Feeding for a sensitive tummy

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Lila

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Brucie seems to have a very sensitive stomach. About 3 weeks ago he was very sick with severe diarrhoea and was taken into the vets for a day put on drips etc.
Since then we have taken him of his meat (never liked him on it) and put him on iams which he seemed to eat at first then started to get very picky.
I mix it with a little bit of sardines and he will then eat it all. Have tried mixing it with other things chicken etc but he just picks out the chicken and leaves the rest!!
He now has bad diarrhoea again and we are back to the vets in the morning :(

What would you guys recommend for fussy dog's with sensitive tummys?
I have tried quite a few different ones which he just wont eat. He went for 2 days without eating (i know not good) as didnt like what i gave him (royal canine) and the others iv tried have been close to the same. Seem's he would rather starve than eat it
 
Have you tried James Wellbeloved?
Fantastic food, very small kibble pieces so ideal for fussy eaters and use no wheat, only one specific type of meat (whichever flavour you choose) and hypoallergenic - a little pricey at £7 for a 2kg bag but well worth it for what I've heard from the reviews.
There's also Arden Grange Salmon and Potato you can get large breed and small breed, again I've heard this is very good.

Agreed about RC, we used to sell it and it did look and smell very boring for a long term diet :(
good luck!!

ETA, ask the vets to advise other foods - they may have a nutrition nurse you can have a quick chat with about what to try next?? Also no wheat, gluten etc in JWB
 
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Have you tried excluding grains? Try a food that doesn't contain wheat, corn or rice - I feed mostly BARF but also use Fish4Dogs, which is made of fish and potato, possibly the last remaining carb source that dogs aren't commonly allergic to.

Many, many dogs are intolerant/allergic to wheat and it's in nearly all commercial dog foods including Iams and Royal Canin. It manifested in mine as chronic diarrhoea; a vet-prescribed corn-based 'gentle gastroenteric' food left her so bad she couldn't actually control her bowels at one point. :o
 
Yes when he was sick a fw weeks back he couldnt control himself it was just pouring out of him he was so poorly :( Just hope he doesnt go worse over night like last time.

Will try that james wellbeloved(sp) as a few have said that and local feed place sells it too. Will also speak to vet about whats best
 
I would go grain free as well. TBH mine weren't great on James Wellbeloved or RC but maybe we're freaks :p . If he's that sensitive I'd seriously consider a meat/fish/homecooked diet.
My dog is on a very plain fish/rice kibble for most of the week with two or three days raw only.
 
Mine gets Naturediet, you can get a sensitive flavour, fish and potato which is grain free. My dog eats anything but I have been told it's good for dogs prone to upset stomach as well.
 
Sadly this type of reaction is getting more prevalent as we continue to feed dogs a high carbohydrate content in their cooked food. I do fear that in a few more generations stomach upsets and itching will reach epidemic proportions.

Modern wheat varieties have very high starch content but it is a cheap bulk, plus it helps in preserving dog food for a longer shelf life so that's why it is there. Meat protein is expensive and carbohydrates are much cheaper, plus you cook meat and take away the bone and for a dog it becomes less filling.

Feeding dogs cooked food and especially large amounts of carbs changes the Ph of the dogs digestive system and slows it down, this weakens a dogs natural defences against bad bacteria. Naturally dogs are scavengers and can eat rotten meat, because the high Ph kills bugs in the stomach and if any survive the speed of digestion expels them before they can multiply. But slow that system down and change the Ph and things can go wrong. Also the unnatural complex carbs like grains and starchy foods can irritate the gut.

Dogs don't actually need carbohydrate in their diet, it is not a food source they have evolved to use and yet in a lot of kibble it is a much as 70% carbs! Your vet will probably never recommend it but raw bone is a dogs natural fibre and with raw meat is the vast bulk of a dogs natural diet yet some foods contain as little as 13% meat.

Whatever food you are considering you need to read the labels carefully on the food you choose and go for the best quality you can afford but avoid all grains.

(If he were mine he'd be on raw.)
 
Hi Lila,

My bulldog will only eat James Wellbeloved as he is a very fussy eater.

He has his biscuits with a variation of salmon steaks, chicken, sardines and or fresh beef. He also loves pasta and vegetables ( finely chopped as they can't look like weeds, greens etc ). The other meal he enjoys is scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast.

Basically I blame the breeder. The above foods were on his list of menu when I brought him home as a pup. Obviously after this he wouldn't eat dog food. The vet said just let him starve he'll soon eat. Anyway he didn't eat for three days and I got panicked and just fed him what he enjoys.

Its all stuff easily picked up from the supermarkets and cooked as normal so i'm not bothered. He looks very well on it, he is a good weight and is healthy.

Good luck.
 
Why on earth would you blame the breeder?!
Dogs aren't used to eating constantly in the wild, it's just what we expect of them.

Your dog has a great diet LHS, I wouldn't complain if I could feed my dog half of that, any variation and KABLAM we're back to square one.
I don't blame his breeder, the rest of his litter are fine and would look well if you fed them cornflakes :o there are a couple of half siblings that have food absorbing problems but it can all be linked to the same dog and is being researched and targeted.
 
When one of my dogs had colitis the vet recommended I put him on Denes Sensitive Digestion. That was years ago and since then I've fed it to all mine and have never had a problem.
 
Back from the vet and another £80 lighter :( He's the fussyest dog i know drives me crazy. His favourite is sardines but i dont want to be feeding him them all the time. Will try some of the things you feed your dog LHS.
Getting these antibiotics down him for 10days is going to be hard work :(
 
Our sensitive JRTxFoxhound does very well on the JWB foods but cannot have the fish variety as it upsets her.
 
One of my five dogs has a VERY sensitive tum! Won't bore you with details, but as a nine month old pup she spent at night at the vet on drip. All the others are on raw plus small amounts of Chudley Sensitive but Ruby (dog in question) cannot tolerate this - she's been on Chappie. Recently had very bad bout of "tummy trouble" (too gross to describe!) and a visit to the vet was necessary. "Sample" was analysed which came back clear thus supporting my vet's view that she is just a dog with "dodgy guts". She's now being fed on NatureDiet plus boiled rice (or potato), live yoghurt and Yakult and (touch wood!) she's 95% improved, so my vote goes for NatureDiet!
 
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