My puppy ate cat food and is bloated. Should I call the vet or wait?

Hello! This is what we call "food bloat" which happens when dogs manage to eat a massive amount of food! Their stomachs stretch with the huge amount of food, causing the bloated bellies. When people bring these pets to me, we usually recommend putting them on IV fluids until the bloating resolves, and not feeding at all. Their stomachs could potentially rupture, when the kibbles swell, and mix with water. So, at this point, I wouldn't suggest feeding them. Ideally they should be checked by their vet, to see if they are okay recovering at home, or whether they need treatment at the clinic.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Alfie. Poor boy. It's good that he's acting normally, so it doesn't sound like he has bloat. I'd without food for tonight, and keep a close eye on him. If you see pacing, anxiety, restlessness, trying to vomit but can't, and excessive drooling, take him into an ER vet right away. Otherwise, feed him his normal breakfast in the morning. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Minka is experiencing a simple food bloat (stomach is big and full of food). I recommend NOT feeding her until tomorrow, only small sips of water and walk her every 2-4 hours until bedtime. If she starts non-productively retching, appears restless or painful, pacing, won't lie down then she should go to the closest emergency room. If none of those things happen then she should be fine. If he stomach looks normal size tomorrow morning then resume her normal feeding schedule with her normal food. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds as though Scooby has a bit of food bloat. I would fast him for 24 hours and let him digest the donuts he ate. He may develop dietary indiscretion, pancreatitis, etc. If he begins to vomit and become lethargic, then I would take him in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatments recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Buster. I would avoid a long walk with him tonight. He’s eaten more food than he should and you don’t want him to bloat. I would take him out just long enough to potty, then bring him back in. He can resume his normal walks tomorrow. Other than that, just keep an eye on him. I hope this helps!

Oh no, that was naughty of Lady to eat the cat food. Certainly eating too much food can lead to bloat, but one to two cups isn't a lot of food to a large dog such as a Golden Retriever. You could see some stomach upset from it such as the diarrhea you have described, but she won't die from it. I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps her stomach. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. I will also give you that symptoms of bloat just in case, but as I said, it's very unlikely that this amount of cat food will cause bloat. Signs of bloat include attempting to vomit but being unable to, enlarged abdomen, pacing, restlessness, looking at her stomach, labored breathing, and excessive drooling. If you see any of those signs, rush Lady into a vet immediately. Otherwise, she should be ok :-)

You can monitor him at home for the next 2-3 hours as long as he is not extremely bloated. Eating too much kibbles is more dangerous that eating wet food but I assume that at his age he ate some wet food only ? Some dogs are very thirsty after eating too much food but please do not offer him a lot of water as this may cause further stomach distension. So, your puppy may be sleepy and lethargic for a the next couple of hours then he should get better. However, if he looks in pain and the abdomen is hard and very bloated you should contact your local vets to get help.