It's messy and it's distressing - but fortunately, there's some things you can do to help! It may sound too easy, but one of the best things you can do if your dog is vomiting is: stop giving it food!
A California veterinary clinic created a web page specifically recommending "no food or water until your dog has gone at least six hours without vomiting." The dog's digestive tract is irritated, and it needs to take a long rest. If your dog still isn't better after 24 hours, take it to the vet. And you might even want to head to the vet right away if your dog is also exhibiting other more serious symptoms like acting depressed or being unresponsive.
But dog owners can also get confused about what's really happening. There's some additional information available from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University which argues that sometimes a dog's throat may actually lose muscle tone, so that food simply doesn't make it all the way down to its stomach! When that happens, the dog may regurgitate food after they eat, but it's an entirely different set of symptoms. Regurgitating food is usually caused by a throat condition, whereas vomiting can sometimes be a symptom of a more serious disease like diabetes, kidney failure, or liver failure, or something more localized like an inner ear disease.
Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting occur together, and in that case you should withhold the dog's food until it's stopped for at least six hours. But if the diarrhea occurs by itself, the California veterinary clinic recommends a special recipe. The problem is that the dog's intestine has become inflamed, so first take one part cottage cheese, and squeeze out the liquid by pressing it between several paper towels. Then mix in three parts of cooked white rice (or potato), and feed the mixture to the dog at least four times a day. "As long as your dog is eating and alert, there is no cause for alarm," they note.
People get an upset stomach every once in a while - and the same thing is true for dogs! But there's a warning from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "If it persists for more than a day, it can lead to dehydration , may indicate an underlying health issue and should be checked out by a veterinarian. They list over 15 possible causes in dogs, and argue that the most important treatment is providing lots of water, so the dog doesn't become dehydrated. And hopefully within a day or two, with the proper treatment, your pet should return to being happy and healthy!