Naturally, when a dog suddenly starts having an upset stomach or diarrhea, pet parents get worried and want to find a way to make their dog feel better as soon as possible. Figuring out how to help your dog with an upset stomach can be challenging, especially when the problem appears out of nowhere. In these situations, putting your dog on a bland diet can be a good way to calm their digestive system.
A bland diet is typically recommended to help a dog recover after digestive issues — like vomiting, an upset stomach, or diarrhea. It involves temporarily switching your dog’s usual food for simpler, gentler options. This will be the best way to give your dog’s digestive system a break while your fur baby is feeling unwell.
In this article, we’ll be discussing the benefits of feeding your dog a bland diet when they have an upset stomach. We’ll also be reviewing the best bland diet dog foods for dogs with upset stomachs. All of your questions about bland diets for dogs will be answered below, so don’t go anywhere.
The Benefits of a Bland Diet if Your Dog Has an Upset Stomach
Whether your dog is dealing with skin problems, vomiting, diarrhea, or even pancreatitis, they might benefit from a bland diet or limited-ingredient diet that allows them to heal and thrive. Let’s take a look at some common dog health issues that a bland diet can help with:
Upset Stomach
If your dog’s upset stomach leads to them vomiting or having diarrhea, a bland diet can help settle their tummy. Rich or heavy foods (e.g. commercial dog food) can irritate their stomach more. This will make the inflammation worse and could even slow down your dog’s recovery.
Colitis
Unfortunately, some dogs are prone to colitis. With colitis, a dog’s sensitive stomach might react badly during times of stress or after they eat something they shouldn’t have (which most dogs, being curious creatures, do far too often). A bland or limited-ingredient diet can help calm things down, though, even if your dog suffers from colitis.
Adding fiber to your dog’s bland diet could also be a great way to firm up their stools and reduce painful cramping if your dog happens to have colitis. Canned pumpkin, in particular, is a great fiber source, and some brands have special recipes that include it.
Pancreatitis
Just like humans, dogs can suffer from health conditions like pancreatitis. Dogs with pancreatitis often suffer from stomach issues when they eat fatty or rich foods, so it’s best to avoid these types of foods while your dog recovers. Feeding your dog a bland diet will give their digestive system a much-needed break from processing fats.
Allergies
Food allergies can cause lots of issues — not just digestive issues like vomiting and diarrhea, but also skin rashes, itching, and swelling. If your dog has food allergies, a bland diet with limited ingredients — especially one with a single protein source —can help avoid triggering these reactions.
The Best Bland Diet Dog Foods for an Upset Stomach
If your dog needs to go on a bland diet for their upset stomach, there are plenty of options available. You could always cook chicken and rice at home, but homemade dog foods might not have all the nutrients your dog needs. Here are some of the best bland diet dog food options from Under the Weather:
Chicken & Rice Bland Diet for Dogs
This formula from Under the Weather is made with cage-free chicken and white rice. It’s specifically designed to soothe your dog’s stomach until their digestion improves (or until your vet says it’s okay to feed them regular food). It has a 3-year shelf life, which means you’ll always be ready in case your dog suddenly starts having digestive problems.
This bland diet dog food is made with simple, natural ingredients, so you can feel good about what you’re feeding your dog. The freeze-dried formula is packed with electrolytes to keep your dog hydrated (this is especially important if your dog is having diarrhea), and it’s made with chicken that’s raised without antibiotics or hormones.
Ingredients:
- White Rice
- Freeze Dried Chicken Breast
- Glycine
- Sodium Chloride
- Potassium Chloride
Chicken, Rice, & Pumpkin Bland Diet for Dogs
This bland diet recipe is special because it includes chicken, rice, and pumpkin. It has the same excellent benefits as the chicken and rice formula, but organic pumpkin powder has been added for extra digestive support. Most dogs enjoy the taste of pumpkin, so this could be a way to make their bland diet more flavorful and enjoyable.
We mentioned that canned pumpkin can be used in bland diet dog foods and that it’s quite beneficial, but pumpkin powder has the same benefits. You can always add a little bone broth to this dog food, too — which might make it a bit easier for your dog to eat if they have stomach or tooth pain.
Ingredients:
- White Rice
- Freeze Dried Chicken Breast
- Pumpkin Powder
- Glycine
- Sodium Chloride
- Potassium Chloride
Chicken, Rice, & Bone Broth Bland Diet for Dogs
This delicious and nutritious blend of chicken, rice, and bone broth is specially made to soothe your dog’s stomach while they recover from digestive issues like colitis and pancreatitis. Along with the benefits of the other formulas mentioned, bone broth has been added to improve your dog’s immunity.
The bone broth also makes this bland diet dog food super easy to digest, which is great news if your dog usually has trouble keeping their food down. It’s basically like chicken soup for dogs. Chicken soup always makes you feel better when you’re sick, right? Your fur baby will feel better after eating it, too!
Ingredients:
- White Rice
- Freeze Dried Chicken Breast
- Chicken Bone Broth
- Glycine
- Sodium Chloride
- Potassium Chloride
Ingredients in Bland Diet Dog Foods
A bland diet usually consists of mild, easy-to-digest foods that are gentle on a dog’s digestive system. The most common ingredients in bland diet dog foods include boiled, lean meats — like skinless chicken breast, ground beef, or turkey. Usually, this meat is paired with a starch (such as white rice or sweet potato).
To prepare a bland diet for your dog, you should buy your dog’s favorite lean meat, and cook it until it’s boiled. After the meat is cooked, drain it and mix it with cooked white rice. Don’t add any oils or seasonings — this won’t help your dog’s upset stomach. Let the food cool to room temperature before feeding it to your dog.
Of course, you can also just feed your dog a bland diet dog food from Under the Weather. We’d recommend this since homemade bland diets often don’t have enough nutrients in them. Your dog needs certain nutrients in order to fully recover, and you might as well give them the most nutritious bland diet option available.
How to Feed Your Dog a Bland Diet
Feeding your dog a bland diet can be a bit tricky, especially if your dog is reluctant to eat. You should follow your vet’s advice on how and when to feed your dog a bland diet. Most vets recommend waiting 12-24 hours after your dog’s digestive issues start before feeding them — though puppies under six months should only fast under a vet’s supervision.
Fasting will give your dog’s intestines a break, so it is sometimes necessary (especially in extreme cases of stomach upset). During this time, you can offer small amounts of water or ice chips to your dog. If your vet recommends giving your dog anti-nausea medicine, you might want to do that, too.
Once your dog can keep fresh water down, slowly introduce small amounts of bland food to them. Depending on your dog’s size, start with 1-2 tablespoons every two to three hours. If they handle it well, you can gradually increase the portion size and spread out the feedings. For example, you can offer them ¼ to ½ cup of bland food every four hours.
Conclusion
As a pet parent, there’s nothing worse than when your furry companion isn’t feeling well. Thankfully, when your dog has an upset stomach, feeding them bland meals can make all the difference. It can be challenging, though, to pick out the right bland dog food for your fur baby — which is why we’ve put together this guide for you.
At Under the Weather, our main goal is to help you choose the right pet food and supplements for your pets. This process doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, when you explore our wide selection of products for dogs and cats, you’ll see that everything about our supplements and pet foods is pretty straightforward.
Whether your dog has an upset stomach right now or you simply want to be prepared for the future, you can’t go wrong with feeding your pup a bland diet dog food from Under the Weather. We only use high-quality ingredients that are good for your dog’s digestive health. Check out our blog to learn more!
