A dog throwing up white foam can either be due to some mild reasons or more serious causes.

Hopefully, it's only a digestive problem, such as your dog eating too fast, but sometimes, this may be something to be more worried about.

Here's what you should keep in mind.

1. Indigestion

A dog gets indigestion just like a human does but may throw up much more frequently.

When your dog throws up white foam, it means its body is trying to rid itself of substances upsetting the stomach.

Perhaps your pooch ate too much grass; maybe they wolfed down food and drank rapidly after they'd been running around playing or exercising.

If the dog vomits consistently, you have cause to worry, but otherwise, it could be indigestion that goes away within a day.

2. Acid Reflux

What if your dog is throwing up white foam before they eat?

That could signify reflux gastritis or acid reflux, which is fairly common in pets.

This happens when the dog's gastrointestinal tract is irritated by stomach acid.

This occurs when a dog's stomach is empty, and the foam could be white or yellow.

A good tip is to reduce the portions of your dog’s meals to prevent stomach bile and acid from building up, which are often the cause of digestive problems.

3. Kennel Cough

Your dog might have been in contact with other dogs in an animal shelter, dog park, or boarding facility and caught kennel cough.

It’s an upper respiratory infection in dogs and is highly contagious.

Kennel cough is mild and usually goes away on its own after 7 to 10 days.

You will hear a hacking, honking-type cough from your dog, which can also produce white foam.

Runny nose, lethargy, sneezing, and loss of appetite are other symptoms.

4. Dog Bloat

Bloat is a severe condition in dogs. It occurs more often in deep-chested adult or senior dogs.

Bloating causes a dog’s stomach to fill up with food or gases, making its stomach expand; an early symptom is a dog throwing up white foam.

Other symptoms are excessive drooling, coughing, and pale gums.

Your dog needs a vet immediately because, without treatment, it can die.

Such bloating restricts blood flow to the dog's heart, putting pressure on its lungs and making breathing difficult.

5. Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is inflammation in the dog's pancreas.

Your pet needs a healthy pancreas for healthy digestion, and when that's compromised, the whole organ starts to malfunction.

A symptom of this can be a dog throwing up white foam, this could be the cause.

If your dog has pancreatitis, it will also throw up most of its food, and you may or may not see said white foam in its vomit.

A dog's back will hunch up. They will have abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, dehydration, and lose their appetite.

It's crucial to take the dog to the vet immediately.

6. Stress

Stress is more common than pet owners realize.

Dogs undergoing stressful situations will whine, yap, bark, and pant heavily.

When the stress affects them more deeply, this may cause their mouths to produce white foam, which will drool and drip as the dog endures any stressful situation.

7. Kidney Disease

If you see your dog throwing up white foam, and it is having trouble urinating, seems disorientated, and lethargic, it could suffer from kidney problems or kidney disease.

If not treated promptly, such kidney problems will eventually lead to kidney failure.

Let your vet test the dog immediately.

8. Parvovirus

Parvovirus is a very contagious disease, causing an infectious gastrointestinal (GI) sickness in young dogs and puppies.

If they don’t get treated by a vet immediately, it can be potentially deadly.

The first symptoms of parvo are when a puppy or young dog throws up white foam.

Other symptoms are diarrhea with blood in it, fever, lethargy, no appetite, malaise, and rapid weight loss.

9. Rabies

Even though it's very unlikely (if your dog is vaccinated), a dog who’s throwing up white foam might be infected with rabies.

Bear in mind that if your pet does have rabies, the symptoms of coughing up white foam would be the final stages, and probably would already have been diagnosed with other symptoms by this point.

10. Addison’s Disease

Addison’s disease in dogs also is called hypoadrenocorticism.

It happens in dogs when there is an abnormal reduction in hormones, and their adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones for normal function.

This can result in various symptoms, such as dehydration, weakness, depression, low blood pressure, vomiting, heart toxicity, bloody feces, and weight loss.

Some dogs that spit up white foam might even have cardiomyopathy; others might have an idiopathic neurologic episode.

They urgently need a vet’s diagnosis.

11. Inappropriate Foods

Many common human foods that we consume are dangerous for dogs and cats.

Things like chocolate, nuts, grapes, and many others are toxic to dogs and can cause the dog's body to eject them after they've consumed the item.

Usually, this will result in vomit, but in some cases, it can be what appears to be your dog throwing up white foam.

Other Causes of Dog Throwing Up White Foam

Other less common health issues which are linked to a dog throwing up white foam:

  • Certain cancers
  • Liver disease
  • Ulcers
  • Digestive tract infection (Gastroenteritis)
  • Side effects from medicine
  • Heatstroke
  • Trauma
  • Fungal, viral, or bacterial infections
  • Allergies
  • Parasites

What to Do When You See Your Dog Throwing Up White Foam

In most cases, white foam is an indication of digestive problems.

If you’re asking this question, your pet has most likely eaten something they shouldn’t have and is now trying to eliminate it from their body.

However, if you know that's not the case, and you see your dog throwing up white foam, you need to see a veterinarian.

Inform your vet of the symptoms and behavior changes you noticed before the vomiting, and make a list of foods the dog has eaten, places you've been to, or anything else that could help.

A veterinarian will perform a physical examination and run some tests: a blood count test, a urinalysis, x-rays, and maybe even an ultrasound.

If the vet sees that the problem is serious, they will start an appropriate treatment plan.

Dog Throwing Up White Foam: Before You Go

The easiest approach to prevent your dog from throwing up white foam is to keep an eye on his diet.

Make sure they aren't eating anything inedible or human food.

Maintaining clean food and water bowls is also important. When switching to a new diet, make sure to do so gradually.

Take him to the vet for routine checkups.

This enables you to start treating any diseases that your woofer may have quickly and helps you spot diseases early in your woofer's life.

Keep in mind that all dogs occasionally throw up. Vomit that is white and frothy on occasion is not particularly alarming.

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Rachael Leanny
Rachael is a writer living in Los Angeles and an alum of UNC Chapel Hill. She has been a pet owner since the age of three and began dog-walking in 2015. Her nine-year-old Pug and best pal, Ellie, is the queen of sassy faces, marathon naps, and begging.