7 Steps on How to Induce Vomiting in Dogs

Your dog might sometimes consume certain things they are not supposed to or are allergic to. When such an instance appears, your dog might required to vomit it to prevent the worsening of the issue. However, sometimes extreme vomiting can make things even worse. Therefore, you need to know precisely when your pet requires to throw up.

Read this article to clearly understand how to make a dog vomit and the reasons to induce such an activity.

Before going into the process of how to make a dog throw up, you must first consult your veterinarian, as they are a valuable resource. They will be able to provide you with proper assistance regarding your dog's condition. Here are the steps you must follow to induce throwing up for your dog:

Step 1: Provide a Small Meal

Begin by giving your pet a snack or a small meal if they have not had food for the last 2 hours. This will make your dog vomit.

Step 2: Give Them Hydrogen Peroxide Solution

Hydrogen Peroxide Solution can make your dog throw up. However, you should check if the solution is within 3% because higher proportions are unsafe for your pet. They are toxic and will cause severe damage to your dog.

Step 3: Measure the Dose of Hydrogen Peroxide Solution

Measure the correct amount of the dose of the solution that your dog requires with a teaspoon or your syringe. You must adhere to the prescribed quantity, which must be 1ml per 5 pounds of the dog's body weight. Only induce vomiting if your pet ate within 2 hours.

Step 4: Initiate Vomiting Agent

Give your dog the right amount of hydrogen peroxide that you have measured. Use a feeding syringe or a turkey baster to put the food into your dog's mouth. Pull back its lips and quirt in between its back teeth. Ensure your dog doesn't inhale the medicine but swallows it, as it can cause aspiration. You can give a second dose if your pet doesn't throw up within 15 minutes.

Step 5: Observe and Monitor

Stay with your pet while they are vomiting, and ensure they do not re-ingest it. Collect the substance for further analysis with your doctor. You can take your dog to a safe area or an area where they can throw up. Clean up your dog correctly.

Step 6: Care and Comfort

Monitor your dog and keep an eye on it to ensure there are no complications or reactions. It is unsafe if it throws up for more than 45 minutes. Also, check if it feels lethargic, has diarrhoea, bloating, gastric dilatation volvulus, or gastric ulcers.

Step 7: Book an Appointment With a Vet

Finally, book an appointment with your veterinarian to ensure everything is normal and there are no further complications or allergic reactions with your dog.

Follow these above steps to induce vomiting at home. However, if you need more confidence to indulge in such as activity, it is safe to seek assistance from a professional. Timing is crucial, and you must take your dog to a vet before an emergency. This is because, in some instances, your vet might perform other medical processes to treat your dog.

After knowing how to induce vomiting in dogs, let us discuss the methods you must avoid to induce vomiting for your dog.

Vets recommend all the steps mentioned above and advise performing them under expert supervision only. However, there are specific methods you must completely avoid, which are as follows:

• Avoid physically sticking your finger down your pet's throat, as this can cause damage to the mouth and your dog's oesophagus.
• Many people use mustard to induce puking in dogs and other pets. This unscientific method can cause allergy or infection in your pet.
• Avoid using salt as it carries side effects from causing a very high sodium level.
• You must also not use ipecac or syrup as these substances also carry severe side effects.

But how to know if your dog requires puking or not? For this, read the below section.

You will notice several symptoms in your dog that it is not well and needs to puke. While there are chronic, frequent, and long-term pukes which is a cause for concern, most conditions are treatable. Here are some of the symptoms you will notice in your pet:

• Extreme abdominal pain, poor appetite, and dehydration
• Weakness, lack of energy, depression
• Blood with fever
• Weight loss
• Constipation
• Intestinal obstruction and inflammation
• Uterine infection

As soon as you find the following symptoms, you know that your dog needs to puke to free itself from the suffering. However, pay attention if your pet frequently pukes, as it will not go away on its own and requires professional intervention.

