How to Treat Minor Stomach Upset in your Dog or Puppy
Dogs and puppies develop upset stomachs due to a variety of reasons, including overeating, a change in diet, stress and heat. If your dog begins to gag, refuses food or develops diarrhea or vomiting, the symptoms indicate an upset stomach. Minor upset stomachs in puppies and dogs generally respond to home treatments. Prompt action dealing with an upset stomach helps your pet feel better and prevents the condition from getting worse.
Instructions
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Remove anything from your home that your dog may be eating that could cause the stomach upset, such as garbage or food left on counters.
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Provide plenty of fresh water and withhold food for 24 hours for a dog and 12 hours for a puppy. Limit water to ice chips if the pet continues vomiting water, advises Vetinfo. Consult with your veterinarian for toy breed puppies, as they may need sugar or syrup added to the water to prevent hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
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Give your dog a medication such as ranitidine, cimetidine or famotidine. These over-the-counter medications help control stomach acid secretions and contractions to help reduce the stomach upset, according to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center. Consult with your veterinarian regarding dosage and possible drug interactions if your dog receives medication for other disorders. Ask your veterinarian before administering medications such as Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate and Imodium, as certain conditions make them unsafe.
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Prepare a bland diet for your dog or puppy to eat after completing the fasting period. Cook chicken or hamburger and drain off any grease. Cook rice with small pieces of plain chicken or a small amount of hamburger. Drain and rinse canned tuna, salmon or mackerel to add to the rice if your pet has allergies to chicken or beef. Feed your pet three to five small meals a day for two to three days to help prevent overfilling the stomach. Increase the amount of food and feed twice daily for an additional two days.
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Add in a small amount of your dog's normal food, slowly increasing the normal food and decreasing the rice mixture for three to four days until your dog returns to a regular feeding schedule.
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Tips & Warnings
Your dog or puppy may eat grass because it likes the taste.
Throwing up a little bit of yellow vomit indicates an empty stomach and the need for food.
Do not give your puppy or dog treats during the fasting period.
Give your dog acidophilus, a type of healthy bacteria found in yogurt or available in pill or powder formula, to help restore the intestinal function.
Look for signs of any toxic plant, chemical or item that the dog may have eaten. Take the dog to the veterinarian immediately, even if the symptoms are mild, to avoid possible serious side effects.
Stand the dog up and gently feel the abdominal area for signs of swelling or bloating, a sign of a life-threatening emergency, warns veterinarian Wendy C. Brooks, educational director for VeterinaryPartner.com. Take your dog to the veterinarian immediately for possible bloat if he appears nauseated but only throws up a small amount, warns Brooks.
Upset stomachs resulting in more than one bout of diarrhea or vomiting -- especially in a puppy -- require veterinary attention as the symptoms may indicate a serious disease.
A decreased appetite accompanied by depression, fever and bloody diarrhea may indicate canine parvovirus, which requires emergency veterinarian treatment, warns Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
References
Resources
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