homemade dog food recipes for gastrointestinal problems

11 Tailor-Made Dog Food Recipes for Gastrointestinal Comfort

Welcome, pet parents! If your four-legged friend is dealing with stomach troubles, finding the right diet can feel like a puzzle. But dont worry, were here to guide you through creating homemade dog food that not only tickles their taste buds but also provides gentle care for their digestive system. Lets dive into some expertly crafted recipes and essential tips that can help soothe your pups tummy woes.

Key Takeaways for Quick Relief

• Low-Fat Ingredients: Opt for easily digestible, low-fat foods like cooked white rice and lean meats.
• Fiber-Rich Veggies: Include pumpkin and sweet potatoes to help regulate digestion.
• Avoid Irritants: Skip fatty, spicy, or overly processed foods that can exacerbate symptoms.
• Hydration is Key: Ensure your dog stays hydrated, especially when theyre experiencing digestive issues.

Why Homemade? A Vets Insight

Homemade dog food allows you to control the quality of ingredients and tailor the diet to your dogs specific needs, making it a superb choice for pups with sensitive stomachs. Heres what a veterinary nutritionist has to say:

Preparing your dogs meal at home can drastically reduce the occurrence of gastrointestinal disturbances by eliminating additives and potential allergens commonly found in commercial dog foods. Dr. Jane Tailwagger, DVM.

Easy-to-Digest Recipes for Comfort and Care

Here are some homemade recipes designed to be gentle on your dogs gastrointestinal tract. These meals are not only nutritious but also aim to mitigate digestive issues.

Recipe 1: Soothing Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 3 ounces boiled chicken breast (no skin)
• cup pureed pumpkin

Directions:

1. Cook the rice and chicken thoroughly.
2. Mix the rice, chicken, and pumpkin puree together.
3. Serve at room temperature to avoid shocking your dogs system.

Recipe 2: Tender Turkey and Potato Dinner

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled potatoes, mashed (no butter or salt)
• 3 ounces cooked ground turkey (lean)
• cup steamed carrots, mashed

Directions:

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots until soft, then mash them without additives.
2. Cook the turkey thoroughly, ensuring no pink remains.
3. Combine all ingredients and serve lukewarm.

Recipe 3: Digestive Gentle Fish Meal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked oatmeal
• 3 ounces steamed cod (no bones)
• cup cooked zucchini, mashed

Directions:

1. Cook oatmeal and let it cool slightly.
2. Steam the cod gently and flake it, ensuring no bones.
3. Mix oatmeal, cod, and zucchini together and serve warm.

Recipe 4: Healing Beef and Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled sweet potatoes, mashed
• 3 ounces lean ground beef, cooked thoroughly
• cup green beans, steamed and chopped

Directions:

1. Boil the sweet potatoes until tender, then mash them without adding butter or milk.
2. Brown the ground beef in a pan, ensuring all the pink is gone and its well-cooked.
3. Steam the green beans until soft, then chop them into small pieces suitable for your dog.
4. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Allow the food to cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe 5: Gentle Lamb and Rice Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 3 ounces lamb, cooked and chopped (trim off all fat)
• cup peas, cooked

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice according to package instructions.
2. Cook the lamb in a pan over medium heat until no longer pink, making sure to remove all fat.
3. Boil or steam the peas until soft.
4. Mix the rice, lamb, and peas together. Ensure the mixture is cool before serving to your dog.

Recipe 6: Easy Digestible Egg and Vegetable Scramble

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, scrambled
• cup diced cooked carrots
• cup cooked quinoa

Directions:

1. Scramble the eggs in a non-stick skillet without oil or butter.
2. Steam or boil the carrots until they are tender.
3. Cook the quinoa as directed on the package.
4. Combine the scrambled eggs, carrots, and quinoa in a bowl. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe 7: Sensitive Stomach Fish and Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked oats
• 3 ounces poached salmon (ensure all bones are removed)
• cup diced cucumbers (skin removed)

Directions:

1. Prepare oatmeal according to the package directions, ensuring it is plain with no added flavors or sugar.
2. Poach the salmon gently in water or steam it until it flakes easily. Be vigilant about removing all bones.
3. Dice the cucumber after peeling it to avoid any hard-to-digest skins.
4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing thoroughly. Cool the mixture to room temperature before feeding.

Recipe 8: Quinoa & Turkey Patty

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 3 ounces ground turkey, cooked until no pink remains
• cup pureed pumpkin
• A pinch of dried parsley (optional for flavor)

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
2. Cook the ground turkey thoroughly in a skillet, making sure its fully done.
3. Mix the cooked quinoa, ground turkey, and pureed pumpkin together.
4. Form small patties and sprinkle a little dried parsley for added flavor.
5. Serve the patties at room temperature to ensure theyre easy on your dogs stomach.

Recipe 9: Whitefish and Potato Flake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled potatoes, mashed smoothly
• 3 ounces whitefish (like cod or tilapia), cooked and flaked
• cup finely chopped cooked spinach

Directions:

1. Boil the potatoes until very soft, then mash them without any additives.
2. Cook the fish gently until it can be easily flaked with a fork, ensuring no bones are present.
3. Steam or boil the spinach and chop it finely.
4. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and allow to cool before serving.

