Vomiting and diarrhea are
probably the commonest symptoms that appear
in dogs. The presence of these symptoms should not cause undue alarm,
for their causes are generally very simple and treatment is a matter of
routine. However, it must be remembered that they may also be
indications of very serious diseases, fatal to the animal if neglected.
Therefore, if first-aid measures fail to yield definite improvement
within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, it is imperative that the
animal be given professional attention. Of special significance is the
appearance of blood either in the matter vomited or in the stool. If
this should occur it is safer to consider the matter a medical
emergency and not to attempt any home treatment.
At the first sign of either vomiting or diarrhea, water and meat or dog
food should be eliminated temporarily from the diet. If the animal
appears desperately thirsty, the thirst should be quenched with milk.
If the animal refuses the milk and insists on water, the most that can
be done is to allow the animal to lick an ice cube for a couple of
minutes and then to remove it. The precaution of not feeding water is
taken because water will serve only to aggravate the condition. So
careful must the owner be in this regard that it is even advisable to
keep the bathroom bowl covered, for in this condition animals have
been known to get water in this manner and thereby completely disrupt a
course of treatment that otherwise would have been effective.
Vomiting and diarrhea ordinarily indicate that the lining membranes of
the stomach and intestine are inflamed. Usually, the more
frequent the eliminations, the more serious is the degree of
inflammation. The appearance of blood will indicate a more serious
When the lining membranes of the stomach and intestine are inflamed, it
is very likely that this is accompanied by severe abdominal pain. In
the same way that you would not feel happy about eating a steak if you
had a terrific stomach ache, the dog cannot be expected to eat heavy
food when it is similarly affected. Only soft, soothing food should be
given to the ailing animal. Milk, a cereal mixture such as milk and
pablum, and baby foods or meat broth mixed with cooked rice are
recommended. Meat in the baby-food form is not harmful because these
foods are especially prepared to be very easy to digest. In cases where
an animal is known to be unable to digest milk or otherwise shows an
intolerance to it, milk should naturally be avoided. Boston Terriers
very commonly show this intolerance to milk by vomiting it whenever it
is fed. Where this intolerance occurs, the pablum made into a thick
cereal with water will usually be effective. Water incorporated into a
cereal will not be harmful in this condition.
Quite often the vomiting disappears within twenty-four hours and the
diarrhea will persist. As the condition improves larger quantities of
cooked rice may be added to the diet because this has a salutary
If the symptoms disappear within one or two days, the diet should be
gradually returned to normal over a period of several days. If the
symptoms are not relieved in the specified time, if they recur, or if
at any time the animal should show extreme distress, a veterinarian
should be consulted. If the symptoms show considerable relief but do
not entirely disappear in a couple of days, it is safe to continue the
above-mentioned mode of treatment until the symptoms are no longer
present. In the average case this might take anywhere from three days
to two weeks.
Vomiting and diarrhea are due to causes almost too numerous to mention.
Most of the time they are the result of a simple
stomach upset. But vomiting and diarrhea may also be symptoms of other
diseases, some of them quite serious ones. In such cases, the above
treatment will give at best only temporary relief, and the animal will
need veterinary attention. Another obvious cause of vomiting is the
swallowing of some foreign body such as a stone, needle, bone, or some
other object. In such instances routine home treatment is useless. All
cases of swallowing foreign bodies are emergencies and should be called
to the veterinarian's attention immediately. Any appreciable delay
might result in the death of the animal. If the swallowing of some
poison is suspected, the same advice applies.
Many helpful medications could have been mentioned in our discussion of
treatment. However, if the condition of the animal is serious enough to
require medication, it is no longer a problem for home treatment but
one for the veterinarian.