Is Hill's C/D safe for my young dog with a sensitive stomach?

Hi and thanks for posting! Very cute picture too! The first thing I would make sure you do is have his stool tested by your veterinarian to rule out a bacterial or parasitic infection that could be causing his stool be loose. If your veterinarian does not suspect a health issue as a cause, then you may want to try changing the food to a sensitive stomach formula such as Hill's Adult Sensitive Stomach food you can find over the counter at your local pet supplies store. Adding extra fiber to the diet can also help firm up the stool a bit. You can try adding 1/4 cup of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his food twice daily. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Wookiee but it sounds like things are much better. So I can assume that the crystals and stones were struvite because of the c/d food and I can assume you tried s/d first but maybe not. Struvite crystals and stones are most often tied to infection in the bladder and urinary system. You may be able to try another diet but only your vet should make that call for you. They are much more familiar with his particular case. If you monitored his urine with dip sticks (again consult your vet) you may be able to feed something else. Ask you vet. The kibble shouldn't hurt his teeth unless he develops severe periodontal disease which lots of small breeds develop due to their genetics. Sure you can wet the food plus that increases water consumption which is crucial in pets with a history of urinary problems. Yes, I would advise against the table scraps as these can definitely play a role and alter the pH of the urine (how acidic or alkaline). Good luck with Wookiee. Great questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, switching to a dry diet can help. If no improvement after switching to a dry diet, you could consider adding a probiotic to her diet to see if that helps as sometimes that regulates the gastrointestinal system as sometimes there is an imbalance of the good gut bacteria. If no improvement, have her re-evaluated by your veterinarian to look for other reasons such as food allergies or sensitivity or intestinal malabsorption. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, using the dry and canned Hill's Science diet for sensitive stomach and skin is fine. Some animals though do not tolerate canned food as well as they do dry. I wish you the best!

It is ok to stay on the Hill's diet long-term if that is all that Orcan needs to prevent diarrhea. If you want him on another diet, you can slowly mix the two over 3-4 weeks. The first week it would be 75% Hills and 25% RC. The next week 50/50, etc. If the diarrhea comes back you can try a different RC diet for sensitive stomachs, continue feeding just the Hill's, or discuss food allergies or other possible causes for diarrhea with your vet.

As you've experienced, diet changes can certainly cause some changes in stool volume, and for some dogs, can cause a bit of vomiting and diarrhea. When it comes to the countless brands of dog food on the market today, it's overwhelming to pick one for your pup. I recommend brands that have been formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, are manufactured in their own facility (less cross-contamination that facilities that manufacture numerous formulations), conduct AAFCO feeding trials, and meet WSAVA guidelines. When it comes down to it, the brands that meet those criteria include Hill's Science Diet, Purina, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, and Iams. As a result, I would recommend switching Lilly over to the Science Diet puppy food. Just remember that anytime you switch foods, be sure to do so by gradually mixing the old and new foods together over a 5-7 day period. I hope that everything goes well!

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.