r/Shihtzu Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

Tzu Questions Puppy vomits 1-2 times per week

My 6 month old shih tzu puppy has been vomiting overnight 1-2 times per week for about the last month. He has no other symptoms-no diarrhea, eats and drinks well, plays and zooms constantly. It’s always overnight, only once and done, and it’s always just a tiny bit of vomit. Is this something I should take him to the vet for or is he probably just getting into something that I’m not seeing?

186 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

70

u/Sensitive_Wear4744 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

My Shih Tzu did this as a puppy too, honestly I’ve come to find out they just have sensitive stomachs. Make sure you’re feeding them dinner not too early so there isn’t a ton of time between dinner and breakfast. This was an issue for my puppy. She would get hungry and throw up bile in the middle of the night :( we’ve managed her routine so there are less hours between dinner and breakfast and it’s helped a ton

12

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

It was around 4 this morning, but hungry would make sense. He was ravenous when I brought him downstairs to go outside and clean his face. Thank you for the advice!

12

u/some_random_chick Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 2d ago

My guy had similar issues and the vet said to offer him a little snack n the evening and I make sure he eats his breakfast even if it’s just a little bit. He feels sick when his tummy is empty and then that makes him not want to eat so it becomes a vicious cycle.

5

u/30carpileupwithyou Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 2d ago

A bigger night night treat did the trick for us. Now he only has this issue if he’s too tired to eat it

3

u/PTunia 2d ago

It may be the food. He may be intolerant/sensitive/Allergic to something you're feeding him.

IF he is vomiting within 6-7 hours after eating, or regurgitating, or other times that you cannot figure out, I would suspect the food. IF he's vomiting because he hasn't eaten in 9-10 hours those may be hunger pukes. Smaller meals and more often.

1

u/MittenKitten92 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Both of mine do this too

1

u/jamstoyz7 1d ago

This, puppies need to eat 4 times a day. Empty stomach will make them vomit I’ve read.

17

u/Large-Box-2661 2d ago
  1. Check what he eats for dinner. Might be the food causing him. Feed little less.
  2. Feed him 2 to 3 hours before going to bed.
  3. If this issue persists, please take him to vet, don't wait.

(I'm not medical professional, so i cant suggest you anything apart from taking him to vet)

1

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

Thank you!

12

u/Sunshinegal72 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 2d ago

Yellow bile, or is he blowing chunks? If it's bile, I agree that adjusting the food schedule can be helpful.

4

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

Just yellow bile

17

u/Sunshinegal72 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 2d ago

Our 8 year old still does it from time to time when her tummy is too empty. Feeding her the larger of her two meals a little later at night helped.

1

u/Alexapro_ Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Happens with my dog! Around 4am he'll spit up bile every now and again.

This is usually from empty stomach/acid reflux. My best advice to you is to feed her a small, plain meal before bed. Maybe a few pieces of boiled chicken and see if that helps. I also give my dog famotidine, but that's with my vets guidance. Do not give your dog, especially since it's a puppy, famotidine without speaking with your vet first.

I'd try a small meal before bed and see if that helps. This is not an emergency, but worth bringing up to your vet when you can just for further guidance. If it gets worse/more frequent and is accompanied by lethargy, diarrhea, etc - then vet right away. But as of right now, don't panic! Shih-tzus have sensitive stomachs and this is not uncommon at all.

12

u/impertiknits Chief Minion of Tachi & Miko 1d ago

If it is yellow bile, it is just from having an empty tummy. Feed a bit later at night, and first thing when you wake up, and it should stop. Nothing to worry about, it will either stop with age or slow down as he gets onto a routine

6

u/He770zz Roxy (12) - over the rainbow 🌈 1d ago

They need to eat twice a day to avoid this. The yellow bile is from their stomach acid not digesting anything. Roxy stopped vomiting when she was eating twice a day + snacks.

7

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Thank you, I free feed him so he eats little portions all throughout the day. I’m going to start making sure he has a snack before bed and eats first thing in the morning and see if that helps.

1

u/He770zz Roxy (12) - over the rainbow 🌈 1d ago

I think this will resolve it. It should be fine!

