My dog has stomach pain. Should I give him Tums or see a vet?

Tums is not likely to help with the diarrhea. His problem is not the stomach, it is the colon (large intestines). I suggest you use Pepto Bismol instead but please refer to these guidelines: ( https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/pepto-bismol/ )\ A 70 pound dog would need 7ml - a teaspoon is 5ml - so I would give 1.5 teaspoons. If the diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours (despite the Pepto) then you need to get him to a vet for an exam. Also, if is not eating or feeling otherwise unwell he should see a vet.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that your pup has an upset stomach. While we do not typically recommend Tums for dogs, you can safely give him some Prilosec (omeprazole), to help reduce acid secretion in the stomach and help him feel better. Prilosec generally comes in 20 mg tablets, so he could receive 40 mg orally twice daily. If the clinical signs persist beyond a day or so after trying the Prilosec, I recommend that he be seen by your veterinarian again, as a more serious problem could be present. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I see this sort of thing quite commonly in small dogs and the question always is: is it stomach pain or back pain. These little guys can easily hurt their backs and so they tense their abdominal muscles. They also don’t want you to touch them for fear it might tweak their back even more. Because we don’t know yet, I’d refrain from giving anything tonight as we don’t want to interfere with whatever your vet decides to give tomorrow. Tramadol is a safe pain medication but it can slow the GI tract so let’s skip it for now. For tonight, just let Rigby rest alone. Best of luck to you and Rigby!

If he is having abdominal pain then he really should be examined by a vet to determine he cause. He could have an infection, pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease, etc and your vet can run labeork and take an X-ray to help diagnose. Hope he feels better soon.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend any specific treatment because there are many different possible causes. He could have intestinal parasites, an intestinal obstruction, gastroenteritis, or an endocrine or metabolic disease (issue with internal organs that is making him feel overall crappy, rather than something specifically wrong with the intestinal tract). Additionally, many medications for humans aren't safe for our pups. He really does need to go to the vet for further testing and treatment. You can also talk to the vet about giving him anti-anxiety medications for future visits to help with his anxiety. I hope he's feeling better soon.

I'm sorry to hear platanito isn't feeling himself. He may be having episodes of stomach or intestinal pain that could cause him to tense his belly the way you are describing. If this is the case it can be caused by eating things that inflame the stomach or pancreas and you can offer him a very bland diet (boiled chicken breast and white rice OR chicken baby food for example) until your appointment with the vet. Another reason they can appear to tense their belly, lay down and be hesitant to move is back pain. If this is the case it's important to keep him very quiet and prevent jumping until his vet evaluates him. I hope he is feeling better very soon.

I'm sorry that Jasper is uncomfortable! I'm concerned because you say that he has stomach pain and is acting restless - these can be symptoms of a life-threatening condition called bloat, or GDV (gastric dilatation and volvulus). This is a problem that can affect large breed dogs, in which the stomach becomes overly full of air and/or food and twists on itself. Symptoms normally include acting painful, restlessness, panting, unproductive attempts to vomit, and sometimes a large or bloated-looking abdomen. If this sounds like what Jasper is doing, I would recommend getting him to a vet immediately as this is a medical emergency - bloat requires emergency surgery, and is fatal within hours without treatment. If this isn't possible or you opt not go to the vet, you can try offering him some plain boiled chicken and rice or chicken-flavored baby food to help settle his stomach. There are no over-the-counter human medications that are recommended for use in dogs for this problem, so unfortunately there is nothing you can give him apart from small amounts of a bland diet to see if this helps.