How to Make a Dog Throw Up Safely the Right Way Full Guide of 2023

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There are times when you have to make your dog throw up to save his life if your dog has swallowed a foreign object, dangerous food, or chemicals.

Before we get into the steps required to how to make a dog throw up, keep in mind that it’s always important to always consult your vet or poison control center before vomiting at home.

Also, do not use salt, ipecac syrup, dish soap, or mustard powder to vomit your dog. These substances can have serious side effects.

So if your dog does end up ingesting anything dangerous, you may need to induce vomiting to get rid of the poison from his system. It is not pleasant or something a dog owner wants to do.

However, these situations can quickly become a matter of life and death for your pup. It is dirty but essential.

Keep reading to find out how to make a dog vomit and when it is appropriate to make a dog throw up.

When To Make A Dog Throw Up (Or Not)

If a dog eats something harmful that he shouldn’t have, he can throw it up himself. If that doesn’t happen, it may seem like a good idea to make your dog throw up something he has eaten. But the reality is that inducing vomiting is something you should only try under the guidance of a vet. There are excellent reasons for this.

Some substances, such as batteries or other corrosive materials or sharp objects, can cause dangerous and even fatal damage if vomited. Swallowed objects can cause blockages or perforations, and the cause of vomiting itself carries risks, such as aspiration pneumonia caused by inhalation of toxic substances, usually stomach contents, into the lungs.

Do not induce vomiting if your dog is lethargic, comatose, or have seizures. If your dog took something more than two to six hours ago, it might be too late to make him vomit, depending on what he received.

The safest thing is to take your dog to the office or the vet. However, if you can’t get there, you may have to throw up. Talk to a vet, or if your dog swallows anything dangerous when your vet’s office is closed, call a pet poisoning hotline to get advice from the experts before continuing. When you call, be prepared to provide relevant information such as what he ate, how much, and when, the weight of your dog, and any health problems he has.

Who To Contact If Your Dog Eats Something Poisonous

Your first phone call for advice may be at your local vet or a poison control hotline. If your dog has ingested something fairly pedestrian (but still potentially dangerous), such as a box of dark chocolate, a pound of raisins, a large pack of gum with xylitol, or other potentially toxic foods, chances are your vet can advise you adequately.

If your dog’s choice of venom is slightly more exotic, such as a cocktail of grandma’s beta-blockers, statins, and anxiety medications, it’s better to make your first call to an animal poisoning hotline.

Two telephones consult toxicological services, both asked 24/7 and by veterinarians:

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.
• Pet Poison HelpLine: (855) 764-7661.

When you call, give the vet the details of what your dog has consumed, his age, weight, and other relevant facts, and in return, you will receive a case number. The advantage of doing this before traveling to your vet clinic or even on the road (if someone else is with you and is driving) is that by the time you reach the clinic, your vet can call the service back with your case number and hit running the ground.

How To Make A Dog Throw Up

You want to vomit your dog in a way that does not worsen his condition while trying to remove the objectionable substance from his system.

There are only two scientifically substantiated dog vomiting substances that can be safely used at home. These are 3% hydrogen peroxide and

.

Washing Soda Crystals

A second household product that can be used to make your dog vomit is soda crystal (sodium carbonate), which should not be confused with caustic soda!

A study showed that washing powder was less effective at inducing vomiting than apomorphine. However, the authors concluded that it is a good alternative in an emergency as it is easily accessible and inexpensive.

Hydrogen Peroxide Makes Dogs Vomit

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is the therapy to use when vomiting your dog. The solution directly irritates the dog’s stomach lining; in a perfect world, the dog vomits fairly quickly after administration.

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, 3% hydrogen peroxide administered orally through a syringe (in the correct dosage of course) can help keep a dog from vomiting.

Veterinarians often choose this method themselves because it is easier to use and cheaper than apomorphine, the drug commonly used by vets to induce vomiting.

Why Hydrogen Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide 3 percent solution is the recommended drug to vomit a dog. Fortunately, many of us have that in our medicine cabinet. It’s also a good idea to include a bottle in your dog’s first aid travel kit.

