Stomach conditions

Dogs frequently get stomach upsets. Normally, it is because they are scavengers, and they have ingested something out on a walk, or they have stolen something from home that they should not have eaten, or the owner has knowingly given them something, but they did not realise that it was not good for them. The most common thing we will see is diarrhoea. And then second to that would be the vomiting, but most dogs would present with the diarrhoea or both of them. Once they have that, it is absolutely fine if your dog is otherwise well in himself or herself, to give them some time, starve them, make sure they are drinking, because if they have got the diarrhoea or the vomiting, they are losing fluids and they need to be replacing those fluids, otherwise they will become dehydrated and that is when you really see them get unwell. We would normally say try and starve your animal for 24 hours as long as they are still bright. And if they have still got the diarrhoea after that, then we would suggest bringing them in for us to have a look.

There are some probiotic supplements that you can get from your local vets that may just help bind your dog up a little bit and make them a bit more comfortable. So, you can always nip down and get one of those, and try that. But again, anything past 24 hours, if it is still happening, or if your dog becomes unwell, lethargic, painful, anything that is not normal for them, you should see your vet quite promptly. What you may find in your dog is they may just have very watery diarrhoea, maybe a completely different colour to the normal colour of their faeces. Note all these things because they are the things that your vet will ask you when you go for a consultation. Also notice if there is any blood, and if that is streaks of bloods, or if it is very fresh red blood, or if it is darker, tarry black blood, because that makes a difference to the vet, it helps them understand where the blood may be coming from, and therefore find out where in the intestine the problem is. Some of those problems may be more serious than others. So, it helps the vet know which direction to go next. The other thing you will also see in a lot of these diarrhoea cases is a jelly or mucous-type consistency. And again, that is important to note because it helps us locate where the problem is coming from.