Making a dog vomit

I am told that if my dog is poisoned, I should make him vomit. How should I do this?

First try to find out what has poisoned your dog and then I would recommend you call a vet and ask for advice. If a dog consumes a poison that can cause it difficulty breathing, convulsions, seizures or make it depressed, lethargic or drowsy or likely to go into shock, it should not be made to vomit. If your dog has ingested some caustic substance, never attempt to make it vomit because these chemicals cause as much damage on the way back up as on the way down. Caustic substances are found in a variety of household products, petroleum and by-products; materials such as dish washer detergents, battery acid, drain cleaners and some soaps.

If the dog doesn’t display any of those signs and hasn’t eaten anything caustic, you can make it vomit by administering a teaspoonful of three per cent foodgrade hydrogen peroxide per 10lb bodyweight. Put this at the back of the dog’s tongue. It is often easier if the dog has fed first as this will “bulk up” the stomach contents and give it something substantial to bring up. It should vomit within 10 to 30minutes and if not, the treatment can be repeated.

A teaspoonful of baking soda in half a cup of water, or a teaspoonful of mustard in a cup of water, can be used in the same manner. Placing a teaspoonful of salt on the back of the dog’s tongue should also make it vomit. TB

A number of household products are caustic