Baby food for dog diarrhea


Five Foods to Feed Your Dog When He's Sick – American Kennel Club

Feeding a sick dog is challenging. Decreased appetite, upset stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting make caring for a sick dog stressful for both you and your pet. A bland diet can help relieve some of these symptoms while also giving your dog the nutrition he needs to recover.

The following five recipes are intended for use for dogs with mild stomach upset, including gas, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. As these symptoms are occasionally signs of a more serious problem, always check with your vet before taking treatment into your own hands. Only use these recipes once you have ruled out other health risks and discussed your plan with your veterinarian; and remember that dogs with existing health conditions like diabetes, cancer, allergies, and senior dogs might need additional nutrition to stay healthy.

Chicken and Rice

Chicken and rice are prime ingredients in many dog foods, and these mild foods sit well on upset canine stomachs. Plus, this bland meal is easy to prepare. All you need are boneless, skinless chicken breasts and rice. White rice is lower in nutritional value than brown rice, but its blandness makes it more suitable for upset stomachs. Oils, butter, and added seasonings can irritate your dog’s stomach and make the problem worse, so stick with plain boiled chicken and rice and save the extra stuff for your own meal. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly and cut or shred it into small, bite-sized pieces for your dog, since enthusiastic canines might choke on this unexpected treat. You can also purchase many bland chicken and rice foods if you prefer not cooking.

Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken is easy on upset stomachs and acts as a huge eating incentive for dogs with decreased appetites. Plain, unseasoned, boiled, shredded chicken is easy to digest and is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fats, and amino acids, making it a great snack for dogs feeling under the weather. Chicken keeps in the fridge for three-to-four days, or you can freeze it for two-to-six months. Packaged shredded chicken is available to buy online.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin and sweet potato have similar digestive health benefits. Like sweet potatoes, pumpkin is also high in fiber, which helps regulate canine digestive systems. Cooked, peeled, unsalted, and unseasoned pumpkin contains vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper, and manganese, giving your dog a nutritional boost along with a little digestive help.

Adding pumpkin to your dog’s meal usually helps regulate mild constipation. Veterinarians recommend one to four tablespoons of pumpkin, depending on your dog’s size. Canned pumpkin is a convenient alternative to preparing pumpkin yourself, as long as it is unseasoned. Feeding your dog a can of pumpkin pie filling might end up sending you back to the vet, as the spices and sugars could irritate your dog’s stomach and cause further complications. There are also many pumpkin powders you can buy to add to your dog’s food.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is a very mild, liquid meal that sits easily in upset canine stomachs. It is also a nutritious and delicious way to add moisture and flavor to dry food and encourage dogs with reduced appetites to eat. To make a bone broth for dogs, fill a crock-pot with beef marrow bones or bones with plenty of joints, like turkey and chicken legs. Cover the bones with 2-3 inches of water, cover, and cook on low for 20-24 hours.

Let the broth cool for 2-to-3 hours in the fridge to let the fat form a hardened layer at the top. Scoop it off and store the jelly-like broth in the refrigerator. If you want to use the broth to add moisture to dry food, microwave the broth just long enough for it to go from a semi-solid jelly to a liquid, but not long enough to get hot, as hot broths can burn your dog’s mouth. Freeze the broth in small containers like an ice cube tray for later use.

While bone broth is full of healthy bone marrow, cooked bones themselves are incredibly dangerous for dogs. Make sure you remove all of the bones from your broth before serving. Save yourself a trip to the emergency room and strain the broth just to make sure no small bones escaped your notice. For convenience, you can purchase a bone broth safe for dogs online.

Baby Food

Veterinary emergency hospitals often use certain types of baby food to feed the dogs in their care. Baby food is very easy to swallow and digest and is a great way to give oral medications. Veterinarians recommend feeding Stage II meat-based baby foods like chicken, lamb, and turkey, as long as the baby food does not contain any garlic or onion powder.

You may also consider an over-the-counter stomach and diarrhea treatment.

