How To Settle A Dog’s Upset Stomach And Diarrhea
Is your dog vomiting and having diarrhea? While this is not fun for you to clean up, it is also not fun for your dog. You may be looking for what you can do at home to help your dog that is vomiting and having diarrhea. Usually, a simple upset stomach can easily go away after a day with very little effort. If your pup continues to vomit or has diarrhea for more than 24 hours, or if other symptoms develop like a loss of appetite or lethargy, it would be best to see your vet.
How Do You Settle A Dog’s Upset Stomach And Treat Their Diarrhea?
If your dog is showing signs of an upset stomach and/or is having diarrhea, treat at home first by withholding food for 6 hours and feeding them a bland diet of chicken and rice. You can also treat with over-the-counter medications but if symptoms persist more than 24 hours, you should contact your vet.
Making sure your dog is happy and healthy is important to every pet parent, so read on for a vet-approved treatment plan for your dog’s upset stomach and diarrhea.
How to treat an upset stomach in my dog?
The first thing to do to figure out how to treat your dog is to figure out why they are vomiting and having diarrhea in the first place.
This may not be the easiest thing to do. If your dog recently got into the trash or was fed people food this is most likely the cause. For more serious issues your dog will need to see your vet.
More mild issues can often be treated at home by just changing what you feed to your dog. These are some things that you can easily do at home to help your dog with an upset stomach.
Withhold Food For 6 to 12 Hours
If your dog is vomiting every time they eat food, it is best to not feed them for about 6 to 12 hours. This time will allow your dog’s stomach to settle.
Once you start to reintroduce food to your dog again, make sure that you do so in a very small amount. Usually giving them just a tablespoon of a very bland diet such as chicken and rice.
After a few hours of not vomiting, you can give a little more food until they are back to eating food normally. When you are withholding food your want to make sure that your dog has access to a fresh clean water bowl.
Vomiting and diarrhea can cause your dog to lose more water than they are taking in and this will cause them to become dehydrated very quickly.
If your dog does not have access to water they will not be able to replenish the water that they have
You can help keep your dog from experiencing dehydration by giving them wet dog food and by adding small amounts of broth to their water to encourage them to drink. Unsalted bone broth is a great option. Pedialyte is a great way to ensure your dog is replenishing their electrolytes, too.
Bland Diet
The cause of diarrhea in a dog can be because of an upset stomach or eating something that they should not have such as the trash, you can try offering them a bland diet.
Things such as boiled chicken breast and brown or white rice, scrambled egg, or canned pumpkin can help settle your dog’s stomach.
Over The Counter Medications
If your dog has an upset stomach or diarrhea, sometimes giving over-the-counter medication will help.
Before starting any new medication, it is always best to check with your veterinarian.
Probiotics
If your dog is having just a little bit of diarrhea or softer than normal stool, it can be due to bacterial overgrowth in their intestines. You can give your dog probiotics that will help replenish the good bacteria in the gut and aide with digestion.
There are many brands of probiotics on the market today that you can get from your local pet store or even grocery store. You can even just give them some small cubes of yogurt to help.
Two of the most common products that are recommended by vets are Proviable or Fortiflora. These products can be found at the pet store or online.
These probiotics are backed by scientific studies that show that they will help improve your dog gastrointestinal flora.
Imodium
Imodium is a commonly used diarrhea medication for dogs that people may have at home. Imodium is okay to give to your dog just one or two to try to help stop your dog’s diarrhea.
If your dog continues to have diarrhea while they are taking this medication, it would be best for them to see your vet since there probably is something more serious going on causing them to vomit, and have diarrhea.
A typical dosage of Imodium is 0.05mg per pound. So, a 40 to 50-pound dog would need 1 tablet whereas a 20-pound dog would need to take ½ tablet.
Small dogs under 10 pounds would need to take 1/4th of a tablet.
