and are on steroids or antiinflammatories should be checked for gastritis. Pancreatitis and liver disease have also been implicated. An extremely common cause of gastritis is bilious vomiting syndrome, a condition where the patient vomits bile in response to an empty stomach. These patients usually vomit late at night or early in the morning.  

As noted above pets can vomit daily or only vomit once every 2-3 weeks. The vomit usually contains bile (yellow froth), blood, food, or digested blood (coffee grounds). The pets are  usually normal otherwise, but can have weight loss or diarrhea if there is other disease present. Dogs with bilious vomiting syndrome will vomit late at night or early in the morning.

Any underlying condition should be addressed. Anti-vomiting medication should be used if the patient is vomiting frequently. A diet change may be necessary: boiled chicken, cottage cheese, rice, or potatoes or a veterinary formulation marketed for this condition can be used. Feeding a patient with bilious vomiting syndrome late at night or small meals frequently will help prevent this condition. Some veterinarians will prescribe Tagamet or Zantac to decrease acid production in the stomach.