While none of these recipes should be used as a replacement for proper medical care, feeding a bland diet can alleviate some of your dog’s intestinal discomfort while also providing him with foods he’ll love. These five recipes for dog digestive health also make delicious treats for when your dog starts feeling better, so consider saving some for later to reward your canine patient.

What to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea: 6 Foods to Try

By: Dr. Sarah WootenUpdated:

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What Do You Feed a Dog With Diarrhea? Try These 6 Foods

Let’s be honest: No one wants to deal with dog diarrhea. But if you’ve landed on this article, chances are that your dog is suffering from the dreaded “runs”—and you want to clear it up fast. (Who wouldn’t?) Here’s the good news: By feeding the right foods in the right way, you can help stop your dog’s diarrhea and heal their gut. So what do you feed a dog with diarrhea? Here’s what you need to know.

Click the buttons below to jump to that section:

Is My Dog’s Diarrhea an Emergency?

When to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea

6 Foods to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea

Other Dog Diarrhea Solutions

When to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea

OK, you’ve ruled out a medical emergency and you’re ready to feed your dog. But is your dog’s body ready for food?

Whether your dog has a single bout of diarrhea or has had multiple episodes, the recommendation remains the same: You need to rest your dog’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Resting the GI tract by withholding food for a short period of time allows the intestines to heal because they aren’t busy digesting food.

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So how long should you withhold food after an episode of diarrhea? The answer depends on several factors, including the overall health, age and size of the dog, the underlying cause of diarrhea and any medications that are being administered.

For healthy, adult dogs, try withholding food for around 12 hours. So, if your healthy, adult dog has a single bout of diarrhea in the morning, withhold food for the day and offer a small amount of bland food at dinner time. (More on that below.) If your dog has diarrhea in the evening, withhold food for the rest of the evening and offer a small, bland meal in the morning. It is OK to offer water as long as your dog can hold it down and it doesn’t trigger more bouts of diarrhea.

There’s one important exception to this rule: Do not withhold food from dogs who need regular feeding to survive. These include:

  • Puppies
  • Toy breeds like Chihuahuas and Maltese
  • Senior dogs
  • Dogs with health issues

Withholding food from these dogs can lead to dangerously low blood sugar levels and other emergencies. For these pups, consult your veterinarian at the first sign of diarrhea.

Is My Dog’s Diarrhea an Emergency?

Before we can even talk about what to feed a dog with diarrhea, you need to rule out a medical emergency that needs immediate veterinary attention. Diarrhea in dogs is sometimes no big deal, but it can sometimes be severe or life threatening. Signs that your dog needs to see a vet include:

  • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Bloody diarrhea, or diarrhea that has digested blood, which looks like coffee grounds
  • Diarrhea that has lasted longer than two days
  • Signs of dehydration, including dry gums and skin tenting (aka skin that doesn’t snap back into place when you pull it)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fever
  • Signs of abdominal pain (bloating, groaning, panting rapidly, not wanting to be touched, or “prayer position,” aka a stance with the dog’s rear up in the air and their front legs and head on the floor)
  • Acting excessively tired or weak

In some dogs, diarrhea is always an emergency. For these pets, call your vet at the first sign of diarrhea:

  • Puppies
  • Senior dogs
  • Dogs who are already sick or debilitated due to a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or heart disease
  • Dogs on new medication (which could be causing the diarrhea)

If your dog fits any of these criteria, call your vet for advice immediately.

What to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea

It’s finally time to for your dog to have a small meal—but what do you feed a dog with diarrhea? Look for bland, easily digestible food that is soothing to the GI tract. (We’ve got six tried-and-true suggestions below.)

No matter which of these foods you choose, you should start with a small amount:

  • For small breeds, start with a tablespoon of food
  • For large breeds, start with a golf ball-sized portion of food, around 2 tablespoons

Here are a few great foods to try:


1 Lean Protein

Low-fat meats are gentle on your dog’s stomach, while still providing important protein. Try meats like:

  • Chicken breast (no skin)
  • Lean ground hamburger
  • Turkey