My dog has an acidic stomach. What food and probiotics help?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. I would recommend trying Purina Proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Royal Canin Medium Digestive Care or Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The Science diet sensitive skin and stomach is quite good. I really like all the Nylabone products. I find that dogs really like them and they are fairly inexpensive. They also seem to help with cleaning the teeth a bit. Have a good day!

I recommend to ask your veterinarian this question. A true food allergy generally requires a special diet (this is generally a prescription food and I always recommend one with a hydrolyzed protein). Dietary intolerance may just need a diet that is formulated for sensitive stomachs. I recommend the Royal Canin or Purina ProPlan. Your vet will be able to guide you as to which type of food to try. I hope this helps.

I think probiotics can be helpful for dogs with sensitive stomachs, especially those that have diarrhea. Most probiotics have other ingredients in them to make them more palatable and if you feel Brutus gets stomach upset you should stop them. I don’t think digestive enzymes are particular helpful unless a dog has a diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Man, that's a loaded question! In general, choose a good-quality commercial dog food, which will provide all necessary protein, fiber, minerals, and nutrients that a dog needs. There are different formulations that are appropriate for dogs with specific issues, but at 4 months of age, I would not expect Mia to have a sensitive stomach or food allergies - discuss this with your vet, though. Adding in a pet probiotic & prebiotic is an excellent idea for intestinal health in all dogs (just like in all humans!) but it has to be given every day to have any positive effect. Probiotics designed for dogs tend to work better than human probiotics. Keeping Mia on good food and flea and tick and heartworm preventatives and vaccinating her according to your vet's recommendation is the best way to keep her immune system at its peak performance.

I was stay away from grain free until they figure out the links between it and heart disease in dogs. If Kona has a sensitive stomach I highly suggest Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach. I have had tons of success with this food. Remember, more expensive food does not make it better. Feed according to the directions on the bag based on the dog's ideal weight. ( https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/focus-adult-sensitive-skin-stomach-salmon-rice-formula )

Yes, trying a sensitive stomach dog food may help. Science Diet and Purina ProPlan both make good formuals. Starting her on a probiotic 1 week of every month may also help. Please feel free to post any additional questions.