Learning Objectives

• Explain the process of vomiting in dogs.
• Know how the body absorbs nutrients.
• Learn about foods dogs can and cannot eat.

Have your parents ever told you not to eat too much candy on Halloween?

Almost all of us have made the mistake of eating too much candy on Halloween before and ended up in bed with a tummy ache. But have you thought about what would happen if your dog ate candy?

My dog, Dracula, ate a BUNCH of my Halloween candy one year after jumping up on the counter. Bad dog!

Later that evening, we started to notice that Dracula was not feeling well and then found the mess of wrappers in the kitchen. So we took him to the vet.

Let’s Learn about Dracula’s stomach!

The stomach absorbs nutrients and contents from what your dog eats. The food Dracula eats moves through his stomach, and goes to his intestines, where even more nutrients get absorbed for his body to use. From there, the nutrients move around the body. Nutrients go to the head, arms, legs, and everything in between, helping the dog think, move, and live. If your dog eats anything that it’s not supposed to, some of these things may not happen correctly.

What happened to the chocolate Dracula ate?

Chocolate has some ingredients that dog’s shouldn’t be eating, but their body will still absorb it. Specifically in chocolate, there are compounds called theobromine and caffeine, and as the stomach digests the chocolate, they get widely distributed throughout the body starting at the stomach. These molecules get moved to other parts of the body and stop certain actions from happening, making them toxic to Dracula.

What happens when your dog vomits?

Normally, your dog’s stomach and intestinal tract is a one-way street. However, in certain situations, your dog’s brain sends signals to the stomach that triggers the vomiting to start. Certain toxins, like those found in the chocolate your dog shouldn’t be eating, go to a trigger zone in the brain to start vomiting. When vomiting, your dog’s stomach muscles contract really hard and force the contents of the stomach up through the food pipe, called the esophagus. A little flap in the back of your dog’s throat, called a sphincter, opens up, a few more structures in its mouth move out of the way, and all of the stomach contents come out of its mouth…. And end up on your floor. 🙁 Oftentimes, your dog will make noises before they vomit, like stomach gurgling or retching.

The vet decides to give Dracula some activated charcoal, which helps stop the toxic substances from the chocolate from getting absorbed in his body. He also gets some IV fluids, and after a few hours he is feeling much better and can go home! Hopefully Dracula learned his lesson that chocolate makes his tummy hurt!

Todays Activity:

Pretend you’re Dracula, and take one minute and run around the room and find something you think Dracula can eat. Bring back your food item to the circle within a minute and we will share with everyone. Then we will discuss if this is an appropriate food item or something Dracula shouldn’t eat and might give him a tummy ache and vomit. Ready, set, go!

Knowledge Check:

Good job! You chose the correct answer, and saved Dracula from having a tummy ache!