As a company that specializes in pets, one of the most popular questions we get is “How to Treat Dog Vomit?” Well, as weird as it may sound, there are several different variables that will determine what type of treatment needs to be done. Most people run into trouble because they do not understand the basics on how to treat dog vomit. Either way, there are specific things you need to know before the pre-treatment process begins. Considering all of the retail pet products on the market today, none of them really do much good for destroying bacteria (pet based products – not consumer grade disinfectant sprays). We will talk about that in a minute.

Moving forward, most of the skills needed in the clean up process is common sense more than anything and a little “know how” on how to treat dog vomit. First, your main concern should be your pet! After making sure your little buddy is okay, then getting to the vomit stain quickly is super important! Here’s why, dog vomit, just like human vomit contains acid. These acids are not friendly to your carpet or upholstery. Once the vomit is released onto the carpet or upholstery surface, the acid immediately starts to discolor the area. Typically, you will notice this more with lighter color carpet or upholstery than darker colors. The reason is because lighter colors are not heavily dyed and stand alone with nothing there to disguise the problem. Basically, just easier for your eye to pick out the stained area. Where as darker colors tend to cover up the stained area more effectively reducing the stained area to a blend. Either way, you want to remove the vomit ASAP! So yes, the acid from the vomit will help set the stain, especially with a natural fiber carpet or upholstery! The acid opens up the fiber and allows the color of the vomit to penetrate and stain! This is very similar to hair dye for men and women. The reason hair dye contains ammonia and metals is because it helps the dye penetrate the hair without fading. If not, the dye would fade quickly! So the acid in vomit does the same thing, especially if the vomit contains color from food the dog ate.

Most consumers do not realize that dog food contains dyes! Most dog food manufacturers use dyes for several reasons, but mainly because non-dyed dog food looks disgusting! Don’t forget they are marketing to you as well as your pet! My point, the dyes in dog food are your biggest concern from a cosmetic perspective. The sooner you remove the vomit, your less likely to have a stain. Yes, all the little red spots in your carpet is from food dyes! How you treat the stains after all the “Chunky Stuff” has been removed is important. As mentioned above, most of the retail products on the market are spray foam cleaners that use solvents or detergents to remove stains. But, detergents and solvents work well on soil such as dirt, oil, grease and any oil base that can be broken down from a solvent….not dye stains! So, that eliminates about 95% of the products sold. Now, there are some that claim to remove food dyes, but you must read the label carefully to find one. Unfortunately, we recommend cleaning up the mess and call a professional carpet service. The dye color can be removed with a dye transfer product manufactured exclusively for food grade dyes. But, this method should be performed by a professional carpet technician. The reason is, dye transfer solutions are chemicals and need to be extracted after use! Also, depending on whether you have a synthetic or natural carpet, there are different solutions made for synthetic and wool carpet. Don’t want to over do the explanation, but this is why most home owners make these types of stains worse and pre-treat the unsuccessfully!Therefore, causing more damage! Now, if you have an extractor in your home, there is a DIY method you can use. Here’s how:

  1. Fill your extractor with Cold Water and extract contamination into waste reservoir.

  2. Fill Solution Tank with (2 gallons) of cold water and 5 caps of Woolite (Super Gentle) and 5 caps of hydrogen peroxide. ***Referring to the small bottles of peroxide sold in grocery stores. If you purchase a “Super Huge” bottle of peroxide this measurement will not work.

  3. Clean and extract the area. Make sure to extract all solution left in the carpet…all of it!

  4. Next, empty out woolite/ peroxide solutions and fill with clean cold water…then extract again. This is your rinse cycle. Make sure to dry-pass the area several times to remove water.

  5. Let Dry.

***This is a Do It Yourself Method and is only for people that own a water extractor. Do not use this method by using a spray bottle or other method. ***Always test an inconspicuous/small area for discoloration. As mentioned above, there are different treatments for carpet & upholstery. So make sure you test a small area first.