More than once I have fielded panicked phone calls from clients whose dogs have eaten inedible things ranging from socks, gloves, and underwear to chocolate or human heart medication. And more than once I have had to induce vomiting in my own dogs, who engaged in dietary indiscretions of the same nature. While it is possible to induce vomiting in a dog on your own, here are a few considerations before you try.
First of all, be very certain that your dog did in fact swallow something before you try to induce vomiting. Secondly, and most importantly, do not panic. If you are at all uncertain that you will be able to remain calm and have a steady hand, do not attempt this at home and take your dog to a veterinarian. In fact, you should always at least call your vet when you are going to induce vomiting, if you have never done it before.
Before you induce vomiting, some considerations are what and when your dog ate. If it has been over two hours since your dog ingested the foreign object, it may be too late for them to vomit it back up, and you should take them to the vet to see exactly where the object is in their digestive tract. If your dog has swallowed something poisonous, you should not leap to induce vomiting, but call your vet or poison control first to make sure that inducing vomit on your own is enough for treatment. Dogs who have eaten batteries or medication, which is something that has happened to many of my clients, may need an absorber of some sort at the vet in addition to vomiting being induced.
I recently tried to induce vomiting in a four-month-old bernadoodle mix, who went absolutely feral. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get the dose into his mouth safely and told his owners he would need to visit the veterinary ER, where they would have more hands on deck to contain him and get the dose safely into him. Again, if you are nervous with a shaky hand or your dog is in a panic, it is best to allow someone else to do this.
Hopefully, you never have to induce vomiting because your dog has eaten something foolish, but it doesn’t hurt to be familiar with how to do it yourself if you have to!
For more detailed instructions on how to induce vomiting in a dog, be sure to consult a professional who handles dog emergencies regularly, such as a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn this skill, so I can also provide more specific step-by-step advice if needed. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
