Why does my German Shepherd always throw up?

If your German Shepherd always throws up then you are probably wondering why and what you can do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd always throws up and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my German Shepherd always throw up? Common causes include eating too quickly, eating things that it shouldn’t and a poor diet. It would be worthwhile to ask your vet about it to make sure that nothing is wrong.

There are actually a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might throw up and there are a number of things that you can do about it.

Why your German Shepherd Always throws up

Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd will vomit will likely come with a number of clues in the way that it does it.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might throw up a lot and the signs to look for.

It ate something it shouldn’t have

A common reason why German Shepherds will throw up a lot is because of eating something that they should not have.

Some things that German Shepherds have been known to eat include bugs, grass, dirt and even poop.

If you notice that your German Shepherd throws up shortly after eating something that it shouldn’t then it would likely be the reason for it. In this case, it would help if you can reduce its ability to eat things that it shouldn’t.

Related post: How to tell if your German Shepherd loves you

Heatstroke

Being out in direct sunlight can cause your German Shepherd to throw up due to getting heatstroke. German Shepherds are not able to sweat like humans can and they have thick double coats. This means that German Shepherds can get heatstroke quickly.

If you notice that your German Shepherd has beeing throwing up when it is hot or after having been outside for a long time then it would be a sign that it is due to heatstroke.

In this case, it would help to make sure that your German Shepherd is able to have access to water, cool areas and shade when it is hot outside. It would also help to follow the advice given in this article and to take it to a vet.

Its diet is bad

The cause could be that there is something in its diet that is causing it to throw up or it is not getting the nutrients, that it needs, in its diet.

This would be more likely if it didn’t use to throw up a lot but it suddenly started to throw up shortly after its diet changed.

You can look here to see what types of foods you should and should not be feeding to your German Shepherd.

If you are unsure of what food to get for your German Shepherd, consider getting dog food designed specifically for German Shepherds. You can get a GSD specific dog food on Amazon here and one for GSD puppies on Chewy here. 

Illness

The reason why your German Shepherd has been throwing up could be that it is ill.

This would be more likely if it didn’t use to throw up very often and it started throwing up suddenly. It would also be more likely if it has started to act differently as well by being less active and possibly aggressive at times too.

Eating or drinking too quickly

A common reason why a dog will throw up is that it has been eating or drinking things too quickly.

This would be more likely to be the reason if it does it right after it eats or drinks. It would also be more likely if it regurgitates the food as opposed to vomits. This website shows the difference between regurgitation and vomiting. Basically, if the food is undigested and it does it right after eating then it is likely to be regurgitation.

Exercising too soon after eating

Another common cause of a German Shepherd throwing up is that it exercised before it was able to digest its food.

This would be more likely if it only tends to throw up when it starts running about right after it has eaten.

If it throws up right after eating but it is not active then it would be a sign that either it ate too fast or it ate something that it should not have.

Motion sickness

Travelling can be difficult for dogs and they can get motion sickness easily.

If you notice that your German Shepherd only throws up on days that it has been traveling then it would be a sign that it is due to motion sickness.

Stress

Being stressed can cause German Shepherds to throw up.

This would be more likely to be the reason if it only seems to throw up when stressful things happen. Examples could include if it does it when a certain person is around, if it started doing it after it lost a friend or if a family member recently moved away.

Related post: Why is my German Shepherd afraid?

Being overly excited

Excitement can cause them to be sick. This is because they might get up too quickly or they might start running about after having eaten recently.

This would be more likely to be the reason if your German Shepherd only seems to be sick when things happen that would cause it to become excited.

Dehydration

Not getting enough water can cause German Shepherds to be sick.

If you notice that your German Shepherd tends to be sick when it does not have access to water then dehydration would be more likely to be the cause. This would be especially likely if it is also hot outside as well.

How to reduce how much your German Shepherd throws up

There are a number of things that you can do to reduce how much your German Shepherd throws up.

However, before trying to reduce how much it throws up, it is important to try to get to the bottom of what is causing it to happen. If you are unsure of what the cause is then it would be worthwhile to take it to the vet to get an expert opinion.

Feed it in smaller quantities

If you think that your German Shepherd is throwing up a lot because it’s eating too much you could give it smaller amounts of food at a time and feed it more often instead.

By doing this you will still be able to feed it the same amount of food overall but by feeding it in smaller quantities you will be able to reduce how likely it will be to eat too much too quickly.

This will also reduce the likelihood of it being sick because of exercising too soon after eating.

Wait before exercising

If your German Shepherd tends to be sick when it exercises after eating then one thing that you can do is to try and reduce its ability to do exercise until it has had some time to digest its food.

you could do this by not giving it access to areas where it tends to run around and reducing its exposure to things that get it excited for a short time period.

Make sure that you are feeding it the right food

The cause of it throwing up all the time could be that something is not right in its diet. It would help to look here to see what you should be feeding your German Shepherd. You can also speak to your vet about what you should and shouldn’t be feeding it.

Watch what it eats

It would also help to watch what it eats throughout the day. If you notice that it is sick after eating things such as grass or dirt then try to reduce its access to those areas when you are not around to monitor it.

Give it access to shaded areas and water

If you live in a hot environment then giving it access to shade, water and a cool area throughout the day should help a lot in reducing how often it throws up.

Take it to the vet

If you are unsure of why your German Shepherd is throwing up then taking it to the vet would likely be your best option.

Things to consider

Whether or not the vomiting started suddenly

If your German Shepherd started to vomit suddenly then it would be much more likely to be due to things such as heatstroke, illness or eating something that it should not have. If it is also acting strange then it would be highly recommended for you to take it to a vet.

If it has been vomiting a lot over a long time period then it would make it more likely that it is something in its diet.

When and where it tends to vomit

Considering when and where it tends to vomit could help as well.

Some things to look for could include:

• If it only vomits at certain times in the day
• If it only vomits after eating or drinking (likely eating or drinking too quickly)
• If it vomits after traveling
• If it only seems to vomit when you are outside (suggests it ate something that it shouldn’t have)

What happened at around the time that it started vomiting

If your German Shepherd only started vomiting recently then it would also help to consider what happened at around the time that it started to vomit.

Things to consider could include:

• If its diet changed
• If the weather has been hotter
• If it has had less access to water
• You have moved home
• It has gotten a new dog walker (maybe feeding it bad treats or letting it eat things it shouldn’t)
• It started to act differently (this would suggest that it is ill)

What is in the vomit

Something else to consider would be what it is actually throwing up.

If you notice that there is grass is in there then it would likely be due to eating grass. In this case, it would help to reduce it’s access to things that it shouldn’t be eating.

Related

Why does my German Shepherd throw up after drinking and eating? This is likely to be because it either ate too fast or it started running around too soon after eating. In this case, you could try feeding it in smaller quantities or waiting for a while before letting it get exercise after eating.