Dog has diarrhea after sudden food change or new brand. What to do?

It is common that dogs will develop diarrhea from a sudden food change, but it can be challenging to do a slow diet change when they stop eating their regular diet. If Chi won't eat a bland diet, adding cooked white rice or cooked white or sweet potato to a diet may be a good option for her. I think at this point, you could continue the previous food since she was eating it well or try to introduce a new limited ingredient diet if that was what your vet had recommended. Sometimes 95% meat diets are too rich for dogs alone, but Chi may tolerate it with white rice or potato. However, you may also need to talk to your veterinarian about medication for the diarrhea since she has IBD and those dogs will sometimes have a harder time getting their diarrhea to resolve with diet change alone. I have included a handout with more information on IBD below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Chi feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sadie. A new food can lead to diarrhea and loose stool. I can give you a home remedy for her to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, she refuses to eat the bland diet, she starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!

Poor Dutch. I have a home remedy that may help. Feed him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he refuses to eat the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

Poor Bronco. I can give you a home remedy for him to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.

Unfortunately, it is quite common for some dogs to experience GI upset ([vomiting](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/vomiting-1/) or [diarrhea](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/diarrhea-1/)) when switching food. As long as Bo is behaving normally otherwise, you may be able to [manage her at home](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-things-you-can-do-at-home-if-your-pet-has-diarrhea). I recommend withholding food for 12-24 hours. Resume feeding a bland diet (boiled boneless/skinless chicken breast mixed with plain cooked white rice) in small, frequent amounts. Begin with 1 tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount as long as she doesn't vomit. Feed the bland diet until the stool is consistently normal (usually several days), then transition slowly to the new diet over another 5-7 days. [Veterinary probiotics](https://www.petcoach.co/article/probiotics-and-prebiotics-bacteria-aren-t-all-bad) may be considered to promote gut health. If she continues to vomit and have diarrhea, or develops lethargy, loss of appetite, or abdominal pain in spite of a bland diet, she will need to see a vet as soon as possible.

It could be the brand of food or it could be the individual bag of food. Fast him for 24 hours then feed a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with 1 tablespoon every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until the stool is totally normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Transition over 7-10 days. Consider a veterinary probiotic to promote a healthy gut. Brands include Bene-Bac, ProViable, ProStora or FortiFlora.

Poor Parker. It may be this fry has upset his stomach. I can give you a home remedy for him to see if that helps. Withhold food for 8 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.