Dog food for sensitive stomachs

[Carrie E]

My 5 month old pup has been put on Hill's perscription diet w/d dry dog food. We came to this after constant diareha and horrible gas- and after trying 3 other foods. It works great- her stools are solid- way easier to clean up out of the yard!!!!!- and gas be gone!!!!! So- great stuff. However.... here's the problem. The cost. It is very expensive and I can only get it from my vet. Does anyone know of an "over the counter:)" food that compares. It is a very bland food. Hope someone has an answer!!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I know I am getting in the discussion a little late, but 2 years ago I had a big scare with my chihuahua. He ate some bad chicken treats (yes, china recalls) and stopped eating for about 1 month. After thousands in vet bills and nursing him back to health, they put him on that Hills WD food also. He hated it, it was a pain to get at the vets office and it was expensive! I switched to Taste of the Wild and he has NO problems on it. Good luck trying that - I see some others have success also. Our mini doodle eats that also.

[Marion Carmickle]

Riley has been through several dog foods and does have a sensitive stomach. I now have her on Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (they have both adult and puppy as well as senior) and,so far, she is doing great on it. I believe that it is a decent food and it is reasonably priced (take a look at the ingredients...I think you will find them to be pretty good and there is no corn meal...first ingredient is chicken, then chicken meal, ocean fish meal, pearled barly, no by products). I think that Dog Food Analysis rates it as a 4 star food. I realize that there are foods that are rated higher, but Riley couldn't tolerate them...she had loose stools even after gradual introduction and even vomited. Her coat looks great and she is eating her food on a regular basis, which she wasn't doing prior. One other option...some of the major dog food companies have sensitive dog food blends which have much better ingredients than their other "regular" brands. Look at the ingredients...you might be surprised and find that you can find a less expensive food that is still decent nutrition and safe for your dog. JMHO--Marion

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would certainly try the CS, but nix on the major brands like Purina, Nutro & other "sensitive stomach" foods. They contain ethoxyquin, menadione, and other things that can systematically poison your dog.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Or try TOTW - I am a huge fan of this. Taquito has the most sensitive stomach - loves both the Salmon and Bison/Venison one. Plus when I brought my mini Peri home a few weeks ago, her stools were loose and I was worried. TOTW cured that within one week.

[Carrie E]

Ok everyone- we are now at 3/4 TOTW and only 1/4 of the diet food the vet had her on. The great thing is that she loves it and her stools are not runny at all!!! However, she has a lot of stools through out the day- more than what I believe is probably normal. Plus, her stools are unbearable w/ smell- and some of her gas problems are back! Any advice??? I plan on staying on the food- however we might all sufficate from the smell:)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Carrie, I think that once she is on the TOTW 100%, her stools will be less frequent, and the gas issue will end. When I switched Jack over to grain free, it took a few days for his digestive system to regulate itself, and even now, when he gets a bowl of Fromm's here or there, his stool & gas issues appear again for a day or so. Wait util she has been on 100% TOTW for about a week, and then re-evaluate.

[Carrie E]

Thank you- I will let you know.........

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I would bet her stools will be much better soon. It took Peri a solid week (maybe a bit longer) to get used to it and be on it 100%. Plus she is older now and her poo is just harder anyway. She turned 16 weeks yesterday and she probably goes #2 about 3 times per day. This is down from going EVERY TIME I took her outside when we first brought her home (maybe 8 times per day). I do think this had to do more with the food switch than her age.
Good luck.

[Carrie E]

wow- that would be great to only have 3 times a day to clean up poo!!! Malley just turned 7 months old- can't wait to see those results if she does well!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We have switched to Evo and so far 2 of my three have nice firm stools BUT they go all of the time. Ned goes only once a day, maybe twice, maybe not at all like always. We have been on Evo for about 3 weeks and will give it a little more time before going back to Kirkland's.