What Are the Treatments for a Dog Vomiting in Reaction to an Anti-Inflammatory?

Canine anti-inflammatory medication is used for a variety of reasons, such as arthritis and pain from surgery. Some of these medications include Rimadyl, Metacam and Banamine. While effective at eliminating pain and inflammation, anti-inflammatories may produce some unwanted side effects, such as vomiting. This can be treated using one or a few different methods to make your dog more comfortable.

  1. Stop the Medication

    • Eliminate what's causing your dog to vomit--in this case it's the anti-inflammatory medication. Stop administering the medication to your dog. Contact your veterinarian about the problem and see what step your veterinarian suggest you take. Ask your veterinarian if there are any other types of anti-inflammatory medications your dog can take that may not irritate his stomach like the current medication.

    Fasting

    • Since your dog is off the medication, also temporarily take him off of food. This allows your dog's digestive system to rest and heal from the irritation. Do not allow your dog to eat or drink for six hours after it has stopped vomiting in order to allow the digestive system time to settle down.

    Fluids

    • Your dog loses a lot of fluids when it vomits. One way to make him feel better is to replace those lost fluids. Offer small, controlled amounts of water every 15 minutes. Offer 1 tsp. to 2 tbsp., depending on the size of the dog. You may also offer chicken broth in place of water. If your dog can tolerate the small amounts of liquids with no vomiting after six hours, you can begin to offer larger amounts of fluid and even some food.

    Bland Diet

    • A bland diet is made of simple foods that are easy for a dog to digest. This allows a dog's digestive system time to rest and become strong again before starting a new medication and beginning to eat food again. Foods to offer your dog include small amounts cooked chicken--no skin, no fat and no grease--boiled white rice or boiled potatoes. Put your dog on this diet for a day, and then on the following day combine half a serving of bland food with half a serving of your dog's normal food. On the third day, your dog can resume a normal diet.