Recipe 10: Chicken Digestive Broth

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (ensure its onion- and garlic-free)
• cup cooked carrot slices
• cup cooked barley

Directions:

1. Cook the chicken breast thoroughly and shred it into small, manageable pieces for your dog.
2. Prepare a low-sodium chicken broth, making sure it contains no harmful additives like onion or garlic.
3. Boil the carrots and barley separately until soft.
4. Combine the chicken, broth, carrots, and barley in a pot and simmer together for a few minutes.
5. Let the broth mixture cool to room temperature before serving; this can also be served slightly warm to help soothe the stomach.

Recipe 11: Sensitive Stomach Veggie and Beef Mix

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces lean beef, finely chopped and cooked
• 1 cup cooked rice
• cup pureed butternut squash
• cup finely chopped and steamed kale

Directions:

1. Cook the beef thoroughly in a non-stick skillet without oil.
2. Cook rice as per usual methods.
3. Steam the butternut squash and kale separately, then puree the squash and finely chop the kale.
4. Combine all ingredients ensuring everything is well mixed.
5. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature for serving.

Pro Tips for Serving and Storage

Serving Size: Consult with your vet to determine the appropriate portion size based on your dogs weight and activity level.

Storage: Store leftover food in the refrigerator for up to three days. Always discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes to prevent spoilage.

Closing Thoughts

Each dog is unique, and while these recipes are designed for gentleness, its crucial to monitor your dogs response and consult with your vet to ensure these meals are suitable for your pets specific health conditions.

Remember, transitioning to a new diet should be gradual to avoid further upsetting your pets stomach. Start by mixing small amounts of the new food with their current food, slowly increasing the proportion over several days.

Your dedication to your dogs diet is admirable, and with these gentle, homemade meals, youre on the path to soothing your furry friends gastrointestinal issues. Tail wags are on the horizon!

Insights from Dr. Barkley, Veterinary Nutrition Specialist

Q: Dr. Barkley, many pet owners are turning to homemade dog food, especially for dogs with gastrointestinal issues. What makes homemade food a potentially better option for these conditions?

Dr. Barkley: Absolutely, theres a growing interest in homemade diets, and for good reason. When you prepare your dogs meals at home, you have the ultimate control over what theyre ingesting. This means you can avoid common irritants found in some commercial foods, such as certain proteins, gluten, and artificial additives. For dogs with sensitive stomachs, this can mean fewer flare-ups as their diet can be fine-tuned to exclude any ingredient that doesnt agree with them.

Q: Regarding nutritional balance, what are the key components that should be included in a homemade diet to support a dog with gastrointestinal problems?

Dr. Barkley: Nutrition is crucial. For dogs with GI issues, the diet must be not only palatable but also highly digestible and low in fat. Protein sources should be lean, like cooked turkey or skinless chicken. Carbohydrates should be simple and cooked wellthink boiled rice or mashed potatoes. Including soluble fiber sources like pumpkin or carrots can help stabilize the gut motility. Importantly, every meal should be balanced with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. I usually recommend consulting with a vet to tailor supplements to the dogs specific needs.

Q: Could you elaborate on the common mistakes owners might make when switching to homemade dog food, particularly for sensitive stomachs?

Dr. Barkley: One of the biggest mistakes is making a sudden dietary change. This can upset a dogs digestive system even more. Transitioning should be gradual, mixing increasing amounts of the new food with the old across several days. Another error is not consulting a professional. Without proper guidance, its easy to prepare meals that are unbalanced, which over time can lead to nutritional deficiencies or excesses. Lastly, overlooking the importance of hydration is common. Dogs with digestive issues need plenty of water, as some may be prone to dehydration.

Q: With advancements in veterinary nutrition, how do you see the role of homemade diets evolving in the management of canine gastrointestinal health?

Dr. Barkley: The future looks promising. Were seeing more research into how different ingredients affect gut health and how we can utilize food as a form of therapy. For example, the role of prebiotics and probiotics in promoting beneficial gut bacteria is a hot topic. As we gain more insight, I believe homemade diets will become more sophisticated and personalized, possibly integrating specific nutrients that can enhance digestive health based on a dogs genetic makeup or microbiome profile.

Q: Finally, any parting advice for owners considering this route for their pets with gastrointestinal distress?

Dr. Barkley: Start with your veterinarian. Discuss your pets specific symptoms and get a thorough health evaluation. From there, consider working with a veterinary nutritionist who can help develop a personalized feeding plan. Patience is keymonitor your dogs response to the new diet closely and be ready to adjust as needed. And remember, while food is crucial, overall wellness, including stress management and regular exercise, also plays a significant role in your dogs digestive health.

HELP US PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE

5 Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs Recipes

Looking for the best homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs?

We know it can be challenging, especially since most commercial dog foods are likely to trigger health problems in these dogs and usually upset their stomachs.