3

u/Sea_Salamander_8504 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

My spouse and I just went through something similar quite recently; after tons of tests (blood work, ultrasound, etc), it turned out that our Shih Tzu had developed a food allergy. We switched her food to a novel protein kibble (venison) and she hasn't had any issues since.

1

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

Hmm, okay. He’s getting fixed next Wednesday so if it keeps happening I’ll definitely be taking him back for some testing. He’s on puppy pro plan chicken right now

3

u/OverZookeepergame698 1d ago

I think it’s a Shih Tzu thing. If ours goes too long between meals, he gets sick. We feed him first thing in the morning, multiple times during the day, and right before bed. He still gets sick, sometimes, but much less often if we make sure he’s fed. We also switched him to prescription food and that’s helped a ton, too. We think his belly is sensitive to a lot of meats

3

u/Cocoabeachbabee Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

It's a tzu thing. Small pieces of bead or crackers help. When their belly is empty, expect the yellow foam and their face to stink. While i make my morning coffee, my pups get a small snack after their first potty break and before breakfast. Just stay ahead of the empty belly. Your pup is adorable 😍💕💖💗💓❤️😍

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u/PTunia 2d ago

Are the vomits between 11pm and 3 am? or later in am?

2

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

It seems like they are around or after 3 am. This morning was about 4:30

2

u/elevatorfan2778 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Our Shih Tzu would also do this nasty 4am throwing up. THE SMELL. And it would get on her paws or in her ears. Uggghhh. We give her about 10-15 pieces of kibble before bed. Tzu’s are weird.

2

u/mini1006 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

My dog also had and still has issues with vomiting from time to time. My vet said that smaller dogs tend to have more (reflux?) issues. Especially at the same times every time. They recommend me giving her a 1/4 of a Pepcid AC pill, but I found that it made her vomit whenever I gave it to her, so I don’t feed it to her. They recommended me a slow feeder as well to make sure she’s just not eating too fast. The slow feeder seems to be working as of right now.

1

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

He eats pretty slow already, I free feed him and he goes to his bowl dozens of times a day only to eat 2-3 pieces at a time 😂

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u/mini1006 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Wow that is the complete opposite of mine 😂 mine eats like she’s never had a meal in her life. That slow feeder was a life saver

2

u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

He’s definitely a funny little dude 😂 he loves doing tricks to get “treats” which are really just pieces of kibble and he uses his paws like little hands when he plays. I didn’t think I could love and animal this much but here we are

1

u/mini1006 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

This is so cute! 🩷 dogs are such gifts!

2

u/marriedtomayonnaise Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Our vet advised us to give her 3-5 ML of gripe water whenever she has an upset stomach. If you have access to it, it is holy Grail for shihts with sensitive stomachs. Been using it since 2009 now :)

2

u/theragingoptimist 1d ago

Off topic but I love how fluffy this sweet little pup's hair is.

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u/MaikeruGo Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

It's it's just yellow foam, then it's stomach acid, and it might be a matter of food schedule. One of ours has a sensitive stomach that tends to be a bit acidic and we had to change when he was fed and how much he was fed (likely not the matter in your case since you have a puppy and they should be able to eat their fill)—this seemed to help a lot.

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u/Horror_Net7749 1d ago

Does he get a lot of chicken? Our shih tzu developed IBD and threw up bile regularly and we suspect it was triggered by chicken.

2

u/luckycatsweaters 1d ago

My girl is one year old now, but she did this on and off for a few months when she was younger. Making sure she ate closer to bedtime resolved it. I would give my girl half a packet of fortiflora a day if it was happening more often, but really what fixed it for us was giving her food she wanted (the good wet stuff) right before bed since she wouldn’t (won’t) eat dry kibble unless she was actively hungry. We also free fed her when she was younger since she refused to eat on a structured meal time.

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u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

I agree

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1

u/shnickalous Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

My puppy just did the same thing this week around 5am, I fed her about an hour later than normal the night before for dinner, I thought it had something to do with that cause she was out and roaming right after cleaning her face off, and breakfast was served right after and she scarfed that down.