According to PetMD, hydrogen peroxide is a (topical antiseptic used orally as a home-administered emetic in dogs when clients use the patient who is unable to ship to a veterinary hospital in a timely manner.) Hydrogen peroxide is an irritant to the dog’s intestinal tract and usually works within 10-15 minutes and recovers about 50 percent of the ingested contents of your dog’s stomach. The vomiting can take up to 45 minutes, so be sure to give your dog a dose where he can be as comfortable as possible.

How Much Hydrogen Peroxide to Give Your Dog?

The dose of hydrogen peroxide is small: 1 teaspoon per 5 lbs of dog’s body weight, with a maximum of 3 tablespoons. There are three teaspoons per tablespoon, so the maximum dose for dogs over 45 lbs in 3 tablespoons per dose.

If the H2O2 is doing its magic, your dog should be vomiting within two to five minutes of receiving the first dose. If he does not vomit within five minutes, he may dose again. Then stop. Dr. Pittman warns that if your dog doesn’t vomit within 10 minutes, you should be on your way to the vet. Do not administer more than the recommended dose. If an extremely high treatment of H2O2 is given, the dog’s stomach may rupture!

Steps How To Make A Dog Vomit With Hydrogen Peroxide

Call your vet first. Even if you plan to vomit your dog at home, your vet is a valuable resource and can provide you with the most accurate information about your dog’s condition.

• If your dog has not eaten in the past two hours, giving him a small meal may increase the chances of vomiting.
• Make sure you have a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution. Higher concentrations are toxic and can cause severe damage.
• Administer the Correct Amount: The recommended dose is one teaspoon per 5 pounds of dog body by mouth, with a maximum dose of 3 tablespoons for dogs over 45 pounds. But ask your vet about the best dosage for your dog and only induce vomiting if your dog has eaten the substance within 2 hours.
• Administer the dose with a feeding syringe or turkey bark and spray it back from the side through his lips and squirt between his rear teeth. You can also spray into the back of your dog’s tongue or mouth from the front. Make sure your dog does not inhale the substance as it can lead to aspiration. If your dog doesn’t vomit within 15 minutes, you can give him a second dose.
• Stay with your dog while vomiting. Collect the vomit for your vet to analyze, and don’t let your dog swallow the material again.
• Watch for complications and side effects, such as vomiting for more than 45 minutes, diarrhea, lethargy, bloating, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) or stomach ulcers.
• Contact your vet as soon as possible.

Timing is critical, and the safest step is to take your dog to the vet’s office or the emergency room to induce vomiting.

In some cases, other treatments may also be needed, such as IV fluids. And if you haven’t vomited your dog, your vet can give him a stronger medicine to get rid of the substance he swallowed and the hydrogen peroxide.

Only your vet can determine which steps to take next. Therefore, always consult a vet for further treatment. This is a severe problem that should be taken seriously. It is no exaggeration to suggest that this is a matter of life and death.

So take your time and make an effort to act accordingly. Time is of the essence in these scenarios. So don’t waste your time and go directly to an expert. Your dog’s life depends on it.

How To Identify The Different Types Of Vomit In Dogs

Now that you know how to throw up a dog, you may have the neat task of distinguishing your dog’s vomit. Or maybe your dog threw alone. Either way, it’s essential to understand what your dog’s vomit is telling you.

As in humans, different types of vomit in dogs suggest different things. Being able to identify what the different kinds of dog vomiting mean is crucial to advocating for your pet’s health.

The first step is to distinguish between actual vomiting and regurgitation because these processes are that dogs can be very similar. The main difference is that regurgitation is often a passive process, while vomiting involves active abdominal contractions.

You often hear a dog throwing up (dry swell) or see her get sick (salivation) before actually vomiting, while the dog brings regular food or water during regurgitation without warning. Contrary to popular belief, other factors such as timing concerning food and the consistency of the material supplied (digested or undigested) are not helpful for differentiation.

Summary

Vomiting your dog may sound unpleasant, but in an emergency, it may be the best option to expel a harmful substance from your dog’s belly quickly.

You should always contact your vet to check the situation before vomiting your dog at home. This is because there are many reasons why your dog’s vomiting could make the situation much worse.

We have described how dogs can vomit with 3% hydrogen peroxide or soda crystals. These are the only recommended safe methods, and if administered correctly, your dog should vomit within a few minutes.

Do you have experience with how to make a dog throw up? If so, tell us in the comment section below. While it may be challenging to share this story, it can help another pet owner save their pet’s life. So it is worth it.