Vomiting and/or Diarrhea in Dogs

Vomiting and/or Diarrhea in Dogs

What a glamorous first blog article, but this time a year I daily talk to at least 10 people concerning this symptom. Dogs are scavengers, constantly searching for that next tasty morsel. Their motto, ” Eat first, question later”. Luckily dogs have a safety valve, a hair-trigger vomit/diarrhea reaction. If that consumed substance does not belong down there, then the gut’s reaction is to get it out and either end will do. Nearly 100% of all vomiting and/or diarrhea cases involves ingestion of something that did not react well with the pet’s digestive system.

 Why this time of year for so many cases of gastroenteritis? The temperatures are getting warmer, the plants are growing, varmints are scurrying about, why it is a food pantry out there.

The are numerous symptoms to be on the lookout. The dog’s appetite is off or gone. The owner may here the pet’s intestines gurgling. The pet may have excessive gas. And, the obvious signs are vomiting and/or diarrhea. Vomiting is the worse symptom, it can lead to dehydration.

What to do with your sick pet?

1. Take off all food for a minimum of 24 hours, your pet will not want to eat if he/she feels sick and nauseated. Trying to feed them makes the problem worse.


2. Give your pet liquid Pepto-bismol or Kaopectate. 1 teaspoon per 10lbs every 4-6 hours. Continue for two to three days.


3. After the fasting period, try a small amount of cooked rice or pasta. If your pet eats the meal, hold off for 12 hours before trying a little more.


4. Feed the rice/pasta for 5 days.


5. After 5 days mix the pet’s regular food in with the rice/pasta.

This is a general treatment for most pet’s gastroenteritis. Here are the exceptions:

1. 
   

   Older compromised patients, take them to your veterinarian the first day.

   
   


2. 
   

   Very young small breed puppies, take them to your veterinarian the first day.

   
   


3. 
   

   If the vomiting persists more than 36 hours, take them to your veterinarian.

   
   


4. 
   

   Known ingestion of large object that could obstruct your pet’s bowels.

   
   


5. 
   

   If in doubt, take your pet to their veterinarian.

   
   

Lastly, try to figure out what caused the gastroenteritis and eliminate it. Dogs are very intelligent, but for some reason that do not learn from their gastric conquests and will become repeat offenders.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Bob