Ideal solution: In cases of single episodes of vomiting, withholding food should be the preferred approach. For dogs who can keep down food, start slowly by switching over to a simple diet such as boiled chicken and white rice.
Homemade bone broth can also be an invaluable aid, as it helps break down fat in the stomach and avoid vomiting episodes.
Contents
1. Water
Be sure that before beginning feedings again, your pup has plenty of water – this is particularly important as vomiting causes dehydration which in turn exacerbates their digestive discomfort. Also try not to give too many fat-rich treats as these could trigger pancreatitis in already inflamed stomachs.
If your pup keeps down water for 12 hours without vomiting or diarrhea, introduce some water-based bland food such as boiled chicken and rice to help restore his stomach’s equilibrium. This is easier for his digestive system and may help prevent diarrhea.
However, if your pup cannot keep anything down, water may be all they can manage until vomiting subsides. Or you could purchase pedialyte or lectade from your pharmacy or vet and follow package instructions to reconstitute into water to provide essential electrolytes to your pet. If nothing else works then consulting with a vet might be in order.
2. Food
Though restricting food may seem cruel, it actually allows your dog’s digestive system to rest and recover more effectively. Furthermore, it enables you to determine whether a behavioral issue such as grass eating, mulch eating or tissue eating might be to blame or whether she is suffering from more serious medical conditions like gastrointestinal obstruction, toxin exposure or an infection.
If your dog is vomiting bile, she requires medical care immediately. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in its gallbladder before being released into the intestines to break down fats. When your pup eats something fatty or oily on an empty stomach, however, bile may leak back into his digestive tract causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea symptoms.
To avoid this scenario, introduce your pup to a bland diet such as white rice, skinless chicken or low-fat cottage cheese for 48 hours and gradually transition them over into regular food while gradually transitioning out homemade bland meals.
3. Pedigree or lectade
Vomiting can be extremely dehydrating for dogs and should be given regular access to fresh water at regular intervals. A solution such as Lectade (available through vets) should also be offered in order to replenish lost electrolytes and replenish their stores.
Sheen advises withholding food for 12 hours to give your dog’s stomach time to recover and introduce a bland diet such as chicken broth with small portions of rice as this should help soothe his or her digestion system.
Pedialyte or LECTADE (available from your veterinarian) is an electrolyte powder which can be mixed with boiling water to form a solution and given directly to your dog in a cube drinker or similar clean vessel, until they resume normal drinking patterns. A box of LECTADE contains twelve sachets; simply combine contents of section A and B into 500mL of warm water before administering.
4. Wet food
Veterinarians sometimes advise starting dogs that have been sick but haven’t vomited on a bland diet, like chicken and rice. Chicken provides easy digestion while the rice absorbs liquid from their intestines to curb diarrhea and bulk up stool; just be sure that only white varieties are used as brown varieties can irritate stomachs further.
Alternatively, offer small amounts of water every half hour or oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte or Gatorade from your vet, or create them yourself.
If your dog is no longer vomiting and appears to be eating normally, gradually introduce his/her regular food by mixing 25% into their bland food at first, gradually increasing it over the course of five days until your pup can consume all his/her normal food without vomiting – this is a sure sign their stomach is healing!
