Is Your Dog Throwing Up Clear Liquid And Mucus? What Do You Do?

Do you have a four-legged, tail wagging friend at home that seems to have an upset stomach? Are you noticing your dog throwing up mucus and water? Obviously enough, this is very concerning to you, as is the case with any of us if we were in the same boat.

But what is this clear liquid? What does it mean for your animal’s health? And should you immediately rush them to seek medical treatment?

Well, before you begin rushing out the door in panic, let’s explore some details you have to know about dogs vomiting water, some symptoms you should keep monitoring for, and possible home treatment options first.

Different Types of Dog Vomit

Regurgitation

This is one of the most common forms of vomit. There’s a good possibility that if your dog is vomiting clear liquid, that this is actually what is taking place.

When a canine regurgitates, there is a good possibility that they simply ate too much food or just consumed too much food and water too fast.

Either way, they have hit some sort of issue within their esophagus, in their throat, or in the tube between the stomach and esophagus that has triggered the food to immediately be thrown back up.

When this happens, often times the food is covered in a clear liquid which is mucus.

So if you think that this might have taken place with your pet, you should immediately clean up the vomit because it will be your dog’s natural instinct to eat what they just vomited [1].

You don’t want this because if there was something in the food that didn’t set well with them, then you can see how this would just end up turning to be a vicious and unnecessary cycle.

Also, pay attention to what happens when your pup regurgitates.

If your dog eats and then (with little struggle) just throws up, then it is most likely regurgitation. This is similar to a baby spitting up. It requires very little effort because the body is basically ejecting whatever was shoved in it too quickly for it to process.

Coughing

Some dogs just seem to always have a nagging cough. Upon inspection, your vet may very well tell you that they’re healthy otherwise, but just have a cough.

Unfortunately, this means that they often cough up (or vomit) a clear liquid or thick white mucus. If you find that your dog has a cough, and you have already spoken with your vet about it, then don’t be alarmed.

Basically, the same way that we sometimes have mucus caught in our throat which leads us to cough it up, your dog sometimes has the same troubles.

So if you find a clear liquid or phlegm on the floor after your furry friend recently had a coughing fit, that is most likely what has taken place.

But you’ll also want to notice the action of the body when your dog is coughing. If all your dog is doing is coughing, you’ll notice that just their shoulders, chest, and rib area will move because whatever they are trying to get up is related to that area.

If the action seems a little more in depth than that, then your dog may be doing more of dry heave and less of a cough because they are struggling to get something up from a deeper area in their body.

Vomit

The difference between a clear liquid and actual dog vomit is that vomit usually has chunks in it and will also often times contain stomach bile as well.

If you are unfamiliar with stomach bile, it is the yellow and orange liquid that you often see accompanied in your dog’s vomit.

However, clear liquid can sometimes be the beginning of the vomiting process for your dog. If you notice they are vomiting clear slime, but then the vomiting persists to the point that chunks of food and stomach bile begin to present, then you know that your canine is actually throwing up.

Also, when your dog actually vomits, you’ll notice that the act of doing so is more violent. The whole body will roll as the stomach does in order to get out whatever is causing the upset in their system.

Now, if you find that your dog’s clear mucus is leading into the actual act of vomiting, then you’ll need to pay real close attention.

Usually this type of vomit occurs when your dog has eaten something that does not agree with their system, has eaten grass [2] (which is usually a sign of tummy troubles), has motion sickness, or was too active after just eating.

Figuring out what the potential cause was for your canine actually vomiting in the first place will let you know how concerned you should be, how to potentially avoid it from happening in the future if possible and whether or not you should contact your veterinarian about it if there’s no obvious explanation to why it’s happening.

What Clear Vomit Actually Is

A lot of people see their pet throw up a clear slime and immediately think that their dog is throwing up water. This is not always the case.

In most cases, even after your dog drinks a lot of water, they are still throwing up mucus. Whether they are vomiting clear liquid as a precursor for actual vomit, or if they are simply regurgitating food they ate too quickly, it is still mucus.