Pepto-Bismol
Pepto-Bismol is commonly used for people for mild cases of nausea and vomiting. Most people also consider using this for their canines too when they have an upset stomach. Pepto and Imodium are great home remedies for treating your dog’s upset tummy.
If your dog is vomiting a little, you can try to give your dog some nausea medication to help calm their stomach.
The dosage of Pepto-Bismol for a dog is 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds of body weight every 6 to 8 hours. If your dog is still vomiting while having this medication, it would be best if they see your vet for prescription nausea medication.
It is always best to talk to your vet before giving your dog any new medications. Some anti-diarrheal medications like Imodium can have other side effects if your dog has an underlying medical issue.
See Your Vet
If your dog continues to have diarrhea or shows signs that they are very sick, it would be best for them to see your vet.
Your vet can check fecal samples, run bloodwork, take x-rays to figure out why your dog is having diarrhea. While some simple things can be treated at home, an infection, allergy, or parasites are not something you can treat yourself.
The quicker you start figuring out what is causing diarrhea, the faster you can start treating them and getting them back to their normal healthily life.
When are a Vomiting and Diarrhea an Emergency?
The first thing people want to know is when is my dog vomiting and having diarrhea and if it is an emergency.
They also want to know when they can wait and see if they get better or do, they need to go to the vet right away.
If you notice some of these signs or symptoms, you should take your dog to your local vet or the nearest emergency vet hospital right away.
Your Dog is Vomiting Blood
If your dog is vomiting blood, this is an emergency that you need to seek vet care right away.
There may be a mass inside their abdomen that has ruptured, severe end-stage heartworm disease, or GI ulcer causing your dog to vomit blood.
A common cause of vomiting blood is a foreign object stuck in your dog’s body that is physically damaging their tissue, often caused by eating table scraps with bones in them.
Vomiting blood is a sign that you rush your dog into the emergency vet right away. Usually, a quick ultrasound can identity the issue.
Your dog is Vomiting Black Coffee Ground Material
Black coffee ground-like material in your dog’s vomit can be a very bad sign that there may be something serious going on with your dog.
The most common causes for this type of vomit are that your dog has a GI ulcer that has ruptured, or they are vomiting old, dried blood from a GI bleed. Your vet will want to see your dog right away.
Your Dog’s Abdomen is Extremely Bloated
Bloat or GDV can cause your dog’s stomach to be very bloated, causing them to vomit. A mass on the liver and spleen can also cause your dog to vomit and have a bloated abdomen.
Large breed dogs are very prone to developing hemangiosarcoma on their spleen and liver which can cause them to seem bloated. Some dogs who have end-stage congestive heart failure can have a very bloated abdomen and vomit. It could also be a sign of kidney disease or pancreatitis.
All of these signs are medical emergencies and should see a vet right away.
Your Dog’s Gums are White
If your dog’s gums are pale and white, they may be bleeding internally.
This can cause your dog to vomit, feel very bad, be lethargic, and collapse. White gums can mean that your dog does not have high enough blood levels for blood to flow normally in their body.
Your dog may need a blood transfusion at your vet’s office to increase their blood levels. If you ever notice that your dog’s gums are white, you should take your dog to the emergency vet right away.
If you notice these signs or symptoms in your dog and they are also vomiting or having diarrhea, the best thing for you to do is to go to your vet clinic or the nearest emergency hospital as soon as possible.
The faster they start receiving treatment, the better the outcome for you and your dog.
Vomiting and Diarrhea More Than 24 hours
Simple gastroenteritis, vomiting, and diarrhea should clear up in 24 hours with these few at-home tips.
If your dog continues to vomit, has diarrhea, and is not back to 100% normal after a day it would be best to see your vet.
Final Thoughts
Vomiting and diarrhea are not fun for you or your dog. Trying a few of these at-home tips and tricks will help get your dog’s stomach back on track. If your dog continues to vomit or has diarrhea, it is always advised to see your vet. Also if your dog is showing other signs of illness a vet visit is needed.
The quicker your dog starts to improve the quicker they will be back to their normal happy selves.