Dog Upset Stomach Treatment
Sobek, my 2-year-old Rottweiler, has an upset stomach. Diarrhea and discomfort have periodically reared their ugly heads for two weeks now. I want to share his story, as the Internet is filled with conflicting information on dog upset stomach.
Dog Upset Stomach Symptoms
The first dog upset stomach symptom was discomfort. Sobek seemed restless, and it began instantly. Within 12 hours, his stool became cow pie-ish with mucus, but no blood. While his stool wasn’t too alarming, his noxious gas and behavior were worrying me. He was in pain. I had to take action: give my dog a bland diet.
What to Give a Dog With an Upset Stomach
Immediately, I began a bland diet to relieve painful bloating and loose stools.
Bland Diet Recipe for Dogs With an Upset Stomach
For my 118-lb dog, I fed him this every day:
- 6 baked skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups white rice
- ½ can pumpkin
Before we began my dog’s bland diet, I fasted him for 12 hours, which worked best overnight. The next morning, he was fed his daily ration, but split into five smaller meals, which helped calm his upset stomach.
Usually, giving my dogs a bland diet for an upset stomach would stop intestinal issues in their tracks. This time, it was only somewhat holding back symptoms (loose stool and some gas). The main dog tummy issue was still lurking, so I reached for supplements.
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Slippery Elm for Dog Upset Stomach
Supplements help, but be careful of OTC medications, such as Pepto or Imodium. They can provide a false sense of wellness. While both medications relieve intestinal spasms, providing a firmer stool, they can make conditions worse if your dog has an intestinal infection.
Try slippery elm for dogs instead. I purchased organic slippery elm powder, which worked pretty well for my dog’s upset stomach. The bark from slippery elm trees coat, lubricate and soothe an inflamed digestive tract, which reduces pain and gas.
Reviews stated powder medicine provided quicker pain relief than capsules. Following the slippery elm dosage recommendation from Dogs Naturally Magazine’s article “The Soothing Qualities of Slippery Elm,” I combined 3 teaspoons with hot water. Once I added water, the slippery elm powder turned into a thick custard consistency, which Sobek refused to swallow. To motivate him, I stirred in ½ teaspoon of yogurt and he quickly inhaled his flavored slippery elm porridge.
Within an hour, he finally rolled over on his side and slept. He snored for two hours straight. One thing about slippery elm for dogs is it’s best to supplement several times a day—usually three hours after a meal. Give medication first and wait 30 minutes to an hour. Then, provide slippery elm, as this supplement can prevent complete digestion of certain medications or foods.
When to Seek Help
While I was able to hold back Sobek’s nasty tummy demon bug with a bland diet and slippery elm, I wasn’t able to completely squash it, so we scheduled a vet visit. I brought in a stool sample, and our vet confirmed it was filled with mucus. They sent his stool sample to rule out giardia, which is a nasty protozoa found in stagnate water or animal feces.
Final verdict for the upset stomach: Colitis, which is an inflammation of the large intestine and colon. Cause is unknown, but the giardia test was negative. He took metronidazole for five days and his continued bland diet did the trick!
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