Symptom guide · Upset Stomach & Diarrhea

A stomach upset with a stressful trigger

Loose stool or a lost appetite that lines up with a clear change in the household or routine.

Short answer: The natural remedies most commonly used for dogs and cats with this pattern of upset stomach & diarrhea are Pulsatilla, Pet probiotics and Slippery elm. They suit mild, everyday cases in an otherwise healthy animal, and the page below sets out the point at which this stops being a home-care problem.

Stop and read this first

Go to a vet now if any of these are true

Trying to vomit repeatedly and bringing nothing up, with a swollen, hard, tight belly. In dogs, especially large or deep-chested breeds, this is the picture of a twisted stomach. It is fatal without surgery and it kills in hours. Do not wait, do not give anything by mouth, go now.
Blood in the vomit, or stool that is black and tarry, or obvious fresh blood in the stool. This indicates bleeding somewhere in the gut. It needs to be assessed today, not monitored.
They may have eaten something toxic: chocolate, grapes or raisins, xylitol, antifreeze, rat bait, human medication, cannabis, or a lily if this is a cat. Call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 now. Many of these have a narrow window where treatment works, and some do damage long before the animal looks unwell.
String, thread, tinsel or ribbon hanging from the mouth or the back end. Never pull it. A linear foreign body can saw through the intestine. This is surgical and it is now.
Collapse, cold extremities, pale or white gums, or unresponsiveness. These are signs of shock or serious internal illness regardless of the vomiting. Emergency, immediately.
Vomiting so persistent they cannot keep even water down. Dehydration accelerates fast once nothing stays in. They need fluids from a vet.

See a vet today if any of these are true

This is a cat and they have not eaten anything for 24 hours or more. Cats that stop eating can develop a serious liver condition within a couple of days. Do not wait it out, call your vet.
A distended or painful belly, or a hunched, praying posture with the front end down. That posture is how animals hold themselves when the abdomen hurts. It needs examining today.

What this tends to look like

Started around a move, boarding, travel, guests, building work or a new animal
Loose stool, sometimes with mucus
Appetite reduced but drinking normally
May be clingy, hiding, or unsettled as well
Improves when the routine settles

What is usually going on

The gut is genuinely sensitive to stress in animals as much as in people, and a stress-driven upset is real rather than imagined. Cats in particular tend to express upheaval physically: appetite, litter box, grooming. Because the trigger is usually short-lived, the useful intervention is aimed at the environment as much as the gut.

What people commonly use

Educational information only — not veterinary advice. Check with your vet before starting anything new.

Pulsatilla

Homeopathic

For the clingy, needy, wants-to-be-near-you pet.

Emotional/attention-seeking upset
Mild digestive or eye discharge
Craves comfort and company

Pet probiotics

Supplement

Reset the gut after upset or antibiotics.

Loose stool & digestion
Post-antibiotic recovery
Gut & immune balance

Slippery elm

Herbal

A soothing coat for an irritated gut.

Soothes stomach & bowel
Loose stool support
Mild nausea comfort

Where to find them

Sold by third-party retailers. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

HomeoPet

Digestive Upsets

Chewy ↗Amazon ↗iHerb ↗

Probiotic

Pet probiotic

Chewy ↗Amazon ↗iHerb ↗

Herbal

Slippery elm for pets

Chewy ↗Amazon ↗iHerb ↗

What you can do at home

Restore what routine you can. Same feeding times, same places, same people where possible
Give somewhere to retreat to that other animals and visitors cannot reach, which for a cat means high up
Keep meals small and frequent rather than one large one
In a multi-cat household, separate the resources: bowls, water, boxes, in different rooms rather than in a row
Expect improvement over days as the situation normalizes, not within hours

When to stop and call your vet

It does not settle once the stressful event is over
A cat stops eating altogether for 24 hours, which is urgent regardless of the cause
Weight loss over weeks
The behavior side is severe. Distress at that level is treatable and worth a proper conversation

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 that keeps coming backA pattern over weeks or months rather than a single episode, which is a different problem.
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 & diarrhea Natural remedies for cat upset stomach & diarrhea

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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
Homeopathy: What You Need To KnowNIH NCCIH