Is my dog's sensitive stomach food a real fix or just masking?

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'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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Many spaniels have sensitive stomachs as well as skin in my experience. If Chloe is doing well on the food, with no diarrhea or upset stomach, I personally do not have a problem with it. I like a food that is within the ratios of protein to fat as you have said-with the caveat of patients that deal with things like irritable bowel or chronic pancreatitis, in which I make the fat as low as possible while still being a healthy food source for our canine companions. While you have said you aren't a fan of many commercial diets-there are types that cater specifically to sensitive stomach and food allergies from many of our large brands-and if you don't like these there are comparable brands as well that you can find at your local Petco. If Chloe is having active issues with this particular food, please let us know and we can suggest a comparable diet. I find that probiotics often work well for my sensitive GI patients as well. Fortiflora is commercially available and has a high palatability when tested. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Cloey! When it comes to dog food I'm in the camp that "if it's not broken , why fix it?" So for Cloey, if she as doing well, not vomiting, diarrhea, her weight is good and she liked the Pure Balance then I think it is fine for her. It is definitely likely that changing her food abruptly has caused the diarrhea, that is a a very common cause of an upset stomach. I would feed her a bland diet of boiled chicken and beef with rice until the stool is normal. Then I would put her back on her old dog food. I hope this helps and I wish Cloey the very best!

It depends on the cause of the diarrhea. He could have intestinal worms, a food intolerance, in issue called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) in which the pancreas doesn't make digestive enzymes. You'll need to start with a vet visit to rule out parasites and try to get his gut settled down. You could also run bloodwork to check for EPI, however we generally wait to see if other methods get the diarrhea under control first. Good luck! I know this is a frustrating issue

If Snowball is having normal bowel movements and is not vomiting on the Hill's diet then it is likely fine for her. However, Hill's Sensitive Stomach and Skin is not labeled for use in puppies. I'd suspect Snowball is no longer growing at a puppy rate by 10 months old, but it would still be wise to check in with your veterinarian regarding if she can be placed in this adult food at this time. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so glad to hear that Chelsea is doing better. Yes it is possible that this was the cure for her. Some Protein-loosing- enteropathies (PLE's) are related to severe inflammation related to diet allergy or sensitivity. Even if the diet does not stop it entirely, it sounds like it is at least a big part of the puzzle for Chelsea. My advice is, whatever you do, do NOT switch her diet or give her new treats - not even in 3 years after everything is settled down. Don't mess with what's working. Best of luck to you and Chelsea!