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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 50 lbs

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

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Christie Long, DVM

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on April 14th, 2017

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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