Common Causes of Upset Stomach

Common Causes of Upset Stomach

There are many reasons Dog/Cat may have a disturbed stomach, however there's one normal cause: he ate something he shouldn't have. Vomiting and diarrhea are signs that a dog’s body is trying to expel something that shouldn’t be in their system. In a healthy dog, it’s a protective mechanism of the body that’s totally normal.

Stress may also trigger an upset stomach, as can bacteria imbalances in the gut and food sensitivities, which are most likely caused by dog’s diet. Diarrhea and vomit are the most obvious signs that dog’s stomach isn’t feeling right, but you should also keep an eye out for fatigue and loss lost of appetite. Your dog may gulp a lot to combat reflex, lick his lips, or even lick the air or objects, too. If he’s nauseous, you may also see him eat grass in order to soothe his stomach or try to induce vomiting.

An upset stomach once in a while is normal in dog, but when a dog suffers often, it could signal that something is wrong in his gastrointestinal tract.In that case look at your dog’s diet and staying away from foods that may create inflammation because of a food hypersensitivity, like chicken, lamb and venison. Instead, choose meats like beef, buffalo, and fish that shouldn’t irritate your dog’s GI tract. To  maintain a healthy dog gut, you can also consider giving him a pre and probiotic.

Treatment 

When dog’s stomach is trying to get rid of something, it can be helpful to stop putting more things in his stomach for 12 to 24 hours. Fasting for that long is absolutely fine for the dog.

When dog is vomiting or has diarrhea, you want to make sure he stays hydrated, however, giving him too much water may make his stomach even more upset.

Remove his water bowl from his reach, and give him ice chips every 2 to 3 hours, if he can keep that down, then give him some more ice cubes and a couple teaspoons of water.

One of the most powerful things you can give to dog to soothe and healhis stomach while keeping him hydrated is bone broth. Simmer meat (on the bone) with apple cider vinegar and water in a crockpot (Backus prefers using a whole organic chicken). Once the meat falls off the bone, continue to simmer the bones until the minerals and marrow are released into the water. Bone broth takes at least a day to make, so you’ll need to make this meal before your pet actually gets sick. If you make it ahead, however, you can skim off the fat and freeze it, then you can give your dog bone broth ice cubes when he’s sick.
When fighting indigestion, canned pumpkin is a vital. It has a low glycemic index, so it slowly absorbs, which helps with upset stomach and digestion. Make sure to get canned pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie mix, as you don’t want to feed dog spices. Smaller dogs (approximately five pounds) can be fed ½ teaspoon of canned pumpkin, while larger dogs (approximately 75 pounds) can be fed 1 tablespoon. Add a tiny bit of ginger to the canned pumpkin.