“Gag or Barf? Decoding Regurgitation and Vomiting in Dogs”

Instructional Guide

Learners will explore the differences between regurgitation and vomiting in dogs. Through engaging visuals and activities, students will learn to identify the physical signs and understand the internal processes behind each action.

Intended Grade Level

High school students interested in veterinary medicine. Students should be familiar with the basics of gastrointestinal anatomy, including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. (If they do not, this should not effect their learning on this topic, but it would help the understanding.)

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain key physical differences between regurgitation and vomiting.
2. Describe how the body processes each action.
3. Understand the importance of distinguishing these actions in veterinary care.
4. Identify treatments for common causes of regurgitation and vomiting.

Lesson Format

Link to the student page

This lesson is meant to be done individually in roughly 40-50 minutes.

1.  Introduction (5 minutes):
   • Present the question: How can you tell the difference between regurgitation and vomiting in dogs?
   • Explain in simple terms the path of food through the gastrointestinal tract using the second photo of the canine GI tract in the book.
   • Briefly discuss why knowing the difference is important in veterinary care (e.g., diagnosing esophageal vs. gastrointestinal issues and how treatment is different depending on the condition being presented).
2. Mini Lesson 1: What’s Happening Inside? (10 minutes):
   • Share the e-book and start teaching the students the differences between regurgitation and vomiting.
   • Compare and contrast the two conditions using the information from the ebook and the lesson background (below).
3.  Mini Lesson 2: How Do We Fix These Problems? (10 minutes):
   • Share the e-book and start teaching the students the causes and treatments for regurgitation and vomiting.
   • Compare and contrast the different causes and treatments using the information from the ebook and the lesson background (below).
4. Fun Comparison Activity (5 minutes):
   • Ask students to think of regurgitation as a quick “oops” response and vomiting as an “emergency evacuation.”
5. Guided Practice (10 minutes):
   • Use a scenario-based activity where students are presented with symptoms (e.g., “The dog brings up undigested food right after eating”). After presenting examples, ask students to identify which dogs are exhibiting vomiting, and which are exhibiting regurgitation.
6. Hands-On Learning (10 minutes)
   • Have students independently work through learning activities and assessments listed at the end of the chapter to assess their knowledge and learning progress on the subject.

Lesson Background

• Ingested food normal one-way flow through gastrointestinal tract:
  • Food>>Mouth>Esophagus>Stomach>Small Intestine>Large Intestine>Rectum>>Feces
  • Back flow is vomiting or regurgitation
• Regurgitation: Passive process, food comes back up from the esophagus without warning, no nausea. Causes include eating too quickly, esophageal obstruction, or structural abnormalities.
• Vomiting: Active process involving stomach contractions, triggered by the brain’s vomiting center. Usually preceded by nausea, with causes such as spoiled food, toxins, or illness.

Activities

• True or False: students will be asked to choose correct answer for each prompt
• Sorting: Sort images or phrases related to regurgitating and vomiting into their correct category

Common misconceptions and challenge points.

• Students may be confused as vomiting and regurgitating may look similar.Clarify that regurgitated material is undigested, often tubular and expelled soon after eating, while vomit is partially digested, sour-smelling, and mixed with bile.

Assessment

Students will answer a few multiple choice questions to assess what they have learned throughout this lesson.

Further exploration

Matching: Match the image of the treatment to the image of the condition

1. Pug with undigested food with antacid bottle
2. Dog vomiting with charcoal suspension