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A dog who is retching and bringing nothing up, with a tight or swollen belly, pacing and drooling — especially a deep-chested breed after a meal — may have bloat (GDV). That kills in hours. Go now. Also go now for: vomiting blood or something that looks like coffee grounds, black tarry stool, a puppy or senior who has vomited more than twice, vomiting plus a known swallowed object, or any vomiting after chocolate, grapes, xylitol gum, a medication or a plant. No home remedy applies to any of those.
The short answer: for an otherwise bright adult dog who has vomited once or twice, or is gurgling, lip-licking, eating grass and off their food — the ordinary upset stomach — the remedy is time and blandness, not a cupboard. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center: withhold food for 12 to 24 hours (water stays down), then small, frequent meals of boiled skinless chicken or lean beef with plain white rice for two or three days, then a week back to normal food. That handles most cases. What does not help, and can hurt: Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate (bismuth subsalicylate — an aspirin relative, toxic at higher amounts and never for a dog on an NSAID), Imodium (slows a gut that may need to clear something), Tums (does nothing useful), and any human painkiller. If you want one over-the-counter medicine that vets actually use, it is famotidine (Pepcid), an acid reducer — but at an amount your vet gives you, not a guess. The clock matters more than the remedy: not better in 48 hours, or worse at any point, is a vet.
Written by Marc Brannigan, Co-Founder & CEO of HempMy Pet. Last updated 14 October 2026.
Read the Stomach First: What the Signs Mean
"Upset stomach" covers four different things. The right move depends on which one you are looking at.
The dog feels sick and has not necessarily vomited. Classic after a rich meal, a scavenged find, a car ride, a stressful day, or on an empty stomach first thing (bile vomiting). Home-manageable if the dog is otherwise normal: rest the gut, then bland food. Eating grass is a symptom, not a cure.
A dog that vomits, shakes it off and wants to carry on is usually a dog that ate something it shouldn't. Home-manageable with the 12-hour rule below. Not home-manageable: more than two or three times in a day, vomiting every time it drinks, vomiting plus lethargy, or any blood.
Borborygmi — the gut moving air and fluid through. Usually dietary: a new food, a fatty treat, a bone. Home-manageable with a bland meal and a slower food transition. If the belly is tight and swollen rather than just noisy, that is the bloat picture at the top of the page.
The stomach does not need a remedy. It needs twelve hours off, three days of boring food, and someone watching the clock.
The 12-Hour Rule: A Timeline, Not a Recipe
This is what a vet would tell you to do at home for a healthy adult dog with a simple upset stomach. Puppies, seniors, diabetics and toy breeds skip the fast — they cannot afford it — and go straight to small bland meals or the vet.
| When | Do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hour 0 | Take the food up. Leave water down — small amounts often, or ice cubes to lick if gulping makes them vomit. | An irritated stomach keeps rejecting what goes in. Cornell: withhold food 12–24 hours. |
| Hours 0–12 | Rest. Watch for the red flags above. Note the time of each vomit and what it looked like; photograph anything odd. | Frequency and appearance are the two things that separate "ate a sock" from "ate a sock that is now stuck." |
| Hour 12 | If no vomiting for several hours and the dog is bright: a tablespoon or two of boiled skinless chicken (or lean beef) and plain white rice, roughly one part meat to two parts rice. Nothing else — no fat, no seasoning, no broth with onion. | Low fat, low fibre, easy to digest. If it stays down, the stomach is ready to work again. |
| Hours 12–24 | Small bland meals every 3–4 hours, gradually larger. A spoon of plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling) can be added if stools are loose. | Frequent small meals keep the stomach from stretching and from sitting empty, which both trigger nausea. |
| Days 2–3 | Bland diet continues, normal meal sizes. If everything is normal by day 3, start mixing the regular food back in. | Cornell: bland diets are not nutritionally complete — short-term only. |
| Days 3–10 | Transition back: 75% bland / 25% regular, then 50/50, then 25/75, a day or two on each step. | A fast switch is one of the commonest causes of the next upset stomach. |
| Hour 48, any time | Not improving at 48 hours, or worse at any point: vet. | Cornell's threshold. Beyond it, you are no longer managing a simple upset stomach; you are delaying a diagnosis. |
Timeline follows Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center and VCA's home-care guidance. For the loose-stool side of this, see home remedies for dog diarrhea.
