Why Is My French Bulldog Throwing Up? Reasons and Solution

There is nothing worse than seeing your French bulldog throwing up. Unfortunately, these pooches are prone to fast-eating and digestive issues. Since they can’t explain to us what bothers their tiny bodies, we need to notice on time any strange symptoms. The reasons for this occurrence could be many, so let’s start with enumerating possible causes.

Why is my French bulldog throwing up so often?

We all know that French bulldogs have brachycephalic skulls. Due to this feature, they can’t pick up the food from their feeding bowls properly and are prone to fast eating. Frenchies literally inhale the food. Their muzzles are too short to reach the food, so that’s why they often sound like they’re choking.

If your Frenchie throws up almost every day, this could be definitely one of the reasons. They are predisposed to vomiting more than other breeds.

The most common reasons for your French bulldog throwing up:

• Fast eating
• Food allergies
• Intestinal parasites
• Motion sickness
• Poisoning
• Sudden change in your French bulldog’s diet
• Bacterial infections of the digestive tract
• Foreign object in troat or gizzard
• Heatstroke
• Pyometra
• Virus infections
• Drug usage

In case of sporadic or irregular vomiting that occurs over a long period of time, the causes may be:

• Inflammation of the gizzard
• Inflammation of the intestines
• Constipation
• Kidney dysfunction
• Liver disease
• Cancer

As you can see, the causes are numerous. Therefore, it is not easy to determine the exact trigger to get the correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy. That is why your monitoring will be more than a valuable help to veterinarians. Pay special attention to the following:

• Frequency of vomiting
• Circumstances in which vomiting occurs
• Is diarrhea present?
• Dehydration
• Lethargy
• Blood in vomit
• Weight loss
• Change in appetite
• Refusal of food and water
• Increased urination

How to prevent your French bulldog from throwing up?

Understandably, it is not always possible to create conditions that will prevent your Frenchie from vomiting. However, there are some general measures we can perform to reduce the risks of your French bulldog’s vomiting.

• Keep trash and leftovers from your table out of the reach of dogs
• Deny them access to chemical hygiene products
• Remove all toxic substances from your pet’s environment
• Remove small objects and toy parts to prevent swallowing
• Provide your dog with high-quality food for French bulldogs
• Prevent your Frenchie from accessing any harmful or poisonous foods such as chocolate, grapes, avocados, etc.

Whether it is food intolerance or some other cause related to the health condition that is reflected in vomiting, the owners should be especially considerate. The causes of your French bulldog’s throwing up can be banal and not overly dangerous.  However, it can also be a sign of serious conditions that even endanger the life of a pet. When the dog starts to vomit, make sure you check the following signs:

• Examine the vomited content

The first idea is to clean the vomit off the floor – but wait! The examination of vomit is not pleasant at all but it can relieve you a lot about the cause.

• Is there only food in a vomit?
• Is it mostly mucus or bile?
• Is there a white foamy content?
• Can you see any blood in your Frenchie’s vomit?
• Are there any pieces of toys and other foreign objects?

Put foreign objects in a plastic bag and show them to your vet. We also recommend you take a snapshot of the vomited content or write down a detailed description. In addition, write down any other accompanying signs such as lethargy, diarrhea, or something similar that you will describe to the vet.

• Wait and watch

After the episode of vomiting, remove food and water and observe your Frenchie’s behavior for a few hours. If despite vomiting, your Frenchie continues to behave normally, you can continue with regular feeding after 6 to 12 hours, depending on the established routine. Pay special attention to other clinical signs that may indicate another health problem. Of course, if vomiting returns in the next 2-3 hours seek the help of a veterinarian.

• Food and water

If the Frenchie vomits again after his next meal and he doesn’t repeat it in the next few hours, then you can offer him a smaller amount of water. If he does not vomit water, after a few hours, offer him cooked rice with a little chicken. Remove all the fat from the meat and make everything unsalted and without spices. The meal should be small. If he eats it and does not vomit, give him another small amount after an hour. Repeat this the next day. If there is no vomiting after 3-4 days, gradually return your Frenchie to normal food and monitor the reaction. If the dog refuses rice and chicken, do not insist and force-feed him. Try again in an hour, and if he refuses again, then you should seek the help of a veterinarian.

• Do not give your Frenchie drugs on your own

Nausea medications for humans should not be given to dogs without consulting a veterinarian. Vomiting can be helpful in some cases because the body gets rid of some harmful substances or objects. On the other hand, it can be a symptom of a disease where the use of certain drugs may be contraindicated or harmful.

• Seek the help of a veterinarian

If your dog refuses food for more than two days, with occasional episodes of vomiting it is necessary to seek the help of a veterinarian. If diarrhea occurs, do not hesitate. Chronic vomiting, e.g. once a day for a long period of time (ten days) requires an examination. Seek the help of your vet in the following situations:

• French bulldog throwing up is repeated several times in a row for several hours
• The dog is on medications that can cause vomiting
• You suspect that the dog swallowed a foreign body
• The dog shows signs of lethargy and exhaustion
• You suspect that your Frenchie swallowed a poisonous ingredient
• You see blood in the vomit
• The dog reacts painfully to the touch of the stomach
• The dog has trouble breathing

How to prevent your French bulldog from fast-eating?

As we already mentioned, many Frenchies are prone to fast eating. That’s why it would be good to buy a special slow-feeding dog bowl that will teach your pet to work for his food. Anti-choke feeding bowls can feature a rotating bone in the middle or can be made in a zig-zag pattern. In that way, your pooch will extend his time eating.

We recommend you to check the following Anti-choke feeding bowl that is made of non-toxic material and has an anti-slipping bottom. It is dishwasher-safe and convenient to detach and clean.

Interactive Anti Choke Bowl is our second choice for preventing French bulldogs from throwing up. This unique 3-dimensional French bulldog bowl will challenge your pet to slow down his mealtime to improve digestion.

French bulldog throwing up –  Conclusion

If the dog vomits every time after taking water or food, seek the help of a veterinarian immediately. This can be a sign of gastrointestinal obstruction – the presence of a foreign body in the digestive tract or some other problem with the intestines. These conditions require urgent veterinary intervention.