Acid Reflux In Dogs

Q: My dog accidentally ingested a 200mg Ibuprofen tablet about 3 weeks ago. It seems to have caused severe gastrointestinal distress. After 2 weeks of daily vomiting, she is improving. Her appetite has returned and she is starting to be herself again. However, she is still plagued with what seems to be acid reflux. She belches, then slurps, as if a small amount of vomit has come up. It seems to be worse on an empty stomach. I am guessing that she is still recovering from an ulcer or other stomach irritation and secreting more acid. We've given her Zantac on our vet's recommendation, but I've read that Pepcid may be more effective. I know for sure that Prilosec would be even better, but I know nothing about giving it to a dog. Are there any suggestions for treatment? She is on special food from the vet (Eukanuba low residue) but I am wondering if giving her a small snack could be helpful during times when the reflux seems strong (such as the middle of the night).

A:My doctor took a human dosage pill, even though he weighed 60 pounds) Cimetedine, and carafate when he did his mucosal stripping of his stomach lining. All gave him great relief, but the Carafate seemed to provide immediate relief because it covered the raw spots like a bandaid. One vet prescribed zantac, one prescribed

pepcid ac, one prescribed cimetedine. Each thought their choice was best. The one that seemed to provide Danny with the most relief was tagemet (cimetidine) ALL the other vets continued to prescribe him Carafate ( which he stayed on for the rest of his life -almost 5 years) , reglan, and prilosec. Eventually he was able to drop the reglan. Part of a course of his treatment was to also feed small amounts often, around the clock. This also helped. None of those treatments seemed to be prescribed by weight. He took a full human dosage of each. Prilosec once a day, Carafate 3 times a day. Cimetidine 3 times a day. The zantac/pepcid ac and cimetidine were all freely interchangeable.