What Not to Give — and the One Thing Vets Do Use
The medicine cabinet is where upset stomachs become emergencies.
| Product | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate | Avoid unless your vet says otherwise | Bismuth subsalicylate is an aspirin relative. VCA lists it as one of two dangerous over-the-counter medications: toxic at higher amounts, never with an NSAID like Rimadyl or Meloxicam, never with steroids, never in cats. It also turns stool black — which hides the one warning sign (melena) you most need to see. |
| Imodium (loperamide) | Avoid | Slows the gut. If the dog ate something it needs to pass — a toxin, a foreign object, parasites — slowing the gut traps it. VCA's second "dangerous" entry. Also risky in herding breeds with the MDR1 gene. |
| Tums, Rolaids | Pointless | Calcium carbonate neutralises acid for minutes. Does nothing for nausea. Harmless, useless. |
| Ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol, aspirin | Never | Human painkillers cause stomach ulcers and kidney or liver failure in dogs. A dog with a sore belly given ibuprofen is a dog with a bleeding ulcer by morning. |
| Famotidine (Pepcid AC) | The one vets actually use — at their amount | An acid reducer. VCA lists it for stomach inflammation, reflux and ulcers; it works in one to two hours and wears off in a day. It is weight-based and your vet will give you the amount in a phone call; do not guess from the human box. Given on an empty stomach before a meal. |
| Probiotics made for dogs | Reasonable | VCA lists vet-recommended probiotics among supportive measures. Modest evidence for shortening simple diarrhoea; harmless. Start with the bland diet, not instead of it. |
| Ginger, chamomile, bone broth, slippery elm | Folk remedies — no dog evidence | None has a canine trial. Bone broth is often fatty and seasoned with onion; skip it. Plain ginger is not harmful but is not a treatment either. |
Famotidine use, timing and cautions from the VCA famotidine client handout; the dangerous-medication list from VCA's home-remedy guidance linked above.
Why It Keeps Happening: The Repeat Offenders
If this is the third upset stomach this year, the remedy is upstream.
- Morning bile vomiting — yellow froth before breakfast, dog otherwise fine. The stomach sat empty too long. A small snack at bedtime usually ends it; your vet may suggest famotidine if not.
- Food switched too fast. Cornell suggests a week or two, not three days: 75/25, 50/50, 25/75.
- Fat. Bacon, cheese, the roast skin, a greasy treat. Fat is the single commonest trigger of a simple upset stomach, and in a susceptible dog it is also the trigger for pancreatitis — which is not simple at all. A dog who vomits repeatedly after a fatty meal, with a painful belly and a hunched back, is a same-day vet.
- Scavenging. Bins, compost, the cat's tray, dead things on walks. A basket muzzle on walks is undignified and effective.
- Stress. Boarding, fireworks, a house move, a new baby — stress colitis and nausea are real, and Cornell lists stress among the transient causes. Where hemp fits is below.
- Something that needs a diagnosis. Recurrent vomiting with weight loss, a dog over seven, a change in thirst, or vomiting that is never quite explained — pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's, kidney or liver disease. Bloodwork, not another bland diet.
Where Hemp Fits — and Where It Doesn't
We make hemp products for dogs, so here is the straight answer.
A vomiting dog needs an empty stomach, not an oil. Giving anything by mouth during the fast defeats the point, and a nauseous dog may bring it straight back up. Nothing on this page is improved by adding hemp to it.
There is no canine trial of hemp for vomiting, nausea or digestive upset. Cannabinoid receptors exist in the gut and that is an interesting fact, not evidence. If a page sells you hemp for your dog's stomach, it is ahead of the science.
If the pattern is boarding, fireworks, travel or a new household member followed by a gurgling, off-food dog, the problem is stress and the stomach is the messenger. Predictable stress is where hemp has early canine evidence, given before the trigger — not once the dog is already nauseous. See hemp for dog anxiety.
Hemp oil is, itself, an oil — given to a dog with a sensitive stomach, start low and with food, which is how our serving guide works anyway. The most commonly reported side effect in the canine studies is loose stool at higher amounts, which we cover plainly. If your dog is on famotidine, omeprazole, metoclopramide or any other medication, read hemp and your dog's medications first.
For the dog whose stomach is a stress barometer — before the trigger, never during the fast
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When to Call the Vet
Go now if:
- Retching with nothing coming up, a swollen or tight belly, restlessness and drooling — bloat
- Vomit with blood or coffee-ground material; black, tarry stool
- Vomiting after chocolate, grapes or raisins, xylitol, onions, a medication, antifreeze, a plant or a mushroom
- A swallowed object — toy, sock, corn cob, bone — or a dog that vomits every time it drinks
- A puppy, a senior, a diabetic or a toy breed who has vomited more than twice
- Repeated vomiting with a painful, hunched belly after a fatty meal — pancreatitis
- Collapse, pale gums, or a dog who cannot get comfortable
Same day or next day if:
- Vomiting more than two or three times in 24 hours, or vomiting plus diarrhoea together
- Not improving after 48 hours of the bland diet, or any worsening
- Refusing water, or drinking and bringing it up
- A third upset stomach in a few months, weight loss, or a change in thirst
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I give my dog for an upset stomach?