See, when dogs eat too quickly, the food gets wrapped in a mucus covering which is then ejected back out of the body.

But if your dog is really sick with stomach issues, then usually they will lead out with a clear mucus. This is because when dogs are nauseated, they will begin to drool and produce mucus. That is why you will see them drool a lot before they actually get sick to their stomach.

So the next time you catch your dog vomiting water, realize that it is mucus and begin to observe your pup to see which type of vomiting is taking place with them.

What To Do If You Catch Your Dog Throwing Up Thick White Mucus And Water

If you have been a pet owner for very long, you’ve probably realized that cleaning up vomit comes with the territory, but we love them so we just clean up the mess and go on.

However, when you see your furry friend vomiting a clear liquid, there are certain times to be alarmed and certain times that you just clean and keep going.

So if you notice that your dog is simply regurgitating food, then you’ll need to clean up the mess quickly (as we mentioned earlier), and then try to let them eat again a little later and provide smaller portions for them.

However, if you realize that your pet is coughing up a clear liquid, then you’ll need to make sure that your vet is aware that this is taking place. When your dog has a cough it could be something as simple as a sinus issue or an issue within their esophagus.

But it could also be something more serious like respiratory troubles [3] or even heart issues. This is why you need to make your vet aware so they can put any worry that you may have to rest about it being something serious.

Now, if your canine leads out with clear vomit, but then progresses into the violent and heart-breaking vomiting, you’ll need to really take notice.

First, you need to ask yourself if you recently returned from a car ride that could have caused motion sickness. If you have a younger dog, you’ll need to ask yourself if they were extremely active right after eating, which can cause this type of vomiting experience.

Even if you answered yes to either of these questions, you need to inspect their vomit when cleaning it up. I know, it doesn’t sound like a great job to have, but this is where you can see if your dog has potentially eaten something that would have upset their stomach.

For instance, if you have a puppy, they could have eaten part of a shoe or chew toy that would cause their stomach to become upset with this type of vomiting.

Next, you’ll need to remove food and water from your dog for at least a few hours. This will give their stomachs time to recoup and calm down without ingesting anything else that could cause further upset.

Finally, when their stomach has calmed down, you treat them as you would a human that has recently battled an upset stomach. You slowly reintroduce water and give them bland foods for a day or so. Boiled chicken and low-fat cottage cheese are actually great foods to introduce to them during this time.

But be aware, if your dog has diarrhea, becomes extremely lethargic, continues to vomit for a prolonged period of time, acts as though it is in pain, or refuses eating food or drinking water when offered after a few hours, then you need to get to a veterinary ASAP.

This type of vomiting can be a sign that there is a far more serious issue taking place. It could be a sign that your dog is in kidney failure, has developed diabetes, or even has a blockage in their intestines somewhere.

So if you see any other symptoms developing outside of the vomiting, then it is probably in your best interest to seek out veterinary help because you definitely don’t want your dog in pain or to become dehydrated.

Conclusion

Well, we hope that this gives you greater insight to what is going on with your dog’s stomach troubles. Hopefully you’ll find that this will pass in a matter of a few hours or less.

As you can tell, in most cases though, your dog vomiting water is not usually anything to be alarmed over, and you and your friendly pup should be back to playing and sharing life together in no time.

But, because this may not always be the case, always remember that if you are ever in doubt about your dog’s health, seek medical treatment for them right away. As they say, better safe than sorry!

Watch this video to learn more about what is causing your dog to vomit and what kind of throw up they are experiencing:

Resources

1. Is it safe for my dog to eat its own sick https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2018/10/12/safe-dog-eat-sick/

2. Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? https://healthypets.mercola.com/why-do-dogs-eat-grass.aspx

3. Difficult or Labored Breathing in Dogs https://www.maddiesfund.org/kb-difficult-or-labored-breathing-in-dogs.htm