Now, let us know the reason you might want to induce vomiting in your dog.

There are several reasons for making your dog puke, and it depends on the substance it has swallowed. You can induce throwing up at home through the following instances:

• Puking is important if your dog has consumed a poisonous substance. You need to make your pet puke within 30 minutes to remove every toxin they have consumed.
• You must induce puking for your dog if your pet ingested grapes less than an hour ago.
• Your dog must puke if it has consumed garbage or chocolates.
• You can also induce vomiting if there is food poisoning or any infection caused due to consuming a meal.

So, now that you know the reasons you must induce vomiting in your dog, let us understand what you can use to help your dog puke.

If you take your dog to a vet, they will recommend specific ways to induce vomiting in dogs. These include the following:

• Apomorphine: At a veterinary clinic, doctors generally use apomorphine to make your pet puke. It can be used as a tablet or an injection under your dog's conjunctiva, which is the mucous membrane covering the front of your dog's eye and the lines inside its eye.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: Another medicine they recommend includes hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in dogs (3%). This you can use when the situation is critical, and you need more time to take your pet to a vet. Hydrogen peroxide will generally work within 15 minutes, recovering almost 50% of your dog's consumption. Since your dog will puke for 45 minutes, place it in a comfortable area.

However, it is better to avoid making your dog puke if you are a new owner and do not have veterinary expertise.

You cannot make your dog puke whenever you feel like it. You must understand the pet's condition and then decide on the procedure. Here is when you must avoid making your dog throw up:

• Have Consumed Chemical: In case you find that your dog has consumed harmful chemicals such as bleach or Drian-O, never make your pet puke. These chemicals are so destructive that they will cause more damage to your oesophagus when your dog throws up.
• Eaten a Solid or Sharp Object: Avoid inducing vomiting if you find that your dog has consumed sharp or solid objects such as batteries, glass, or plastic. If you do so, it can cause issues to your dog’s oesophagus if they vomit up.
• Have a Problem With Swallowing or Breathing: Try not to make your dog puke if you find your pet having breathing problems or a lack of gag reflex. In case your dog pukes and cannot swallow adequately, it might choke and cause damage to its lungs eventually. This will lead to potential complications such as fatal pneumonia.
• Suffering Through Certain Health Conditions: If your pet is prone to seizures, is hyperactive, has received major abdominal surgery, or has gone through megaoesophagus, it is not ideal for making them throw up. This can lead to further complications.
• Have Been Intoxicated or Impaired: If your pet is intoxicated or impaired, you must not induce puking. However, you must treat most of the toxicities your dog suffers from, which includes activated charcoal or IV fluids.
• Is Not a Correct Timing: If you find that your dog consumed a substance more than 2 hours ago, understand that it is too late to get the thing out of its stomach. Then, you must not try making them puke. Well, if you do not know when your dog has consumed the substance, take it to the vet.

Other Reasons

Furthermore, do not induce vomiting if you find the following symptoms in your pet:

• If you find your dog already vomiting
• If your dog is exhausted and lethargic
• In case you find your dog is unconscious
• If you find your dog has consumed drugs
• In case it has lost its swallowing ability

It is best to call your vet if you find your dog has consumed something unusual, as your doctor will be able to tell you perfectly if your pet needs treatment. They will also be able to recommend what will be the best way to treat the lovely dog.

Preventing the need for your pet to puke is impossible since there are a lot of phenomena and mishaps requiring it. However, following the below pointers will limit exposure to risks that might require vomit. These are as follows:

• Always keep the scrapes, trash, and harmful objects and chemicals, such as cleaning solutions and solvents, away from your pet.
• Keep toxic substances away from your pet, as they are highly poisonous and can lead to severe incidents.
• Keep away discarded, broken, and damaged objects, toys, or small objects you feel your pet might chew.
• Always provide your dog with high-quality, fresh food, and do not provide your dog with avocados, grapes, alcohol, onion, garlic, or chocolates.