Effective Tips: How to Make a Dog Feel Better After Throwing Up

Is your dog vomiting? It’s common for dogs who are throwing up to refuse their meals. As someone who loves their pet, it’s perfectly understandable that you want your four-legged buddy to get better quickly and start eating again.

Depending on the cause of the vomiting, you will need to decide on the next steps. If the vomiting happened after the dog’s normal food consumption, then it may be due to overeating or eating too fast. However, if your dog ate something bad or toxic, then you may have induced vomiting to remove the toxin from the dog’s tummy.

In any case, use the following guidelines to make your dog feel okay after it has thrown up.

How to Make a Dog Feel Better After Throwing Up?

Veterinarians recommend the following guidelines to owners whose dogs vomit.

• If the vomiting has stopped, feed it some bland meals like chicken and rice. Learn how to boil chicken properly for canine pals in this guide. You can continue the bland diet for 2 days or as advised by the vet.
• Make sure your dog drinks plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
• Slowly add back the regular dog’s food over the next few hours.
• If there is no more vomiting, you can start feeding it as usual.

Always check the dog’s gums after the dog vomits. If it is pale or bluish, you might want to call your vet.

How Do You Settle a Dog’s Stomach After Vomiting?

The AKC recommends the following foods to settle a dog’s abdomen after vomiting in dogs:

Withhold Food

For a single throw-up, withhold the dog’s food. Do not feed your pet anything for at least six hours. Withholding food may seem inhumane, but it is the best way to settle your dog’s stomach.

Feed it a Bland Diet

A simple diet consisting of boiled chicken and rice is the best way to settle your dog’s queasy stomach. This is because the simple diet helps alleviate intestinal discomfort and can help the queasiness settle down.

Avoid feeding your dog food containing oil, salt, or other spices and condiments, as these ingredients can increase your pet’s queasiness.

• Boil some chicken breasts for ten minutes. The inner part of the chicken should not be pink.
• Cool completely.
• Shred the chicken.
• Mix with some cooked, plain white rice. Give as per your dog’s normal meal size.

Pumpkin

Pureed pumpkin is another top food to treat vomiting in canines. If your dog vomits again after eating the pumpkin, then please stop feeding. However, if your dog ate the pumpkin without issue, then you can also add some rice and chicken to its next meal along with the pumpkin.

You can return to feeding regular dog food if your dog eats the above bland food after it stop vomiting.

Broth

Bone broth and chicken stock are some other options to feed after a dog throws up. This will also keep the dog hydrated and avoid other complications.

Use homemade broth only, but if you use store-bought broth, then choose one without added spices, salt, etc.

To make chicken broth or bone broth at home, use these steps:

• Fill up a pot or crock pot with bones, bone marrow, turkey, and chicken legs.
• Cover it with enough water so the bones are fully immersed.
• Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
• You can also add some turmeric, ginger, and herbs like rosemary to the broth.
• Avoid any salt, pepper, or other spices.
• Cook the bones for an entire day, or at least 24 hours.
• Cool the broth and give your dog a cup of broth twice a day.

Baby Foods

The AKC also recommends feeding baby foods with meat to pets with upset stomachs. If the dog eats the baby foods without any issues, then you can revert to a normal diet or dog food after a few days.

Should I Give My Dog Water After Vomiting?

Yes, to prevent dehydration, you might want to feed some water to your dog after it has thrown up. However, some dogs refuse water and may be too sick to drink or eat anything. You could try offering some ice cubes to your pet.

In such a case, wait for a few hours before offering some chicken broth or stock. This will provide water for your pet and prevent fluid loss. Check your dog’s gums to ensure they are not pale or bluish after acute vomiting. If so, your pet may need intravenous fluids so call your vet immediately.

How Long Does It Take for a Dog to Feel Better After Vomiting?

There is no standard answer to this question.

Causes of Dog’s Vomiting

Vomiting in dogs can occur due to the following health problem:

Dog Vomiting Undigested Food 

If your dog is throwing up undigested food, it may be due to spoilt or bad food, eating too much hurriedly, indigestion, infection or medical issues, swallowing a foreign body, or toxins. Dietary indiscretion like eating table scraps can also be a cause.

Canine motion sickness can also be one reason for throwing up undigested food after a car ride. Try giving some ginger for dog’s motion sickness.

After Eating Grass

Some pups eat grass after they suffer an upset stomach and that helps with dogs vomiting. Check the dog’s vomit for toxins and foreign bodies.

If the dog vomited after eating grass, it is normal and nothing to worry about. However, do make sure the repeated attempts of vomiting stop within the same day and no further signs occur, or else take your dog to the vet.

Dog Vomiting Bile

This is due to an inflamed pancreas or acidity. It needs some ingested food to prevent acidity so feed your dog right away. If it vomits bile frequently, call the vet immediately.

Continue feeding bland food to the dog, and if the vomiting persists even after a few hours, take the dog to the vet.

Dog Vomiting Blood

Numerous factors can result in a dog vomiting blood. These include giardia, viral or bacterial infections, swallowing toxins like household cleaners or weed killers, swallowing sharp bones, inflammatory bowel disease, stomach ulcers, traumatic injuries, or tumors. 

You must call the vet instantly if your dog is repeatedly puking blood. A veterinary surgeon may be needed to assess the dog’s condition and surgically remove the tumor or foreign objects,

Note that if your dog regurgitates something that appears like coffee grounds, then it is digested blood, and then also, your pet needs immediate medical attention. Other signs include trouble breathing, collapsing, etc.

Underlying Health Problems

A life-threatening disease or a serious illness can also result in puking episodes in dogs. These include pancreatitis, kidney or liver failure, stomach ulcers, gastrointestinal obstruction, etc. Your dog needs veterinary medicine and a thorough clinical examination to help put a stop to more vomiting due to these issues.

Parasites

Intestinal parasites like roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, etc. can also cause chronic vomiting. Give your dog deworming veterinary medicine to counter the issue. Common signs of parasites in dogs are diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, loss of weight, pot-bellied appearance, lethargy, anemia, etc.

Allergies

Dogs with sensitive digestion or allergies could also suffer from vomiting episodes. Something in the dog’s diet or the dog’s environment may be an allergen that your pet cannot tolerate.

FAQs – How To Help a Vomiting Dog?

Should I feed the dog after vomiting?

If your dog has vomited a couple of times, it may be best to withhold food for about six to eight hours. Afterward, you can feed it a simple diet of boiled chicken.

Can I give curd to my dog after vomiting?

Yes, plain curd or yogurt with rice is a good choice for vomiting dogs. Its probiotic content can help ward off harmful bacteria and boost your dog’s immunity.

Do not add any salt to the curd. 

Do dogs drink a lot of water after vomiting?

No two dogs are the same. Some dogs tend to drink plenty of water after vomiting, while others may avoid water. However, water is essential to prevent dehydration in your pet.

How long should a dog rest after vomiting?

Vets recommend withholding food for at least 6-8 hours, depending on the cause of the dog’s vomiting.

Is rice good for dogs after vomiting?

Yes, cooked plain white rice is an example of bland food for our furry pals after a vomiting episode.

Conclusion – Vomiting in Dogs

If your dog has vomited recently and is still feeling queasy, please do not feed it anything for up to 8 hours. After that, you can give your dog some bland food like rice and boiled chicken or broth.

If the vomiting continues over the next few days, please seek medical help.