5 Tips to feeding a dog with a sensitive stomach

A sensitive stomach is actually pretty common in many dogs, and there some breeds, such as the Yorkshire terrier, that is more prone to this condition compared to others. When you see your dog showing symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea or vomiting, it’s time to take them to the vet. The vet may find some other reasons why your dog might be exhibiting such symptoms, such as an illness or the like, or it could simply be a poor diet.

If you find yourself with a dog with a sensitive stomach, check out the tips below so you will know what to feed them.

1.    Stop feeding them table scraps – first of all, if you are giving your dog table scraps, it’s time to stop. The food that we consume may have ingredients that are harmful to them and might cause them to have an upset stomach. You should also research on the type of food that is harmful to dogs so that you can know what to avoid. Make sure that your food bins and trash cans are tightly sealed and that your dog has no access to places where they may be getting food that may have harmful ingredients.

2.    Be willing to spend more money on dog food – there’s no doubt about it, you get what you pay for. That is true in both the food that we eat and the food that you give to your dog. While there will be dog food brands that are considerably cheaper than others, you need to check the ingredients it contains as they sources may be questionable, especially if the dog food has been manufactured outside of the country. There are some reports that the meat in cheap dog food brands may contain waste from slaughterhouses and some may even contain toxic chemicals.  Be prepared to pay more for quality dog food, but at least you are assured that your pet will be getting the best ingredients.

3.    Check if your dog might have additional allergies – if you’ve already made changes in your dog’s diet, but they still seem to show the same symptoms, get further testing as your dog may have additional allergies, hence the sensitive stomach. Some dogs suffer from protein allergies where the protein they ingest cannot be broken down effectively hence their sensitive stomachs.

4.    Look for food that has a good fat balance – study up on the types of nutrients, vitamins and minerals a dogs diet should have and read the ingredients on the brands you are choosing. You want to make sure that the fat content of the dog food is not that high and that it comes from good sources such as pork.

5.    Choose dog food that has been sourced from good protein – protein is such an essential part of a dog’s diet so you need to check the label to know what protein source they have. They need to be specified and not just say protein. You can read up more here to know what’s sensitive stomach dog food options you can purchase for your dog.