Being a pet parent is no easy task. Especially when it comes to their diet, your canine friends may require a bit more care on your part. That’s because certain foods might leave your dog with digestive problems and temporarily harm their health.
With that in mind, this article’s here to guide you through the causes and symptoms of your pup’s issues with indigestion. This list of home remedies for dog’s upset stomach will hopefully help you deal with this problem. To make sure your pup is well and ready for its next treat, stick around.
Causes of Your Dog’s Upset Stomach
Arguably the most important thing to know about your dog’s diet and overall health is what causes the uneasiness in its stomach. Without any doubt, the first and most benign condition you should consider is gas. When your dog eats, it can swallow too much air that later builds up in its intestines. Especially if your pet is unable to digest its meal, the feeling of a swollen or bloated stomach can increase.
And just like people, dogs can also have constipation. That’s when their stool backs up and, together with the excess gases, creates an unpleasant feeling. Also, you must already know by now just how often dogs chew on things and try to swallow them. If you fail to stop them from ingesting something they shouldn’t be eating — like a toy or a rock — it might get caught in their bowels.
So, the uneasy feeling in your puppy’s stomach can sometimes result in inflammation or gastritis. To prevent this from ever happening, you’ll need to pay close attention to what your pet eats or attempts to swallow. In other words, spoiled food, plants, garbage, and foreign objects are out of the question.
Apart from these most common causes of an upset stomach in dogs, some other potential culprits can also be:
• intestinal malabsorption
• motion sickness
• bloating
• ulcers
• parvovirus
• digestive system cancer
Symptoms of Upset Stomach in Your Dog
Now that you’re aware of all the causes of uneasiness in your dog’s tummy, you need to see which symptoms they might create. How can you diagnose your pet with some of these problems on your own before going to the vet? As you’re about to see, there are a few symptoms you should be able to recognize and link to your dog’s upset stomach.
For starters, you might be able to notice gurgling sounds coming from your pup’s stomach. As a rule of thumb, this can be accompanied by flatulence or passing of gas — yes, your dog may fart a lot. Another common symptom will be vomiting, followed by loss of appetite. More often than not, your canine friend can also have diarrhea and increased salivation.
You might also see your dog licking the floor or eating grass when outside. Believe it or not, eating grass helps your pet digest food and pass stool more smoothly. That’s because grass is an excellent source of fiber — and your dog seems to know it. Some other noticeable symptoms of tummy problems in your pup may include:
• weight loss
• swollen abdomen
• dehydration
• fever
• blood in stool or vomit
• pale gums
5 Home Remedies for Dog’s Upset Stomach
1. Hydration
As we’ve mentioned before, one of the symptoms of an upset stomach in pets might be dehydration. That’s because vomiting and diarrhea might cause your dog to lose too much water. Your pet’s loss of appetite and possible inability to eat might mean that your dog isn’t taking in any liquid, either. Because of that, you’ll need to make your dog drink at least some water to keep it hydrated.
It may not have occurred to you, but dehydration can happen quickly in sick animals. For instance, even bunnies are well-known for having unfortunate bowel problems that commonly prove lethal. In most cases, the owner isn’t aware the pet is losing too much or not getting enough liquid. So, try giving your dog ice cubes or teaspoons of water every 2-3 hours, or even mix them with Pedialyte.
2. Food Removal
If you suspect that your dog’s condition isn’t too severe, you can try out one of the simplest tricks to make it feel better. The first thing you’ll need to do is remove all your pet’s food sources and don’t serve it another meal for 12-24 hours.
While this may sound like a harsh method, remember that your dog might not even be too interested in eating in the first place. But if it is, note that additional meals can create even more problems for your dog’s digestive system.
Especially if your fluffy friend turns out to be having trouble digesting something or is constipated, not feeding it will be the best treatment.
All you’ll need to do is wait until your dog can pass its stool again, perhaps when potential inflammatory processes go away. Meanwhile, you can help your pet by gently rubbing its belly or keeping it active to increase digestion. But whatever you do, give your pet enough water — that’s the one thing you mustn’t take away from your dog.
3. Bland Diet
Once you’ve kept your dog away from food for a suggested number of hours, your pet might be ready for a bland diet. But before you continue with this, make sure your furry friend is no longer vomiting or experiencing diarrhea. If so, you can move on to another home treatment method by preparing your dog special meals. Your pet’s new diet should include boiled rice in the largest amount, covering 75% of your dog’s food intake.
Apart from rice, feed your dog cooked white chicken meat without any skin and bones (25%). But remember to keep this diet bland — meaning, don’t add any extra flavors, spices, oils, or fats. You can start by giving your dog only one tablespoon of bland food at a time and increase the amount later on. Once you feel like your dog’s getting better, you can start adding more of its regular food.
4. Bone Broth
Another thing you can try out is giving your dog bone broth to improve its bowel functioning. Did you know that this food makes a highly nutritious addition to your pet’s diet, even during healthy days? Bone broth will be able to improve your dog’s immune system and help with its gut health and digestion. That’s why it can also be helpful when your dog is already experiencing inflammation and indigestion.
So, take the connective tissue around the bones and boil it with apple cider vinegar and water. But remember that preparing bone broth might take a while. So, make sure to always have it in advance by freezing it in larger quantities. But before you do, just ensure that you’ve removed all fat from the meat.
5. Probiotics
Last but not least, you can opt for a secure method that will regulate your dog’s intestinal flora. For example, you can give your pet unsweetened yogurt as a natural source of probiotics.
Alternatively, you can opt for dog probiotics, such as Prostora, Proviable, or FortiFlora. These medications will help your dog’s stomach and bowel situation stabilize and get back to normal. That’s because they contain bacteria naturally found in your dog’s organism that are beneficial to its health. Apart from preventing further gastrointestinal problems, they can also boost your dog’s overall immune system.
When to See the Doctor
If your home remedies don’t seem to be of much help or your dog’s condition worsens, you’ll need to see the vet. Also, you should consider your pet’s symptoms before trying out home treatment. In other words, take your dog directly to the vet if its overall condition appears very bad. Remember to look for the following symptoms:
• Your dog looks lethargic or fatigued
• Its temperature is rising, and your dog seems to be running a fever
• It can’t stop vomiting
• There’s blood in your dog’s stool
• Your dog hasn’t defecated in a while
