How to feed a dog with a sensitive stomach and intestines
If your dog has a sensitive stomach and intestines, it is a good idea to take a close look at its diet. This applies to both the type of food and how often you feed your dog.
Which ingredients are in the food?
Which protein sources are listed? Chicken, beef and milk proteins are proteins that may trigger a reaction in your dog.
Which carbohydrates does the food contain? Examples of carbohydrates include wheat, rice, soya and potato.
What is the fibre content? You can find this on the packaging under crude fibre.
What is the fat percentage? Some dogs have more difficulty digesting food with a higher fat content.
If you want to try a different food, it is a good idea to compare it with the food your dog was previously used to eating. Choose a different protein source or a different carbohydrate source that is easier to digest, such as lamb or rice. Choose more or less fibre depending on what you were feeding before. A crude fibre content of 2 to 3% is often a useful guideline. A lower fat percentage may also help.
Do not change everything in the food at once! Otherwise, you will not know what may have caused any improvement. For example, start by changing only the protein source. Give any dietary change 2 to 3 weeks as well, so your dog’s stomach and intestines have time to adjust.
Which ingredients in the food support the stomach and intestines?
In addition to the basic nutrients, there are several ingredients that can provide useful support for dogs with sensitive intestines. These include a high level of omega 3 fatty acids and added prebiotics and probiotics. These help support healthy intestinal function.
Number of meals per day
A dog with a sensitive stomach and intestines often benefits from several meals a day. Are you used to feeding your dog only once or twice a day? Try feeding your dog more frequently. Spread the meals as evenly as possible throughout the day as well. For example, do not give all of the food between 8:00 in the morning and 17:00 in the afternoon. The period between the meal after 17:00 and the next meal will then be very long. This can lead to nausea in the morning.
For example, feed your dog at 8:00 in the morning, 14:00 in the afternoon and 20:00 in the evening, with a small amount before bedtime as well.
Food for a dog with a sensitive stomach and intestines
There are several types of food you can choose for dogs with sensitive stomachs and intestines.
Highly digestible food
A highly digestible food can be a good choice. These foods contain ingredients that are known to be easy for dogs to digest. The fibre content is often adjusted and may be lower as well.
Examples of highly digestible foods include Vetality Gastrointestinal – Dog Food, Hill’s i/d Digestive Care – Prescription Diet – Canine and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Dog.
Hypoallergenic food
A highly digestible food may not provide enough improvement. In that case, there is a good chance that your dog has some form of food hypersensitivity, particularly a food intolerance. The best way to establish this is with an elimination diet. A hypoallergenic food is often the best choice for this.
This type of food is based on one protein source and one carbohydrate source that your dog has not eaten before. Protein options include venison, horse or rabbit. Carbohydrate sources may include potato or sweet potato. TROVET Hypoallergenic VPD (Venison) Dog is an example of this type of food.
Instead of using one unfamiliar protein source, you can also choose a food based on hydrolysed proteins. These proteins have been broken down into very small pieces so that the body no longer recognises them as the original protein. Examples include Royal Canin Anallergenic Dog and Hill’s z/d Food Sensitivities – Prescription Diet – Canine.
Supportive supplements for a dog with a sensitive stomach and intestines
Sometimes changing your dog’s food alone is not enough. In that case, supplements may help provide additional support. Supplements containing a combination of prebiotics and probiotics are often a good choice to support healthy intestinal function. Purina Pro Plan Fortiflora Dog is one example.
If you specifically want to support the stomach, a supplement such as Phytonics Gastri Comp or Puur Stomac Dogs/Cats can be a good choice.
Do the symptoms persist despite changing the food or using supplements? Or are the symptoms getting worse? Visit your veterinarian. It is always useful to keep a record of what you changed, when you made the change and which foods you have already tried. This gives your veterinarian an immediate overview.
Do you have any questions about a dog with a sensitive stomach and intestines? Please contact us at veterinarian@vetsend.co.uk.
