Often, a dog upset stomach can be easily treated at home with a bland diet and a couple of simple home remedies. However, if a dog's vomiting persists for more than four hours or there is blood in the vomit or diarrhea, visit your veterinarian immediately.
Preventing Dehydration
An upset stomach can have many causes, such as your dog eating something he shouldn't have or a sudden diet change. Most of these problems are mild and can be treated at home.
The most important thing is preventing your dog from becoming dehydrated if he's not keeping his food down. If you pull on your dog's skin and it doesn't snap back quickly, he is becoming dehydrated. If this persists, visit a veterinarian.
However, you can often replenish his fluids by adding a little unflavored Pedialyte or Gatorade into his water dish. Encourage him to drink, using a dropper if necessary.
Choosing a Bland Diet
If your dog is vomiting or has diarrhea, it's often a good idea for them to fast for 12 hours. This will hopefully allow them to purge whatever is causing them to feel sick without making it worse.
After that 12 hours, feed a reduced portion of food and feed a bland diet such as half boiled, skinless chicken or turkey breast and half brown rice. The rice will serve to firm up your dog's stool while the protein gives them some of the nutrients they need to rebound.
Feed three to four meals throughout the day rather than one or two big meals. If your dog continues to have diarrhea, reduce the protein and increase the rice.
Dietary Additions
A spoonful of yogurt or cottage cheese can help replace some of the good bacteria lost during the illness. A spoonful of canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix, also helps soothe your dog's stomach.
Sometimes, veterinarians will recommend antacids to reduce stomach inflammation, but don't do this without consulting your veterinarian for advice. Ginger root, which can be purchased in capsule form from a health food store, can also help reduce nausea naturally.
If your dog is eating grass, let him. Even though this often causes vomiting, it's his instinctual way of cleansing his system, and he should be allowed to try it.
Often, a dog upset stomach is no cause for worry. However, vomiting and diarrhea can be symptoms of many serious illnesses such as poisoning, parvo and heartworm. If the illness persists for more than a few hours, if you see blood in the stool or vomit, or if you find evidence of potential poisoning, visit a veterinarian. These remedies will only work for mild stomach aches.
Any problem that causes vomiting or diarrhea should not be ignored. However, if it's just a mild problem, don't feed your dog for 12 to 24 hours, proceed with a bland diet and add a little pumpkin, cottage cheese or ginger to reduce nausea. This should clear the problem in a short period.