As disgusting as this topic might be, every pet parent has probably gone through some nasty dog diarrhea episodes. And since all of us are extremely responsible parents who want nothing but the best for our pups, we are brave enough to look up “what to feed your dog when they have diarrhea?”.
Because let’s be honest, whenever you look up something related to diarrhea, you are meant to see at least one disgusting picture you didn’t want to see. That’s just the way it is.
But that doesn’t matter at all when our pups are having a stomach ache and we want to find out what’s best for them and their tummy.
Today, we’ll share with you the answer to one of the most common questions pet parents ask themselves when their pooch is suffering from a stomach ache: “what can I feed my dog when he has diarrhea?”.
What is more, we’ll answer this question without showing you any nasty pictures you don’t want to see, you have enough with seeing it live.
Human foods for dogs with diarrhea
Every parent has its own secret recipe, but every kid has experienced the special having-a-stomach-ache meal. Some are given plain white rice with lots of cheese, others a glass of Sprite after being stirred with a spoon, some just eat a peeled apple and others drink some Gatorade.
Whatever you replace it with, you know that when you have diarrhea, you can’t eat the same food you eat everyday. Well, the same happens with dogs.
Many vets recommend that if a dog has one or two episodes of diarrhea in a day, they shouldn’t eat what they always eat on their next meal. They need to eat bland and easy to digest food that will be kind to their GI tract.
You might be surprised to read this but what they need to eat is human food. That’s right, when dogs suffer from diarrhea they need to be fed a small portion of some specific human foods.
You can’t just share your dinner with them, oh no. You have to feed your dog some of the foods listed below. These are easy to digest food that will help soothe your dog’s GI tract.
1. White rice
Just like humans, dogs can eat white rice when they suffer from diarrhea. But, its preparation is slightly different. The first steps are quite similar: adding one cup of white rice to a pot with boiling water. Here is where the path diverge: you must never add salt when preparing rice for your dog. They don’t need it and it can only cause them harm. We promise you your pup is going to love the taste of rice as it comes, and, even better, it will be good for their tummy.
Once the rice is soft and ready and you’ve strained the water, you must let it sit for no less than 30 minutes. Hot rice is not safe for dogs, they can only eat it once it is at room temperature or colder.
2. Chicken
Chicken and rice is one of the greatest known combinations for a dog’s upset stomach. As there is a specific way to prepare rice for dogs, there is also one for chicken.
You must never feed your dog chicken that has any type of condiment or, for example, has been fried. This is not good for them on a regular basis, so you can imagine what it’ll do to them when they already have an upset stomach.
To feed chicken to your dog when they have diarrhea, you need to boil it, after making sure it is boneless skinless chicken. Once it is cooked, you can either cut it into small pieces or shred it.
Once again, don’t add any type of condiment to it, and make sure it has cooled down before serving it to your dog. What is more, you can serve it with rice too, they make a great combo for a pooch’s stomach ache.
3. Potato
Believe it or not, potatoes are also a great alternative for dogs when they have diarrhea. Nevertheless, dogs shouldn’t eat them on a daily basis since they are high in sugar, which can cause obesity and generate many diseases.
You guessed it: you mustn’t use any condiments when preparing potatoes for your dog. You just have to boil them, let them cool down and then serve them in whichever form you like best. You can let them get really soft while boiling and then create some smashed potatoes without any other ingredients, or cut them into small pieces.
4. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are another great human food you can feed your dog when they have diarrhea. Opposite to regular potatoes, they are not as bad for dogs to eat regularly. They have many benefits for dogs, such as being a source of fiber, low in fat and high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron.
There are many creative ways in which you can prepare sweet potatoes for dogs, but when your dog has diarrhea, you should serve them without any other ingredients. You just boil them, strain the water, let them cool and serve in a smashed or cut form.
The only ingredient you can add is one of Mokai Multivitamins, since they contain probiotics and fiber that can be beneficial for your dog’s stomach and GI.
5. Pumpkin
Pumpkin is another great option for an upset doggie stomach. They are great at reducing the amount of times your dog has an explosive diarrhea episode.
You can just prepare them in the same way you did with the potatoes, or buy some canned unsalted pumpkin that is as natural as possible and feed a small amount of it to your pooch.
