My dog gets diarrhea from food. How do I fix his sensitive stomach?

Poor Dylan! If he has a sensitive stomach and gets diarrhea easily, he may benefit from a prescription GI diet that is bland and easy to digest, or a hypoallergenic limited ingredient diet such as Hills z/d or Purina HA - I would suggest talking to your vet about these options to see if he/she feels that they might be helpful. It's also possible that Dylan has some other underlying medical issue causing the recurring diarrhea, such as intestinal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, etc. I would recommend having a full check-up done by your vet if this hasn't been done in the past - he/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to check for these problems and get him started on appropriate treatment if needed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Giacomo. I'm sorry to hear you are having all of these problems with him. About 75% of the time ongoing diarrhea in puppies is related to intestinal parasites or diet. So have your veterinarian ensure he does not have any parasites including giardia. If he is negative and has been properly dewormed, I should start him on a prescription low fat diet that is highly digestible. I use Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets EN as it is safe for use in growing puppies. If this diet does not resolve the diarrhea, he may require a diet for a food allergy such as a hydrolyzed formula. I hope this information helps!

I'm sorry to hear that Hatty is having so much diarrhea. I would first make sure that she's had a fecal exam to look for parasites and that she is being dewormed regularly. You may also consider a blood panel to look for any underlying medical reasons that may be causing diarrhea, such as pancreatic disease. If the pancreas is not producing digestive enzymes like it should, then the food can't be properly broken down and nutrients can't be absorbed and this often results in diarrhea. Once medical causes are ruled out, then you can address the diet. Any time there is a diet change, you have to make sure to feed only that food for 6 to 8 weeks to see if she improves. During this time, she cannot have anything else by mouth, including treats, people food and even oral medications like Heartgard since it has real beef in it. Ideally, you would start with a prescription diet that it hydrolyzed or limited ingredient since there is no cross-contamination in these foods. Over the counter limited ingredient diets may still have trace amounts of other ingredients if they are processing other foods in the same facility. If it's a true food allergy, even trace amounts can cause problems. If you see improvement on a certain diet, then I recommend continuing with that diet and not changing anything as long as she's doing well.

I'm sorry to hear of your concerns with Snowball. Inflammatory bowel disease can be a frustrating problem to deal with. The only way to definitively diagnose it is via intestinal biopsies. Food trials with hypoallergenic diets can be helpful in cases of inflammatory bowel disease, but do not always solve the overall problem. Sometimes a course of steroids, supplementation a certain vitamins and even antibiotics are needed to get things back on track. Given that it sounds like Snowball has a sensitive stomach, I would not recommend feeding lettuce as it is difficult to digest. Oftentimes feeding a low-fat, easily digested diet can be helpful. If the diarrhea continues I would recommend having Snowball seen by your veterinarian. There are certain blood tests that can be beneficial to determine if any additional vitamins are needed and they can help you to develop a plan for further diagnostics or management of symptoms in a long term.

There are many things that can cause chronic diarrhea issues in dogs. The most common possibilities would include intestinal parasites, food allergies, or inflammatory bowel disease. If your dog is acting normal otherwise, you can try deworming her with a broad-spectrum dewormer such as Panacur. You could also try feeding a bland diet of plain boiled chicken and rice for a few days to see if this helps. If not, then I would recommend having her examined by a vet - he/she can do some fecal testing and blood work if needed to determine the problem.

Inflammatory bowel disease is not common in a puppy but it could be dietary intolerance from something in the diet. Other potential causes include Giardia, bacterial overgrowth, or pancreatic insufficiency. Your veterinarian likely has a ‘next step’ already planned. I recommend to discuss Mable!s diarrhea with your veterinarian. They may want to try an antibiotic and a probiotic along with a bland diet to see if that resolves the diarrhea. They may also recommend protozoa testing, a fecal culture and/or pancreatic enzyme testing. A diet trial with a hydrolyzed protein is another potential option. Since there are many causes of diarrhea, each one needs to be worked through. I hope this helps and best of luck.

Most pets do not handle milk well and it will cause diarrhea so I would recommend discontinuing giving milk and other human foods, especially if they are causing diarrhea. If you think Ginger may have some tummy upset, you can pick up all food and offer a bland meal of boiled rice and chicken, before returning her to her regular diet. Be sure she is being fed a puppy food that is balanced and nutritious to ensure she is doing well. Having her stool checked for parasites, or taking her in for a vet exam if the diarrhea continues is best, as parasites, illness and other causes can also cause prolonged diarrhea and require treatment to resolve.