How to Treat a Vomiting Dog

Vomiting in a dog can have many different causes. Some are transient and will pass with proper home treatment. These tips will help you determine what to do for your vomiting dog.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. If your dog has started to vomit, remove all food and water for at least 12 to 24 hours. Do not give anything by mouth. This will allow the gastro-intestinal tract a time to rest and repair itself.

2. After 12 hours, if your dog has not vomited again, try introducing some ice chips for your dog to lick. This will allow your dog to get some liquid without gorging himself and filling his stomach too quickly. You do not need to give a large amount of ice. A few chips will do initially. If your dog accepts the ice chips, give nothing more to eat or drink for another hour.

3. If your dog holds the ice chips down without vomiting, try giving a small volume of room temperature water. A few ounces in a bowl is fine for now. If your dog drinks the water, give nothing more to eat or drink for another one to two hours.

4. Repeat step 3. Again, give nothing to eat or drink for another one to two hours.

5. If your dog has accepted the ice chips and the water and is still not vomiting further, try introducing a small amount of food. A few teaspoons is sufficient for the first feeding. If your dog eats the food, wait another one to two hours before feeding again. You can provide your dog with a small amount of water as well, but do not allow him to drink too much.

6. After an hour or two, assuming your dog is still not vomiting any more, try giving a slightly smaller amount of food, perhaps a half cup for medium sized to large dogs or a couple of tablespoons for smaller dogs. You can offer your dog a small amount of water again also. Once your dog has eaten the food and drank the water, wait another one to two hours.

7. Continue feeding small amounts every few hours, gradually increasing the amount of food given with each meal and stretching the time between meals. Also, continue offering small amounts of water every few hours.

8. Once your dog is eating his regular meal on his regular schedule and is not vomiting, you have been successful. Congratulations.

9. If your dog is still vomiting after following these steps, you need to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

• Feeding small amounts of food frequently prevents your dog from eating too much food too quickly and vomiting because his stomach fills too quickly.
• The same is true with water consumption. Particularly if your dog has become slightly dehydrated, he may be very thirsty and be tempted to drink a large amount of water and not be able to hold it down. Limiting the water to a small amount every few hours allows your dog to rehydrate without promoting additional vomiting.
• At any time during this process if you feel your dog's condition is worsening, contact your veterinarian immediately. Dogs can become dehydrated very quickly when they are vomiting repeatedly and the condition can become life-threatening in some circumstances.