Give your dog water, but no food, after they’ve vomited. When a dog vomits, they often become dehydrated. If your dog just vomits once but then goes back to resuming their normal activities and there’s no change in their behavior, you can resume normal food and water in 12 hours or so. [2] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to source
The bloody stool will be bright red, and soft. Many people say that it looks like raspberry jam. The bloody vomit is a little less immediately identifiable. Since the blood mixes with whatever is in your dog’s stomach, it may be slightly orange in color, or there may be streaks of blood in otherwise non-red mucus. Just to be clear, either of these symptoms are more than enough to qualify for an emergency vet visit. Do not wait until your dog has blood in both their diarrhea and vomit.
If your dog has all of these symptoms but they haven’t vomited or passed blood yet, do not wait for them to do so. Take them to a vet before the symptoms get worse.
Excessive water consumption or no drinking at all. Changes in breathing or energy levels. Balance issues, wincing, whining, or crying. Aggressive or confused behavior.
While toy breeds are more likely to get HGE, it can happen to any breed of dog.
It’s possible that your dog may need to be hospitalized, but there are a variety of triage options a vet can employ to ensure your dog is pain-free in no time. This is an emergency. If your vet is closed, look for the nearest 24-hour emergency room for animals.
There are no specific diagnostic tests for HGE, but a vet may order a packed cell volume panel by drawing blood to see if your dog’s blood levels are low. [10] X Research source
Your vet will offer IV fluids with potassium and electrolytes to rehydrate your dog’s system. The vet will likely give your dog antibiotics and tell you to not feed your dog for at least 24 hours as their system stabilizes. If your vet provides a fluid treatment and your dog gets better, it is entirely possible that this never happens again. In fact, it’s likely! 85-90% of dogs who experience sudden HGE will not have this problem in the future. [12] X Research source
Your dog should show a big improvement after the first 24 hours, although it may take them up to 5 days to fully recover. [14] X Research source In the future, if your dog ever has general diarrhea, laying off their normal food for a day or so and feeding them boiled chicken and plain rice can help settle their stomach. [15] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to source Relapse symptoms will be identical to the symptoms you experienced the first time your dog had HGE.
If your dog wasn’t diagnosed with an underlying condition, your vet may instruct you to give your dog regular doses of Pedialyte or Kaopectate in regular amounts to ensure they don’t become dehydrated.
When switching foods, always transition your dog by introducing the new food slowly over time. Start by adding a small scoop of the new food to the old food, then work your way up over 1-2 weeks until they’re totally on the new food.
You normally need a prescription for these preventative meds, and the dosage depends on your dog’s weight and age, so don’t just start giving them random medications you buy online.
If your dog is scared of fireworks, going out of town for holidays or staying inside might be a good move. White noise machines can help drown out the sound of thunder if your pup is terrified of thunderstorms.
