Gaviscon provides quick relief of heartburn, upset stomach and indigestion because it effectively neutralizes stomach acid.
Is your dog experiencing any of these symptoms? Are you wondering if this antacid can help?
You’ll be happy to hear that some veterinarians prescribe Gaviscon. The active ingredients are not known to be toxic. It is relatively safe.
With that being said, any dog with a recurring gastrointestinal problem should be properly diagnosed.
Gaviscon Works For Dogs Too
Nevertheless…
Get your vet involved if your pet’s problem persists. The source of your dog’s discomfort should be properly addressed rather than simply treating lingering symptoms.
Ingredients in Gaviscon
There are many dangerous pharmaceuticals when it comes to pets, but this particular antacid thankfully is not one of them.
Gaviscon’s line of products, both liquid and tablets, contain aluminum hydroxide and magnesium carbonate as the active ingredients. Dosed conservatively, these are unlikely to harm your dog — although side effects can occur.
One way you can minimize risks is by avoiding the Extra Strength versions.
Dosing Gaviscon For Dogs
Never give your dog Gaviscon on an empty stomach as doing so may further upset their tummy.
Regarding a proper dose, obviously it is largely based on body weight but sometimes there are other factors to take into consideration.
In other words, your vet should advise you on dosage!
The following are only general guidelines:
For liquid Regular Strength Gaviscon, half a tablespoon (up to 4 times daily) is sufficient for a medium-sized adult dog. In tablet form, 1 to 2 (up to 4 times per day) should do the trick.
Caution: Veterinary assistance becomes even more essential if your furry friend is currently taking other medications. Negative interactions are a possibility.
Need For Professional Help
It cannot be stressed enough:
Have your dog diagnosed before you try Gaviscon.
Consider that sometimes kennel cough is mistaken for minor stomach problems. There are actually many different medical issues with symptoms that are easily mistaken for heartburn and the like.
For your dog’s sake, don’t experiment with Gaviscon.
Canine Digestive Problems
Your dog’s digestive system is accustomed to high amounts of protein.
Their stomach is quite used to breaking these down. If you are feeding your dog a low-grade dog food they may be getting an imbalance of carbs and other worthless fillers instead of the protein they require.
This can lead to digestive problems and certain symptoms which you may now be noticing. Also, some dogs don’t have an off switch, and will keep eating even after they’re full.
The number one cause of heartburn and indigestion is from overeating.
With a little help and tweaking you can pretty much solve these digestive issues without introducing any potentially harmful medicines. That way your dog can be their healthiest and happiest.
The Bottom Line
Gaviscon is an antacid that can be given to dogs. Reasonably dosed, it is not that risky for pets.
As the same time, you should avoid a hit or miss approach. Getting your dog checked-out is the best way to go about helping them to recover.
Closely monitor your animal for adverse side effects if you do plan to provide Gavison.
Gaviscon Infant is a powder containing sodium alginate and magnesium alginate. Are these the only ingredients? Does it contain aluminum? Is the amount of sodium (225mg per sachet) safe for an 11kg dog?
My 2 year old Westie is constantly licking her lips and licking the other dogs. She was diagnosed with gingivitis and had 2 doses of antibiotics. I have had her teeth cleaned and she was also given Omeprazole 10mg.
I am now using Dentisept Chlorhexidine 2mg on her gums daily and also Metacam, but she is still constantly licking. Would liquid Gaviscon help or is the aluminum content harmful?
This is very distressing. She’s definitely not a happy little dog, but I cannot afford to keep taking her to the vet.
When a dog has acid reflux does it ever go away?
While the liquid is safe, the tablets contain Xylitol which is highly toxic to dogs and can cause severe symptoms.
This information was very helpful. I have gastric reflux and use Gaviscon for instant relief. Since my dog’s mouth waters and there is tongue licking on occasion, I did wonder if I could give her 2ml.
My large Labradoodle puppy has eaten 7 Gaviscon tablets. He weighs 32 kilograms and is 9 months old. Do I need to worry?
My dog seems to have reflux. He just licks his tongue in and out, licks his feet and stretches till he burps. Every night he wakes up doing this. The vet said to give him 1/2 of a Pepcid. This doesn’t seem to help.
They did x-rays and blood work but nothing was found. I give him grain-free food. I don’t know what else to do. Would you recommend me giving him a liquid antacid of some kind?
I have a 5.5 kilogram small mix breed dog who tends to vomit in the morning. Once I found a small patch of blood in the yellow liquid he vomited. I brought him to a vet who prescribed Mylanta. He continued to vomit on occasion in the morning. Then the vet advised me to give him 1 to 2ml of Gaviscon instead of Mylanta.
I’m not sure what to do now, should I continue with Gaviscon? He vomits approximately once every week. I would appreciate if you could tell what to do to address this problem.
Hi Janet. I know that, generally speaking, a dog vomiting yellow liquid in the mornings can be due to being really hungry. After all, they can’t just help themselves to food the way we can when we’re hungry. A small amount of food at bedtime, or one or two good quality plain dog biscuits, can help.
As the little bit of blood was only there the once – has this happened lately? I’m tempted to put it down to the retching. But if you’re unsure or suspect your dog has other related problems, such as with digestion, I’d speak again with the vet.
I’ve looked into the ingredients of both Gaviscon and Maalox. I can’t find evidence that Gaviscon liquid contains aluminium (not in the UK version, at least), although there are different types and I may have missed one. It does contain various salts though, which can possibly be a problem for the kidneys in some circumstances.
So, I’m not saying it’s definitely safe for dogs. As I said before, a vet has to weigh the pros and cons. Maalox does contain aluminium, however. Maybe leave these decisions to a vet, rather than trying to guess if an antacid will be okay.
Liquid Gaviscon does contain aluminum. This info is verified on their Canadian website.