For a bright adult dog who has vomited once or twice: nothing by mouth except water for 12 to 24 hours, then small frequent meals of boiled skinless chicken and plain white rice for two or three days, then a slow transition back to normal food. A spoon of plain canned pumpkin helps if stools are loose. Do not give Pepto-Bismol, Imodium or any human painkiller. If you want a medicine, famotidine (Pepcid) is the one vets use, at an amount your vet gives you. Not better in 48 hours is a vet visit.
What will settle my dog's stomach with home remedies?
Time, an empty stomach and boring food. The 12-hour rest lets the irritated stomach stop rejecting things; the chicken-and-rice meals are low in fat and fibre so they pass through without asking anything of it; small frequent portions stop the stomach from either stretching or sitting empty, both of which cause nausea. Ice cubes to lick help a dog who vomits when it gulps water. Ginger, bone broth and chamomile have no canine evidence; bone broth is often fatty and contains onion. Skip them.
Can I give my dog Pepto-Bismol to settle his stomach?
Not without your vet saying so. VCA lists Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate as one of two dangerous over-the-counter medications for pets: the active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, is an aspirin relative that is toxic at higher amounts, must never be combined with an NSAID such as Rimadyl or Meloxicam or with steroids, and must never be given to cats. It also turns the stool black, which hides the black, tarry stool that signals bleeding — the one sign you most need to see.
What human medicine can I give a dog for an upset stomach?
Famotidine (Pepcid AC) is the one vets commonly use — an acid reducer that works within one to two hours, given on an empty stomach before a meal, at a weight-based amount your vet will give you over the phone. Do not give Pepto-Bismol or Imodium without veterinary direction, and never give ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol or aspirin: human painkillers cause ulcers and organ damage in dogs. Tums does nothing useful.
Should I fast my dog with an upset stomach?
A healthy adult dog, yes — Cornell's guidance is to withhold food for 12 to 24 hours with water available, then start a bland diet. Puppies, toy breeds, seniors and diabetic dogs should not be fasted; they go straight to small, frequent bland meals, or to the vet if they are vomiting. Never withhold water. If the dog vomits water, offer ice cubes or a tablespoon at a time, and if it still cannot keep water down, that is a same-day vet visit for dehydration.
Why does my dog eat grass when he has an upset stomach?
Nobody is entirely sure, and the "to make themselves sick" explanation is weaker than it sounds — most dogs that eat grass do not vomit afterwards, and many eat it when perfectly well. Treat it as a sign of nausea rather than a treatment: a dog lip-licking and gulping grass is telling you its stomach is unhappy. Prevent access to treated lawns, and follow the 12-hour rule.
Why does my dog throw up yellow foam in the morning?
Bile on an empty stomach. When the stomach has been empty for too long, bile irritates its lining and the dog brings up yellow froth before breakfast, then is fine. A small snack at bedtime, or splitting the daily food into three meals, usually stops it; if it does not, your vet may suggest an acid reducer such as famotidine. If the morning vomiting comes with weight loss, diarrhoea or a dog over seven, it needs bloodwork.
Can hemp or CBD help my dog's upset stomach?
Not during one — a vomiting dog needs an empty stomach, and there is no canine trial of hemp for nausea or digestive upset. Hemp's trial evidence in dogs is joint comfort; its secondary place is predictable stress, and a dog whose stomach reacts to boarding, travel or fireworks is where it may fit, given before the trigger rather than once the dog is already sick. Hemp oil is an oil, so start low and with food in a sensitive dog, and tell your vet before combining it with famotidine or any other medication.
The Short Version
Bright adult dog, vomited once or twice: food up for 12–24 hours, water down, then chicken and rice in small frequent meals for three days, then a slow switch back. No Pepto, no Imodium, no human painkillers; famotidine only at your vet's amount. Puppies, seniors and small breeds skip the fast. Retching with a swollen belly, blood, a toxin, a swallowed object, or not better in 48 hours — vet.
Hemp has no role in the upset stomach itself and a narrow one in the dog whose stomach reacts to stress — before the trigger, with a vet in the loop.
Hemp for Dogs → Home Remedies for Dog Diarrhea
Dog Diarrhea · Can Dogs Eat Pumpkin · What Can Dogs Eat · Hemp Side Effects · Serving by Weight
Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its certified-organic Colorado farm, and formulates every batch in-house under human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. More about us.
HempMy Pet ran its own 90-day study of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported their dog's quality of life had improved. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Read the methodology.
Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Chronic joint pain is her life's work. Read the published paper (PDF).
This article is general information for dog owners, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your dog is unwell, contact your veterinarian.
