Like people, dogs also suffer from different ailments. Sensitive stomach is one such condition.
Some dogs have sensitive stomach for different reasons. It can be due to a food allergy or it can also be a symptom of an underlying serious health condition.
Whatever it may be if your pet has a sensitive stomach, you need to be careful about its diet and find the best dog food for sensitive stomach to keep your dog healthy.
If you think your pet has a sensitive stomach, make an appointment with a vet to get it checked out.
While getting your pet examined, you can also get a clear idea of what must and must not be included in your pet’s diet. There are many ingredients that some dogs are intolerant to.
While some dogs are sensitive to proteins like meat, chicken, pork, lamb, rabbit, eggs, wheat, soy or dairy products, some can get sensitive stomach because of insufficient nutrients in the food like fibre, minerals or vitamins.
If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you need to find a special diet for your dog. The market is full of options when you decide to buy diet food for sensitive stomach.
If you are confused and do not know what to pick for your pet, then our reviews will help you to make a clear choice. Some of the best dog foods for sensitive stomach and diarrhea available in the market are:
Top 10 Dog Foods for Sensitive Stomach and Diarrhea
1. Dry Dog Food for Sensitive Stomach & Skin by Hill’s Science Diet
This dry dog food for sensitive stomach from the Hill’s science has helped many dogs with sensitive stomach to digest the food easily.
This diet is made up of perfect blend of unique natural ingredients to manage the gastrointestinal problems of the pooches. The formula also helps the dogs with severe skin allergies.
2. All Life Stages Dog Dry Food by CANIDAE
This diet for sensitive stomach is made from lamb protein. Lamb being the principle ingredient of this dry food formula, other additions include grains like rice, millet and barley.
If you own different size or breed dogs, you don’t have to buy different meals as this formula is for the dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds. No wheat, soy or corn is added to this diet.
The formula comes with added probiotics to be gentle on the digestive system. The inclusion of the Cellulase enzyme makes the digestion easy for sensitive stomachs and gassy dog.
3. Dry Dog Food by AvoDerm Natural for Skin & Coat, Chicken & Rice Formula
Avocados are good for dogs who suffer from a sensitive stomach. This fruit is rich in Vitamin A, B6 and C along with being high in fibre content, folate niacin, potassium and other essential fatty acids that are really important for healthy skin and coat.
The chicken and rice formula dog food from AvoDerm is a perfect blend of oatmeal, rice, chicken and avocado. This diet tends to be gentle and safe on the digestive system of the dog and is helpful in alleviating sensitive stomach symptoms.
4. Limited Ingredient Grain Free Dry Dog Food Beef from Natural Balance
This limited ingredient dry dog diet from Natural Balance is grain free, filler free and also contains no soy, wheat, corn or chicken.
The vital element protein comes from beef which is cut from one animal and the carbohydrates are supplemented from chickpeas and peas. This dry dog food works great for adult dogs of all breeds.
5. Natural Adult Dry Dog Food Basics Limited Ingredient Diet from Blue Buffalo
This adult dog food for sensitive stomach had real salmon as its primary ingredient. Other essential ingredients include potatoes, pumpkin and peas that help in digestion of food easily.
Blue Buffalo’s this limited edition recipe is a perfect blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that keep your dog healthy.
6. Dry Dog Food Lamb & Oatmeal Simple Natural Limited Ingredient from Wellness
Made with fewer ingredients, this diet is easy to digest and is especially good for dogs with skin allergies.
This balanced diet has lamb as the source of protein and oatmeal, peas and potatoes as the source of carbohydrates.
This diet has the best proportions of essential fatty acids at 1: 1.75 and 20 million units of gut friendly bacteria per pound.
This diet completely nourishes the dog and keeps it fit, active and healthy.
7. Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Dog Food from Purina Pro Plan Focus
Prepared from real Salmon, this diet comes with added probiotic fibre and antioxidants to keep the dog healthy and happy.
Like any other product in our list this diet also contains a lower percentage of protein to keep the digestion easy and gentle.
8. Grain Free Dry Dog Food from Whole Earth Farms
This diet from Whole Earth Farms for allergies and sensitive stomach contains no poultry at all. This recipe is also grain free as grains can also cause allergies.
