🚨 Go to the vet IMMEDIATELY (emergency red flags)
- Repeated unproductive retching or a rapidly swelling, tight, hard belly (bloat/GDV — large deep-chested breeds) — hours kill
- Seizure, any paralysis, stumbling with a head tilt, or sudden disorientation
- Known or suspected toxin: chocolate amount over threshold (use our calculator), grapes/raisins, xylitol, antifreeze, human meds, rat bait — call ASPCA APCC (888) 426-4435 en route
- Gums pale, white, blue or brick red; labored breathing at rest; collapse; heatstroke reading above 41°C
- A male dog straining to urinate with no output (urethral blockage — deadly within a day)
- Hit by car, any major fall, deep wound, or bleeding that doesn't stop in 5 minutes
- Difficulty giving birth: 30+ min hard straining with no puppy, or 2+ hours between puppies with known ones remaining
- Puppies under 12 weeks with vomiting/diarrhea — they crash fast (parvo risk)
Vet within 24 hours (urgent but not midnight-urgent)
- Vomiting more than 3–4 times in a day, or vomiting + diarrhea together in an adult
- Not eating over 24 h (over 12 h for puppies/diabetics), especially with lethargy
- Limping that persists, crying when touched, refusing stairs it normally uses
- Eye squinting, heavy discharge, or a suddenly blue/red eye
- Ear: head shaking, foul smell, dark discharge
- Itchy skin broken open, or a spreading hot spot
- Blood in urine/stool in an otherwise bright dog; straining in the litter tray
- Mild dehydration with skin tenting; temperature 40.1–40.9°C
Safe home care: the 24-hour mild tummy protocol
For an otherwise bright adult dog with a single vomit or soft stool and no red flags: rest the gut 8–12 h (water stays available in small frequent amounts), then feed small portions of bland food — boiled chicken breast (no skin/bones) and white rice — for 1–2 days, then transition back over 24 h. No human medicines: paracetamol, ibuprofen and most OTC drugs are toxic at doses kids take. If it's not clearly improving in 24 h, or red flags appear at any point, vet.
- Check our temperature guide — numbers decide faster than vibes
- Watch urine output: a dog not peeing is an emergency, not a diet day
What to tell the vet (and bring)
- When it started, what you've seen (photos/video of the vomit, gait, breathing help enormously)
- Temperature + breathing rate if you have them (see our vitals page)
- Everything the dog could have eaten — honestly, including the sock incident
- Current meds, preventives, diet; vaccine status
- Bring: fresh stool sample if GI, the chew/pill/product packaging if toxin-related
What common treatments actually are (so the bill makes sense)
| Treatment | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Fluids (under skin or IV) | Dehydration from vomiting/diarrhea/heat — the single most common supportive care |
| Antiemetics (e.g. maropitant) | Stops vomiting so the gut can rest and the dog keeps fluids |
| Gastroprotectants/antacids | Gut ulcers, reflux-type irritation |
| Antibiotics | Bacterial infections only — not given for most vomiting/diarrhea, which are viral/dietary |
| Antiparasitics | Worms/mites — routine and very effective |
| X-rays/bloodwork | Blockages, organ function; bloodwork is how silent kidney/liver disease gets caught early |
This page is educational triage, not diagnosis. When the list says 'call', call — vets would always rather be phoned about nothing than meet you too late.