Symptom guide · Upset Stomach & Diarrhea
A stomach upset that keeps coming back
A pattern over weeks or months rather than a single episode, which is a different problem.
Short answer: A stomach upset that keeps coming back in dogs and cats is a veterinary job first. Natural care is supportive at most here (Pet probiotics, Slippery elm and Milk thistle) and should not delay an appointment. Book a veterinary appointment. This one genuinely needs investigating rather than supplementing.
Our honest read: this one is a veterinary job first. Anything below is supportive at best, and it should not delay an appointment.
Take this to your vet
A vet gets about five minutes of history from you, usually while you are worried and your dog or cat is frightened. Filling this in before you go is the single most useful thing you can do with the next ten minutes. Copy it into a note on your phone, or print it and write on it.
Visit brief
- Animal
- Dog or cat
- Concern
- Upset Stomach & Diarrhea
- Pattern this page describes
- A stomach upset that keeps coming back (an owner-facing description, not a diagnosis)
Fill this in before you go
- When it started, and what you were doing at the time
- How it has changed since then: better, worse, or the same
- What you have already tried, and for how long
- Any food, treat, or supplement changed in the last two weeks
- Everything they take now, including flea and worm treatment
- Eating, drinking, peeing and pooping over the last 24 hours
- Their weight now, if you know it
Questions worth asking
- Do you want an x-ray or a scan to rule out a blockage, or is watching at home safe tonight?
- Are they dehydrated enough to need fluids today?
- What exactly should I feed for the next few days, and when do I go back to their normal food?
- Should we test a stool sample for parasites or giardia?
- If we do nothing today, what specifically should bring me straight back?
- Should I stop anything I am giving them right now, including supplements?
- What is this likely to cost, and what would you do first if I have to prioritize?
Prepared with the Furemedy symptom guide, furemedy.com. Owner observations only. Not a diagnosis and not veterinary advice.
What this tends to look like
- Comes and goes over weeks or months
- Sometimes vomiting, sometimes loose stool, sometimes both
- Reasonably well in between episodes
- No obvious trigger you can pin down
- Possibly gradual weight loss or a coat that has lost condition
What is usually going on
A single upset is an event. A repeating one is a pattern, and patterns have causes worth finding: parasites, a food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic problems, or in older animals kidney or thyroid disease. This is the presentation where we most want to talk you out of managing at home. Not because supplements are harmful, but because using them to keep a chronic problem at a tolerable level delays a diagnosis that would actually resolve it.
What people commonly use
Educational information only — not veterinary advice. Check with your vet before starting anything new.
Pet probiotics
SupplementReset the gut after upset or antibiotics.
- Loose stool & digestion
- Post-antibiotic recovery
- Gut & immune balance
Slippery elm
HerbalA soothing coat for an irritated gut.
- Soothes stomach & bowel
- Loose stool support
- Mild nausea comfort
Milk thistle
HerbalLiver support for the detox pathways.
- Liver & detox support
- After medications
- Senior organ support
Where to find them
Sold by third-party retailers. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What you can do at home
- Start a written log now: dates, what happened, what they had eaten, how they seemed. This is the single most valuable thing you can bring to an appointment
- Weigh them and keep weighing. Gradual loss is nearly invisible day to day and highly significant
- Bring a fresh stool sample to the appointment. Parasites are common, cheap to find, and easy to miss
- Do not start an elimination diet before seeing your vet, because it can muddy the results of the tests they want to run
When to stop and call your vet
- Book a veterinary appointment. This one genuinely needs investigating rather than supplementing
- Any weight loss at all, however gradual
- Increased thirst or urination, particularly in an older animal
- Episodes getting closer together or more severe
Not quite what you are seeing?
These are the other patterns we cover for upset stomach & diarrhea.
- They ate something they should not haveA sudden upset with an obvious dietary cause, in an animal who is otherwise still bright.
- Upset after a food changeLoose stool that started within a few days of switching food, in an animal who is otherwise well.
- A stomach upset with a stressful triggerLoose stool or a lost appetite that lines up with a clear change in the household or routine.
- A stomach upset in an animal who seems unwellWhen the animal itself seems wrong, the vomiting is the least important detail.
Natural remedies for dog upset stomach & diarrheaNatural remedies for cat upset stomach & diarrhea
Sources and further reading
Furemedy is written by a pet owner, not a veterinarian. The red flags on this page come from the independent professional sources below — check us against them.
- Vomiting in DogsMerck Veterinary Manual
- Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines in DogsMerck Veterinary Manual
- Vomiting in CatsMerck Veterinary Manual
- Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines in CatsMerck Veterinary Manual
- Animal Poison ControlASPCA