Canine Indigestion Cures

Signs of canine indigestion include bad breath, eating garbage, eating grass to induce vomiting, vomiting without eating grass and refusing to eat, according to the Vetinfo website. These symptoms, however, might also indicate a more severe condition such as chocolate toxicity or ingesting a foreign object like a button or marble. Therefore, it is critical to take your dog to the veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the indigestion to properly cure it.

  1. Dietary Change

    • An improper diet is one of the primary causes of indigestion in dogs. Inexpensive, commercial dog foods are primarily made from grains and unhealthy byproducts; if you feed your dog table scraps, you might be introducing foods it simply cannot digest, such as complex carbohydrates, sugars and too much fat. Gradually change your dog over to a high-quality food made with real meat products. For dogs with indigestion-causing food allergies or chronic indigestion, a homemade diet, under the supervision of a veterinarian, usually cures the digestive ailment.

    Medication

    • In some cases, your dog might require the aid of an antacid or anti-diarrheal medication to ease the discomfort of its indigestion. Before going to the store, however, it is absolutely critical that you contact your dog's veterinarian to determine which products are safe for canine consumption and the proper dosage. Maalox, Milk of Magnesia, Pepto Bismal and the herb Goldenseal are all safe for dogs; however, these medications are formulated for human use and should not be administered without the guidance of a veterinarian.

    Prevention

    • It may not seem like a cure, but prevention truly is the best medicine, especially when it comes to canine indigestion. To prevent your dog from experiencing indigestion, take your dog's breed, weight and any individual nutritional needs into consideration when selecting its dog food; only purchase high-quality dog food; "doggy-proof" your house (especially if your dog is a puppy) by keeping toxic things such as chocolate, household cleaners, pest poisons and radiator fluid out of its reach; ensure you don't have tempting chewable objects lying around such as loose change, small game pieces, bottle caps, fish hooks and strips of cloth; and most importantly, if your dog begins showing the signs of indigestion, take it to the vet because it might be something more serious than a stomach ache.