How to reintroduce dog food after a bland diet for stomach upset?

I would start by giving Kenzie 75% chicken and rice, and 25% new food. Feed that for a couple of days, then go to a 50/50 mixture. Again, feed that for a couple of days, and go to a 25/75 mixture. Feed for a couple of days, then go to 100% new food. I hope this helps.

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.

Rather than using a 50/50 mixture for a diet transition, I would instead ideally recommend starting 75/25 old/new food for 2 days, 50/50 for another 2-3 days, then 25/75 old/new food for another 2 days. Chloe is more likely to experience gastrointestinal upset without the more gradual transition. That said, it is possible that she could be perfectly fine with a more consistent 50/50 transition over 7 days. If she does not normally have a sensitive GI tract, you can try a 50/50 mix for 7 days, but if she does develop signs of a GI upset (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), a more gradual transition will be necessary. I hope this helps clear up any confusion!

Yes, you should have transitioned her slowly over a few days from the rice and chicken to the new food. So start all over again: Fast Meisha again for 12 hours, then feed bland food such as boiled rice with boiled boneless white chicken meat in small quantities over several feeds a day,. Do this for a day, then start replacing small quantities of rice with her Blackhawk food over the next two days until she is at the normal quantity of her regular food. If the diarrhea does not go away by the end of the third day, or your Meisha is lethargic and dehydrated,you will need to take her to a veterinarian for an exam.

I typically recommend by 1 part chicken to 3 parts white rice. Give your dog a couple tablespoons, every few hours to start, and work up to about 1/4 cup every 4-6 hours as she tolerates things better. When your dog is eating well, start adding her dry food. If her signs don't resolve than she should be examined by a vet. She could have an infection or a parasite and your vet can prescribe medications to help.

Here is a guide on feeding a bland diet. I would feed this until at least 3 days have passed beyond the resolution of the diarrhea and feed the diet twice daily. If there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Lucky so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

I recommend giving 3/4 of the old food and 1/4 of the new food for three days, then give 1/2 of the old food and 1/2 of the new food for three days, and then give 1/4 of the old food and 3/4 of the new food for three days. After this you should be able to fully transition onto the new food.