Sour Stomach in Dogs

Symptoms

• If your dog begins having gas, diarrhea or vomiting, he may be having a sour stomach. Other symptoms may include dry heaving, stomach discomfort, lethargy, bloating of the stomach, appetite loss, eating grass or biting of his side around where the stomach is located. Bad or sour breath may also be accompanied with a sour stomach.

Causes

• Diet is the most common reason that a dog may have a sour stomach. Many owners mistakenly believe that their dogs will eat anything. However, spoiled food and foods poisonous to dogs, such as chocolate, can cause a dog to get a sour stomach. Other reasons such as eating too fast, eating too much, a change in dog food, or missing a meal can cause dogs to have sour stomachs.

Diagnosis

• Owners can usually diagnose their own pet when it comes to an upset or sour stomach because of the obvious symptoms. However, if the dog does need to go to a veterinarian due to its symptoms, the veterinarian may run many tests such as blood work and X-rays to rule out more serious conditions or diseases.

Treatment

• A sour stomach usually will go away by itself within a couple of days. The owner may try to hold off feeding the dog more food while he is feeling under the weather and increase the dog's fluid intake to help the sour stomach run its course faster. An at-home treatment that can help settle the dog's stomach is using cooking soda, or bicarbonate of soda. One teaspoon dissolved in a small bowl of water or milk can treat a 50-pound dog, and the dose can be adjusted to treat different sizes of dogs.

Warning

• Although sour stomach is usually not reason for serious concern, it is important to keep in mind that your dog may need to see a veterinarian, especially if the reason for his upset stomach is serious. Symptoms of a sour stomach mimic many other conditions and diseases, so a sour stomach should not be ignored if it is reoccurring over a period of time or lasts for more than a few days.