Hence this dry diet is made with its main ingredient as pork which is less allergenic than poultry.
9. Limited Ingredient Adult Diet Dry Dog Food From Nutro
This limited ingredient dry food from Nutro is grain free and contains lamb protein and sweet potato as the primary ingredients.
Lamb and sweet potato are easy to digest and are good for sensitive digestive system.
10. Wet Dog Food Chicken & Sweet Potato Limited Ingredient Diets from Natural Balance
This is a little expensive diet if you can afford it. This is an ideal wet food for dogs with sensitive stomach and diarrhea.
This formula has a unique blend of chicken meal, liver and healthy starch to give the required energy for the pooch.
See also: Best Dog Food for Seizures
What causes sensitive stomach in dogs?
Like humans, every dog is unique. Some dogs can digest anything on earth while some dogs can have difficulty in digesting some simple ingredients.
If your dog has got sensitive stomach, it will show the symptoms of diarrhea or stomach upset. When you see these symptoms, you should first see the pet food that you are feeding to your dog.
If you can understand what irritates your dog’s stomach, then you can make a huge difference in your pet’s life. Choosing the best dog food for sensitive stomach of your pet becomes easy.
Causes for the sensitive stomach in dog can vary from dog to dog. It need not be the store bought pet food that you are currently using; it can be your household habits.
If you have the habit of feeding your dog the leftovers or give him the sweet treats often or feed him whatever you are eating can very well upset the pet’s stomach.
If you are doing any of these then stop the habit for a while and see notice that the dog’s stomach may settle without any medical intervention.
However, if you are not doing any of these and still your dog is having a sensitive stomach then it is obvious that you need to consider other options.
Some dogs are allergic to certain food while some can have sensitive stomach because of aging and others can have some serious underlying issues like cancer.
But the most common reason can be a food allergy. Dogs can become allergic to food at any life stage. Some of the common foods that dogs can be allergic to include;
- Beef
- lamb
- Chicken
- Pork
- Fish
- Rabbit
- Dairy products
- Soya
- Eggs
- Wheat
Symptoms of sensitive stomach
Most common symptom of sensitive stomach is stomach upset. Other symptoms include;
- Vomiting
- Flatulence
- Skin rashes
- Itchy bottom
- Loose stools and
- Decreased appetite
You need to take you pet to the doctor immediately if it has other serious symptoms like fever, being lethargic, dehydrated and not being active.
How to treat sensitive stomach at home
Even though your dog has a sensitive stomach, he needs to be fed. So, you need to find the best diet that suits your pet’s needs.
If you see your dog having a food allergy start his treatment immediately at home by restricting his intake only to water for the first 12 hours.
Switching the food instantly can worsen the symptoms further. You can take 6 to 7 days of time to make the transition smooth.
Then introduce a bland diet like brown rice. Slowly start adding protein like chicken, lamb or beef – one ingredient at a time so that you get to know which food is causing the allergy.
You can determine the allergic food once his symptoms return after having certain food. If you prefer to feed your dog home food rather than store bought, then here are you options. Choose protein that is easily digestible like
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Lean ground beef
And for carbohydrates you can pick,
- Boiled potatoes
- Boiled brown rice
- Pumpkin puree
Importance of dog food for sensitive stomach
While determining the cause of allergy for your dog, you can start with giving home cooked food like cooked brown rice.
However, once you know which food is causing the allergy, you need to switch to diet that is specifically designed by experts for sensitive stomach.
You need to look for a diet that supplements your dog’s overall nutritional needs while not upsetting its stomach.
A well designed dog food for sensitive stomach will come with easily digestible ingredients that provide complete nutrition to your pet.
You Vet will be able to help you in picking up the right dog food for your pet.
Conclusion
As a pet parent, you can get overwhelmed with all the choices available for you in the market for your dog with sensitive stomach.
But with our careful testing we found out that All Life Stages Dog Dry food from Canidae is a good option. It works for dogs of all breeds, sizes and stages.
Another diet that comes close is the Dry dog food for sensitive stomach from the Hill’s science diet. This formula has a perfect blend of protein, carbs, minerals and vitamins to keep the dog in good health.
And of course if you can afford to spend some good money then the wet dog food chicken & sweet potato limited ingredient diets from Natural Balance.