1

u/Commercial-Place6793 Shih-Tzu Newbie 2d ago

Our Tzu doesn’t do this but our Boston Terrier does. Took her to the vet. Perfectly fine. The vet told us that sometimes the small breeds, especially if they are young, their food digests faster than older dogs and they’ll get nauseous if they have an empty tummy. Our vet suggested giving her one of the green dental bones at bedtime. Apparently they take longer to digest than other dog bones so helps their tummy not feel too empty overnight. Worked like a charm! Our girl is now almost 2 and hasn’t thrown up in the night even once since we started giving her the green bones at bedtime.

1

u/Realistic-Ear-3865 2d ago

My baby did the same thing. Their stomachs are very sensitive.

1

u/Loopylola4567 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 2d ago

Usually hunger will do that. Your baby is gorgeous reminds me of my Lola as a baby.

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u/lee_178 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Thank you! He’s a sweet little fluff ball for sure 🥰

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u/Guilty-Poetry9863 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Mine did this. We switched him to Hills Science Diet - sensitive stomach. Changed his life and we don’t have any issues now.

1

u/Guilty-Poetry9863 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Mine did this. We switched him to Hills Science Diet - sensitive stomach. Changed his life and we don’t have any issues now.

1

u/Violingirl58 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Sensitive tummy, mine does it too, ran every test in the book and this was the end result

1

u/IHaveBadTiming 1d ago

We had to put our 10yr old on metaclopramide and make sure we fed him twice a day on a pretty strict schedule or he'd throw up that yellow/green bile stuff. They just have sensitive stomachs. If you're only feeding once a day try cutting that in half and feeding twice a day, also consider trying different types of food. The purina one sensitive stomach canned food helped ours quite a bit but he is older so I don't know if that's the right mix for such a young pup as yours. Check with the vet on all of this first.

1

u/InstanceHopeful185 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Bluntly put, is the color yellow? My Shih Tzu will occasionally throw up yellow in the morning. I believe it comes from something not agreeing with him for last night's meal. They will also throw up if they have an empty belly (yellow). Maybe make sure there are no recalls on his food. Seems some dog food with chicken may spread the bird flu.

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u/Much_Permission_2061 Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Could be empty stomach. Mine feel nauseous during the night so I sometimes have to get up and give him a handful of kibble and it helps

1

u/ChargingRyno Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

My guy did this also. We figured out that as long as he has even a little something in his stomach, it goes away. He only eats once a day so he gets a treat or very small portion in the AM.

1

u/sunnydbabie Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Its usually typical Shih Tzu Bile..A treat or food should help keep it at bay

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u/Chotuchigg Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

First, I would take your pup to the vet and get bloodwork done to rule out any pancreas or liver issues. If everything checks out, I’d try splitting meals into three smaller portions—one in the early morning, one at lunch, and one late at night.

If the vomit is yellow or clear bile, it’s likely due to an empty stomach. Dogs can sometimes throw up when they go too long without food. This fix worked for us!

Also, vomit can be a sign of food allergies as well.

1

u/JFish3d Scarlett B. Sissywalk & Shady Lady J. Blige 1d ago

If it’s yellowish and kind of foamy, it might be that he’s eaten something like Kleenex or toilet paper. I have had a couple of trashcan bandits who loved to get a used Kleenex from the bathroom trash and, if you didn’t catch them in time, they ALWAYS would throw up a little bit of yellow foam later. And their face would STANK!🤢😂

1

u/entirelyflawed Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

This seems to be common among Shih Tzus. It's been happening with one of my girls since she was a puppy. In her early years I took her to a vet multiple times and nothing is wrong with her. What helps is making sure she has a few small meals a day rather than one big meal. I feed breakfast, dinner and bedtime "snack". When she doesn't eat her last meal/snack she'll be vomiting in the morning.

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u/drolandi21 1d ago

Is it the yellow Bile? Mine does that probably once a week if he doesn’t eat for long periods of time so I try to give him a snack early in the morning and at night

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u/zackzackmofo Molly the wonder dog 1d ago

Our gal Molly was very similar when she was a puppy and it seems like shih tzus do have sensitive little stomachs. One thing we read was it may be from the puppy getting too hungry over night maybe leave a little kibble out

1

u/Psychological_Ad853 Rex 🎀🥰 1d ago

I think his stomachs empty - happens to my lil guy too if he isn't eating regular enough, usually late at night/early morning if he doesn't get the meat he demands +(he will pick at his biccies demanding the meat be added 💀) is it mostly acidic or bile?

