Bland diet for dummies

[Lindsey Holt]

Hi all,

Jake appears to have a gastritis and we got sub-q fluids and an injection of anti-nausea meds.  They recommended chicken and rice but I want to do chicken and potatoes for 3 to 5 says.

I believe it's twice the about of dry food they were eating, but is it an eqyeq mix of chicken and potato or more chicken or more potato?

Any other thoughts/advice?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You're correct, it's twice the amount of their kibble. Of course, when they have a digestive issue, they may not feel like eating as much, so a little less is fine. 

Use a 50-50 mixture of finely cut boiled white meat chicken and mashed or finely cut boiled or baked potatoes. I like using sweet potatoes for the extra vitamins and fiber; you can even combine sweet potatoes and white potatoes if you like. Or using plain white potaotes should also be fine. 

For bland diets, you can also use lean (85% or better) ground beef, with all the fat drained off, in place of the chicken. Ground turkey works too.

You always want at least half the mixture to be the protein food, i.e. the chicken, beef, or turkey.

[Lindsey Holt]

Thank you very much, I was hoping you would see my post.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I always see the posts here in the Food Group, lol. :)
I hope Jake feels better soon. 

[Lindsey Holt]

When I go to switch him back to his kibble (Canidae LID Skye formula), do I do it gradually or cold turkey...

What if he won't eat it, he really likes the homemade food?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, you've hit on the big problem with bland diets. :)
Switch back cold turkey. Mixing them only prolongs the misery, and he is going to try to pick out only the homemade food and leave the kibble. If you try doing it with homemade at one meal and kibble at the next, he's going to skip the kibble meal. Doing it cold turkey sends the message: "This is all there is. There is no more of that other stuff." He may refuse to eat for a meal or two, but he will get back on track pretty quickly when he figures out that the kibble is indeed all there is. :)