Why does chicken upset my dog's stomach? Is he allergic? What to feed?

It is certainly possible that the food is the problem. I couldn't say what it is about that brand that is problematic, but some dogs simply do better with certain brands than others. If she has a chicken allergy, I would make sure that whatever brand of food you choose you check extremely carefully for ingredients, and may go as far as calling up the company. Sometimes they can sneak something like "poultry by product" in at the very end of the ingredient list and it is very easy to miss. There are also prescription diets available that are very low ingredient and generally safer for pets with dietary issues. Other issues that can cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs would include inflammatory or infectious diseases, immune-mediated diseases (such as IBD), certain cancers, liver disease, and a few other less common possibilities. If she hasn't already, it might be a good idea to obtain some blood work just to see if everything is checking out OK. Ultrasound and abdominal radiographs are also possibilities if you want to explore the problem in more detail.

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.

Hi there. For dogs with food allergies, I always recommend feeding a prescription hypoallergenic diet such as Hills z/d or Purina HA if possible. With over-the-counter diets, cross contamination with other ingredients is common - so any of these foods may contain small amounts of chicken, even if this isn't listed as an ingredient. So depending on how sensitive Walker is, he could potentially react to almost any OTC food. A prescription hypoallergenic diet eliminates this risk, so you can be sure that he won't have a reaction :)

No, do not give your dog milk. Dairy is never recommended to give to dogs because it causes GI upset. There are kibble diets that are formulated with proteins that aren't made from chicken, such as rabbit, lamb, duck, and beef. Eukcanuba has a lamb and rice kibble, that may be a good option for your dog. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear that Cherry was having stomach problems. In most cases, a multi vitamin is not needed if a dog is eating a commercial dog food as these diets are formulated to include all necessary nutrients. I would recommend talking to your vet about the best food for Cherry if she has a history of GI upset. Chicken alone will not be a balanced diet and so she will need to have other ingredients added to her diet or will need to go back to a commercial diet once her stomach is settled. If you are interested in making homemade diets I would consult your vet and recommend this website to help formulate a diet, the site also includes information on vitamine supplementation if needed: https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php

Thats hard to say. Pets can have upset stomachs for many reasons. This can range from bacterial over growth, to parasites, to inflammatory bowel disease to kidney disease to even cancer. Without a physical exam and likely some basic diagnostics, its impossible to know the cause. Home made diets are not good long term unless they are formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. Otherwise the diets are often unbalanced which can result in problems if they are fed long term. At home you can try feeding her a bland diet of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% plain boiled what rice. Feed this for 1 week. Giving her probiotics during this time may also help. If she is not back to normal after 1 week, if she gets worse or if it returns, she needs to see her veterinarian. This diet is not balanced but it is fine to feed for this length of time. Gradually transition her back to her normal diet over 3-5 days. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I love Natural Balance and am really surprised that it caused an upset tummy. As far as flavor goes, most of my patients like the venison and sweet potato the best. If she has skin allergies you want to stay away from the chicken and beef as most dogs are allergic to these. You could try Fromm's which is a little more expensive but a good food. Another option is to do a hypoallergenic diet that is prescribed by your vet. Always slowly mix the old food with the new food to help transition. I hope this helps!