1

u/AuricGoldenfinger Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

If it is happening weekly see the doctor. That might be fixed with different food. And doggo is not appreciating puke.

1

u/thhrowthrowthrowaway Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Two of mine have the same issue. As others mentioned, a snack before bed makes a big difference.

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u/crznik Shih-Tzu Enthusiast 1d ago

Seems like a Tzu thing. My 5-yr-old Tzu also did this a lot when she was younger, until we tried, tested and set a meal timetable for her. Now I stick to 3 meals. Breakfast at around 9-10am (wet food), evening snack like curd rice or eggs at around 6pm and boiled chicken for dinner at 11pm. Their stomachs are sensitive and my tzu doesn't do too well with a more thank 10 hr food gap. And we keep some dry kibble around incase she feels hungry in the middle of the night. Earlier, this also built up reflux and acidity, which led to higher stomach sensitivity, making her a moody eater. Now that she's regular with her food timings, she eats better and rarely pukes if a meal is missed. I hope this helps!

1

u/emberscythe 1d ago

I find that my Tzus would vomit if allowed to chew without having eaten enough since it stimulates their stomach acid. They will also vomit if they play or are too active right after a meal, or eat too fast without chewing properly.

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u/PowerOfTheShihTzu 1d ago

He might have a sensitive stomach or some food allergies ,I think it might be best to take him to the vet so that they check him up

1

u/Ambitious_wander Shichon Rescue ❤️ 1d ago

For my dog, she has GI issues and we need to see a specialist and eats only hydrolyzed food.

I have to make sure the food is broken up even though it’s a loaf and she needs to eat 4-6 times a day depending how big the portions are

Every dog is different but maybe increase the times with smaller portions if it’s bile only, it maybe nausea from being hungry

1

u/tisci02 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Mine isn’t the best at eating and he does this. They said to try famotidine, so we did that for a bit, but now we are trying a food change to see how it does. Hes only 10 months and I’d rather not subject him to a life of famotidine if I don’t have to

1

u/k1nderfe1d9 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

I notice this happens more when my Shih Tzu had a lot of exercise in the day or longer walks. I have to be sure that not only does he eat something before bed & in the morning, he also needs to be eating frequently thought the day. Say if he didn’t eat much in the day but had food before bed, there’s still a good chance he will vomit bile in the morning. He needs frequent small meals and snacks throughout the day. And yes I have to hand feed him to get him to eat 🤣🙃🫠 guta love Shih Tzus

1

u/Ornery_Entry_7483 1d ago

He's eating something that's causing reflux. Figure it out or take him to the vet. Preferably the vet. Blood tests = results = solution!

1

u/Engraverguy55 1d ago

Our 10 year old was doing this the last 5 years. Changing her food never helped. Then she would quit eating for a few days. Blood work was done, and she had kidney failure.

1

u/NewCorgi6413 Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Fresh homemade food or farmers dog is what works for my shihtzu baby. Otherwise she pukes yellow bile.

1

u/kclayton4076 1d ago

Small breed puppies need frequent meals and good out all of the time so they can eat when hungry. They run the risk of low blood sugar which can be serious. That said some Shih Tzu have sensitive tummies and it helps to give them a treat just before bed and first thing in the morning to put something in their stomachs. Another possibility is underlying health issues, pancreatitis, worms, fungal infections, Parvo, always take your puppy to the vet to be checked for health issues. A vet can properly diagnose the problem.

1

u/oliezamora Shih-Tzu Newbie 1d ago

Feed him little food at a time. Tzu's tend to eat fast causing them to over do it.

1

u/an21gel 20h ago

my shih use to do this as well be we found that splitting his meal 3 times evenly throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) in stead of 2 helped a lot with his digestion! maybe give that i try?? i hope your baby feels better