As an alternative to store-bought dog food for sensitive stomachs, you can prepare your own homemade meals, either daily or once a week (and freeze or refrigerate them).

We've published many dog food recipes before, and while some of them may be a good option for your problematic pup, many won't.

I've searched a list and found the five best homemade dog food for sensitive stomach recipes that will likely work for most canines.

Some meals should be served in multiple, smaller portions, or they can upset your dogs stomach.

The daily serving size for dogs with sensitive stomachs should be 1 cup for every 25 pounds of weight per day, spread across multiple meals.

If none of these meet your pet's needs, I recommend you also check out Samantha's homemade dog food recipes for sensitive stomach, digestive disorders, and stomach upset.

She's published a few of those, but these five are my favorites:

The good thing about making DIY meals for your dog is that you can make adjustments.

If you see some ingredient that you know won't work for your pup, you can make a substitution here's Samantha's article on how to do this right.

And finally, remember that every dog is different, and these may not be well-balanced for your specific canine.

Discuss these recipes with a veterinarian before preparing them regularly.

ALSO READ:Vet's Guide on Buying and Using Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs

The 5 Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs Recipes

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: White Rice and Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups of white rice
• 1 pounds of chopped chicken meat
• 1 cups of vegetable mix
• 4 cups of water.

Preparation

First, heat a big skillet and add rice, meat, vegetables, and water to it. Cook it on medium heat until the mixture boils.

Then cover the skillet and let it simmer for about 15 minutes to cook all the ingredients properly, especially the white rice.

This is a straightforward recipe that suits dogs with sensitive tummies since both chicken and rice have a calming effect.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: Hamburger Meal

Ingredients

• 1 cup of hamburger meat
• 1 tbsp. of canola oil
• cup of cooked oatmeal
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 tbsp. of cottage cheese
• 3 tbsp. of beans
• 3 tbsp. of carrots

Preparation

First, fry the hamburger meat in a skillet in canola oil.

When the meat is fried, add finely chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Then add all the other ingredients to the mix and wait for it to cool down.

Oats are a great addition to this meal because they are nutritious.

And while dogs dont usually care for them, they will gobble this meal up because of the hamburger meat.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: Chicken with Rice and Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 1 cups of white rice
• cup of chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
• cup of plain yogurt
• cup of canned pumpkin
• cup of vegetable mix (optional)

Preparation

Cook white rice according to the instructions on the box.

Put the chicken breasts in a large pot, cover them with water, and boil over medium heat.

Shred the chicken into pieces and mix it well with the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

This is a simple recipe for bland food that is easy to digest.

Yogurt can soothe the inflamed stomach, while canned pumpkin can help make your dogs bowel movements regular and firm up his stool because it is rich in fiber.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons of cottage cheese
• pound of minced chicken meat
• cup of grated carrots
• 1 cup mashed potatoes

Preparation

Mix the chicken, mashed potatoes, and carrots in a pot and put them in the microwave. Heat it for about 4 minutes.

When the mixture cools off, add the cottage cheese and serve it to your pet.

Carrots are great for reducing stomach irritation, and they are also full of vitamins.

They can help your dog improve his digestion and relieve constipation or diarrhea.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: Dog Treats

Ingredients

• 1 cup of rice flour
• 1 cup of quick cook oats
• cup of no-salt chicken broth
• 4 tbsp. of olive oil
• 3 oz. of apple sauce
• cup of diced carrots
• cup of diced green beans,
• 1 tbsp. of baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with some olive oil. Mix all dry ingredients into one bowl and mix all wet ingredients in another.

Then, stir dry ingredients into wet ones. When you get a smooth mixture, shape your cookies and place them on the sheet.

Bake the cookies for 15 minutes and allow them to cool before serving.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: FAQs

Do bananas help a dogs upset stomach?

Because of their high fiber content, bananas can aid dogs withdigestive problems.

Add a small amount of mashed banana to Fido's usual meal to help his stomach calm if he frequently gets an upset stomach or just doesn't feel well.

If your furbaby has never eaten a banana before, start with a few little pieces and watch him closely throughout the next few hours.

Are eggs OK for dogs with sensitive stomach?

Eggs may be able to calm your dog's upset tummy.

Start with half of a scrambled egg to check if your furbaby like it and can easily digest it.

Small or medium dogs just require one egg, while giant dogs could get two boiled eggs.

Is pork good for dogs with sensitive stomach?

Dogs with sensitive stomachs may be able to eat pork, but it all depends on how lean the slices are.

But dogs can only eat cooked pork. Pork that is uncooked or otherwise undercooked is harmful to them.

It might have parasites in it that can give your dog diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and pain.

Homemade Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs: Before You Go

It's important to consult your vet before experimenting with any homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs.

This will enable you to identify the right cause and treatment for your woofer's situation.

Various conditions, including food intolerance, environmental triggers, drug side effects, or other diseases, can affect dogs' sensitive stomachs.

If you decide to make your senior dog's food at home, he or she may need additional supplemental dog nutrition.

Rice, boiled chicken, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables are basic, bland foodsyou can feed Fido.

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