My cat ate dog food. Should I worry about diarrhea or vomiting?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Buddy. How lovely of you to take in this stray kitten!! Yes I suspect it's the kitten food causing Buddy to have an upset stomach and vomit. Sudden changes in diet can lead to these symptoms. Feed him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones or skin) in small amounts a couple times a day for a few days, the start slowly adding in his normal diet. If he refuses to eat the bland diet, vomits the bland diet, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, continues to have diarrhea, has blood in his stool, and/or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Cat food can definitely be too high in protein and often too rich for dogs, causing the type of symptoms you are seeing. In some cases, it can even cause inflammation of the pancreas. This is typically verified with lab work and/or ultrasound. If she's been vomiting for three days, this is definitely significant enough to warrant veterinary attention. She may be clinically dehydrated at this point and require some fluid therapy and anti vomiting medication. In terms of preventing Bubba from eating the cat food, the only way you are going to be able to do that is by keeping it out of his reach, or by keeping him on a leash while in the presence of the food. There is the potential to train Bubba to leave certain foods alone, but this is not something that you will be able to accomplish overnight.

That's very interesting and should definitely be shared with the veterinarian who diagnosed the IBD. Without knowing anymore about the food and her case, I would question the diagnosis. However, there's no need to worry if she is not already having any problems. She would have had diarrhea or vomiting by now if it were going to be an issue. It's best to give her on the dog food when it arrives, because it will be more nutritionally balanced for a dog. You will want to slowly (over two weeks) transition her off of the cat food though, because it's possible that too quick of a change can cause GI upsets. I'm sure your vet will also have some good advice, so it's best to contact them when you can. I hope that helps and all is well with Juicey.

It will probably not harm him if it is just for one day, some cats have sensitive stomach and such a change in food may cause diarrhea or even vomiting but most cats won't be affected if it is just for a couple meals, that is if your cat is not fussy as dog food is much less palatable than cat food.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor ice! That is the higher end of the dose for Pepcid and shouldn't harm her. Pepcid is just an acid reducer and may help with the vomiting/nausea. Ice likely has gastro-intestinal upset from eating cat food. A lot of dogs can develop vomiting and diarrhea from eating cat food, especially if they have a sensitive stomach. Ice appears to not be able to tolerate sudden food changes. I recommend fasting Ice for 12-24 hours. With hold water for 6 hours from the last vomiting. If there is no vomiting for 6 hours offer small amounts of water and ice chips. If she holds that down and doesn't vomit start feeding her a bland diet after the 12-24 hour fast. Feed boiled chicken or hamburger, about 1 cup per 20 lbs per day until 2 normal stools. If she continues to vomit while fasted or when water or food is introduced then she should see your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Ice a speedy recovery!

Cat food tends to be higher in fat and calories than dog food and could cause an upset stomach. If Oreo ate enough cat food he could also have 'food bloat' where the stomach becomes distended with food and causes discomfort. If he is not vomiting and does not seem painful he may not require any veterinary care. If you think his stomach is distended with food frequent short walks could help everything move through his gastrointestinal tract. If he does begin vomiting, if he misses more than one meal, or if he becomes painful you will probably need to see a veterinarian.

Acute vomiting and diarrhea, especially with poor appetite and lethargy, are certainly cause for concern. This could be caused by an infection, something stuck in Max's intestines, or a metabolic problem. At the veterinarian, they will examine him and probably take x-rays and run some lab work to look for the underlying cause of Max's issues. I wouldn't wait very long to go to the vet since Max is so young and small and so can become dehydrated quickly. See if you can get in for an exam today.