Vomiting and diarrhoea in a French Bulldog

The commonest form of this question in UK search is "my dog has diarrhoea but is acting fine", and the second is "vomiting white foam but acting normal". Both are the same question: can this wait until morning. A website cannot see the dog, so this page does not decide for you. It gives you the thresholds the UK's vet charities publish for owners, word for word, the home care they allow and for whom, what the three things that look like vomiting actually are, and what is different about this breed.

The thresholds, from the people who write them

Vomiting

The PDSA's vets: "If your dog is normally fit and well, has only vomited once and seems otherwise fine in themselves, it may not be necessary to contact your vet immediately. However, you'll need to monitor them closely and contact your vet for advice if they continue to vomit, or develop any of the symptoms below." The list: "Continuous vomiting; Blood in their vomit; Bloody diarrhoea; Diarrhoea (without blood) lasting for more than two to three days; Low energy (lethargy); A painful abdomen; Disorientation or collapse; Signs of dehydration (sticky gums and/or sunken eyes); Continuous retching and/or a bloated tummy – these can be symptoms of a GDV (twisted stomach) which is a life threatening emergency." And the time limit: "Call your vet for advice if your dog continues to vomit, doesn't seem right after 24 hours, or gets worse at any point." The Kennel Club's page says the same in fewer words and adds two: contact the vet immediately for a suspected swallowed object or poisoning, and "Never 'wait and see' with poisoning".

Diarrhoea

The PDSA: "most cases are mild and resolve within 24-48 hours." Under 24 hours and otherwise well, "you may want to try settling their stomach at home before contacting your vet." Contact the vet "as soon as possible if it's been ongoing for more than 24 hours, they have an underlying health condition, are taking any medication (especially anti-inflammatory drugs/NSAIDs), are very young, very old, seem unwell in themselves, or have any of the symptoms listed below: Blood and/or mucus in their diarrhoea; Severe or constant watery diarrhoea; Reduced appetite (eating less); Vomiting; Lethargy (low energy); A painful stomach – dogs with a painful stomach will often yelp when they are picked up, or stand in a 'prayer position' with their front legs on the floor and hind legs stood up." The Kennel Club adds "black and tarry stools", which is digested blood, to the list. And a puppy is different: "It's also important to seek advice if you have a puppy with diarrhoea as this can be more serious."

The home care the vets allow, and for whom

For an adult dog with diarrhoea for under 24 hours that seems otherwise fine, the PDSA's own steps: plenty of water; "Withholding food (fasting) for 24 hours might help settle your dog's stomach and speed up their recovery. However, you shouldn't do this if they are very young, old, or suffering from another illness"; then "small frequent portions of a bland diet", plain white rice and boiled chicken or the tinned version from the practice; then the normal food back "over three to five days"; and rest. For a single vomit in a well dog: small bland portions through the day, water little and often, no walks, and the normal food back over two to three days. The feeding guide has why the reintroduction is slow. None of this is for a puppy, an old dog, a dog on medication or a dog that is not itself; those are a call.

Three things that look like vomiting

The PDSA separates them, and the separation changes the call. Vomiting is nausea, retching and stomach contents, usually with a dog that is off colour. Retching that produces nothing: "A single retch is usually nothing to worry about, but continuous retching can be a sign of a GDV (twisted stomach) which is a life-threatening condition", especially with a swollen belly. Regurgitation "is when a dog brings up undigested food, with no retching, heaving or signs of feeling sick. Regurgitation usually happens quite soon after eating, and as a one-off can simply mean your dog has eaten too fast. However, it can also be caused by certain health conditions such as megaoesophagus, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) which is most commonly seen in shorter-faced (brachycephalic) breeds like French Bulldogs. If your dog regurgitates regularly, or you're worried, you should make an appointment to see your vet." White foam, from the same page's colour chart, is usually bile: "green or yellow and often foamy", from an empty stomach.

In this breed

Vomiting and diarrhoea are no commoner in French Bulldogs than in other dogs: in the VetCompass comparison of 2,781 French Bulldogs with 21,850 others, the odds were level. Acute diarrhoea in UK dogs generally runs at about one dog in twelve a year, four in five of them needing a single visit, and blood was recorded in nearly a third of the cases a vet saw, so blood is common as well as a see-the-vet sign. What the breed adds is the third thing above. Regurgitation and reflux are its own: in a study of eleven French Bulldogs with a sliding hiatal hernia, all eleven regurgitated, and the hernia page explains why the stomach and the airway are one conversation. The other breed link is the skin: food allergy shows as diarrhoea and itch together, which is what the itch log records and the food page explains. And a dog vomiting on a warm day after exertion is a heat question before it is a stomach one.

Have ready for the call

• When it started and how many times.
• A photo of the vomit or the stool, and whether there is blood or mucus.
• Whether it is vomiting, retching that produces nothing, or undigested food soon after eating.
• What the dog ate in the last day, including anything found on a walk.
• Any medication, especially anti-inflammatories.
• Whether the dog is drinking, and whether the belly is swollen or painful to lift.

What this page is not

A verdict. Every threshold is the PDSA's or the Kennel Club's own wording and is attributed; the breed figures are the site's sourced pages. If the dog is not itself, the phone number wins over every line here. Vets Now, Blue Cross and the RVC's pages could not be read when this was written and are not quoted.