Dogs that are sick or have vomiting and diarrhea, like humans, need to stop eating food for a while until they feel better. Veterinarians recommend waiting at least 2 to 4 hours before feeding them again. This period is what is known as therapeutic fasting, a concept that is difficult for us to put into practice as pet owners. One of the most common mistakes is treating gastroenteritis with digestive cans or changing the type of feed, which could be counterproductive for your animal’s well-being.
The veterinarian and expert in animal nutrition, Mónica Díaz, with more than 47,000 followers on TikTok (@monicadiaz.vet), has explained in a video what the phases are to implement therapeutic fasting in dogs with gastrointestinal problems. Below, we explain this technique in detail.
As we have said, therapeutic fasting is a period of 2 to 4 hours in which the dog should not eat solid food. The goal of this tactic is to wait for the animal to recover from vomiting or diarrhea before eating again. Although it may be complicated for the owner and the pet, not overloading them with food is essential when addressing digestive problems.
Once your dog is recovered, you can gradually introduce liquid foods such as bone broth or moro soup. The latter is an ancient recipe that was originally used to treat severe gastroenteritis in children and has remained a natural remedy for diarrhea in animals.
You can buy moro soup in jars or make it yourself at home. You only need 500 grams of carrots and 1 liter of water. Cut the carrots into small pieces and let them boil for approximately an hour and a half. Add fresh water until you have a liter of soup and then put it through the blender and add a pinch of salt.
Give this soup to your dog—adults only, not puppies—for a day to stop vomiting and diarrhea and help him feel better. If necessary, you can give it one more day.
If the broth or soup has been good for your dog, it will be time to prepare a soft cooked diet. Giving chicken or turkey with boiled pumpkin, in small doses, is a very good option.
You can also mix ground Psyllium seed husk with this food. This is a natural treatment, sold in herbalists and pet stores, that helps regulate intestinal transit and give consistency to the stool. The dose will be 1 grams daily for every 10 kilos, always hydrated in 10 measures of water for each measure of Psyllium. Let the seeds absorb the water for 15 minutes and add them to their soft diet.
If digestive problems persist, you should go to the vet.
