Why is my puppy's stomach upset after a quick new food transition?

Poor Meeka! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something she shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites, the raw diet or even organ disease. Since the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check her for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. Raw diets can contain bacteria that could be responsible for the diarrhea: https://www.petcoach.co/article/raw-and-homemade-diets-what-you-need-to-know/ Additionally, you need to ensure the diet is balanced and complete or you could run into problems long term. The diet should be AAFCO certified. Make sure to alert the veterinarian about the diet change. Any immunocompromised people in the clinic need to be cautious (just in case). I hope Meeka starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Switching foods too quickly can cause digestive upset such as vomiting and diarrhea. It would be best to return to Oli's original food until his stomach settles and then start a gradual change to the new food over a period of 7-9 days, slowly adding in more of the new food over time. This can help minimize stomach upset from the new food as he adjusts.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Usually we recommend a switch to a new food slowly to avoid the signs that you are seeing now (diarrhea, upset stomach, etc.). If you are already seeing these signs then there is no point on a slow switch. I would suggest switching over to the new food now. Be prepared for more diarrhea/upset stomach however, and if you can go buy some boneless skinless chicken breasts and rice, and boil BOTH of these, and feed this for a few days once you get it, it might help. Then mix in the new food slowly. In the mean-time though, just switch to the new food. Best of luck with Aspen!

Milk curd and other dairy products can worsen diarrhea. If you wish to give a bland meal for the diarrhea, boiled rice and chicken is easiest on the stomach and easy to digest. You will also want to return to Myra's old food until the diarrhea resolves, and then gradually change her to the new food over a period of 7-9 days to avoid GI upset.

If you intend to transition to a new food, do it this way: I would fast Lou for 24 hours and then put him on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to regular food slowly over a few days. This should work.

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.

You can consider stopping both foods and feeding boiled skinless chicken or hamburger with plain rice. The addition of a probiotic like Fortiflora would also help regulate any disruptions to the GI tract. After a few days, slowly resume whatever diet you intend on feeding regularly. If diarrhea persists in spite of this, the addition of an anti-diarrheal and/or anti-inflammatory drug may be required.