Home Remedies for Dogs With an Upset Stomach
Ways to Treat Your Dog's Vomiting and Diarrhea at Home
Jan 9, 2009
Vomiting and diarrhea are pretty common symptoms of an upset stomach in dogs. As a matter of fact, vomiting and diarrhea are two of the most common reasons dogs are seen by veterinarians each year. The cause of such popularity may be closely related to the "scavenger" nature of dogs: eating foods that do not agree with them and often paying a visit to their dear garbage can.
When a dog presents with an upset stomach resulting from a sudden diet change, dietary indiscretion or stress, very likely if the symptoms are mild and the dog is still acting lively and not moping around, the upset tummy may be easily treated at home.
With some stomach rest, proper hydration and the use of a few ingredients easily found in your kitchen your dog may be back to normal in a couple of days. However, it is not recommended to treat a dog's upset stomach at home if the dog is acting lethargic, the diarrhea is severe and the vomiting continuous. In this scenario, the dog may get dehydrated fairly quickly requiring IV fluids from a veterinarian. This particularly applies to puppies that can become critical fairly quickly.
Dogs should also be seen if there are other worrisome symptoms accompanying the vomiting and diarrhea such as: bloody stools, fever, lethargy, etc. There are many serious conditions in dogs that may present with vomiting and diarrhea, Parvo in puppies being a serious, potentially deadly one.
Dehydration levels in dogs can be evaluated by lifting the dog's skin over the back or shoulder blades. In a well hydrated dog, the skin will spring back promptly, in a dehydrated dog the skin will have a delay in going back into position, or worse, may remain lifted.
At home, mild cases of diarrhea can be treated by gathering the following items:
- Rice
- Chicken or Hamburger
- Gatorade
- Ice chips
- Pancake syrup
- Plain yogurt or Cottage cheese
At first the dog's stomach must be given a rest. Ideally, the stomach rest should be at least 12 hours. An overnight fast will suffice for puppies. Adult dogs may be fasted for 24 hours. Water may be offered, however, some dogs may not be able to hold it down. In such cases, it is best to offer ice chips.
Puppies may have their gums rubbed with maple syrup in order to keep their glucose levels up. This may actually perk dogs up giving them an immediate energy boost. The water bowl may be filled with half water and half Gatorade to allow the dog to replenish electrolytes that may have been lost due to the diarrhea and vomiting.
Once 12 to 24 hours have passed with no food down, the dog must be fed a bland diet easy on its stomach. Boiled rice with choice of chicken or hamburger may be served at this point. The chicken must be boneless and skinless and the hamburger must have the fat drained off.
The bland diet must be served in small quantities and often throughout the day. This diet should be offered until the vomiting subsides and the stools become firm again. It is important at this point to re-introduce the regular diet very gradually. Failing to do so, may cause a relapse.
Adding a dollop of plain yogurt or a bit of cottage cheese may introduce good healthy bacteria that may help soothe the irritated intestines.
Vomiting and diarrhea may mean nothing more than a dietary indiscretion, however, there can be more serious issues at bay. Always practice the "better safe than sorry" philosophy when it comes to your dog's health. Minor cases of upset stomach should show improvements pretty quickly, while more serious issue may be difficult to treat and symptoms may not subside until the underlying cause is properly identified.
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