Top Tips for Caring for Dogs with Sensitive Stomachs
As a caring dog owner, your pet’s health and happiness are at the top of your list of priorities. Like most other dog owners across the country, you’ll probably do anything to keep your furry friend in good health.
If your dog has a sensitive stomach, maintaining its health can become difficult. You need to take extra steps to feed them the best foods and get the necessary supplements or medications to prevent digestive illnesses.
You can still follow the general guidelines that are recommended by animal trusts to keep your dog healthy. However, you may need to take a few extra precautions if your dog’s digestive system is more sensitive than usual.
It’s important to get professional guidance from your vet if your dog’s sensitivities are due to any underlying medical conditions. Your vet will be able to recommend specific sensitive stomach dog food brands or advise you on which supplements they should take. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to caring for dogs with sensitive stomachs, so it’s important to take the right steps for your dog specifically.
In this article, we’re going to cover some of the main reasons why dogs can get sensitive stomachs and how you can care for your furry friend if their digestive system is extra sensitive.
What Causes Dogs to Have Sensitive Stomachs?
Your dog’s digestive health can be influenced by a range of different things, including dietary, genetic, and environmental factors. The most common cause of digestive disturbances include:
- Diet
- Allergies and intolerances to certain food ingredients
- The presence of underlying health conditions
- Bacterial, intestinal, or parasitic infections
- Stomach ulcers
- Tumours
Because there is such a wide range of things that can affect your dog’s digestive health, it can be tough to determine what the issue is in your pet. Taking your dog to the veterinary clinic is the best option in this case.
The vet will most likely check to see if your dog’s digestive issues are stemming from either primary or secondary diseases. Primary gastrointestinal conditions are those that directly affect the digestive tract, such as food sensitivities, IBS, IBD, stomach ulcers, and infections.
Secondary GI disorders are those that aren’t specific to the digestive tract. They include things like hormonal (endocrine) conditions, metabolic disorders, and pancreatitis.
Identifying the root cause of your dog’s stomach sensitivities will make it easier to manage the problem. Even if you can’t fully resolve or cure the problem, you can reduce your pet’s discomfort and make them feel more comfortable.
How to Take Care of Your Dog if They Have a Sensitive Stomach
Follow these top tips to effectively manage your dog’s sensitive stomach.
Maintain a Consistent Diet
Consistency is key when your dog has a sensitive stomach. Your dog’s digestive system will get used to certain foods and ingredients, and they could respond negatively to significant dietary changes.
Alongside feeding your dog a diet that contains similar foods, you should also be consistent with meal times. Feed your pet regularly throughout the day and aim to feed them at the same times each day.
This will help your dog’s digestive system to acclimate to the frequency of meal times and become more efficient at breaking down ingested foods properly. Space the meals out evenly during the day if possible so your dog has time to fully metabolise and absorb the nutrients from each meal.
Don’t Overdo it With the Treats
No matter how much your dog is begging you for the leftovers from dinner or for one of their favorite biscuits, you need to stay strong and resist the puppy dog eyes! Treats tend to be rich and full of extra ingredients that can irritate your dog’s stomach if it’s already sensitive.
The same applies to your leftovers from lunch and dinner. Foods that are loved by humans aren’t always suitable for dogs, and they can exacerbate pre-existing digestive issues. Creamy or spicy foods can be particularly detrimental to your dog’s digestive health when their GI tract is sensitive.
Use Supplements Effectively
Certain nutritional supplements can be helpful to relieve digestive discomfort in dogs. However, others can have the opposite effects and may cause their sensitivities to worsen.
Speak to the vet and see which nutrient supplements they recommend for your dog. They might also recommend probiotics or digestive enzymes to aid your dog’s digestion and minimize the severity of their symptoms and improve their gut microbiome.
Certain nutrients can aid the breakdown and absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, reducing the risk of digestive discomfort.
Some nutrients can also reduce symptoms of underlying conditions that impact the GI tract. For example, omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation throughout the entire body, reducing joint problems, improving skin health, and aiding digestion.
If your dog’s digestive issues result from sensitivities or intolerances to specific nutrients, you’ll need to be careful not to give them supplements that contain these ingredients.
Keep Your Home Tidy
You might be wondering how tidying your home can make a difference to your dog’s digestive health but bear with us!
Consider the small items that you usually leave on your kitchen counter or your bedside cabinet. Your dog could easily swallow or chew a number of things that they’re not supposed to and this can lead to stomach irritation or more serious issues.
Keeping your home clutter free and tidying away all of the swallowable items from the floor or counters will keep your pup safe. Of course, keeping your place tidy is a great way to make your home more inviting too.
If you use cleaning chemicals and detergents, keep the lids tightly on the bottles when you’re not using them. Otherwise, your dog might see them as treats or drinks, and this can be detrimental to their health and safety. You should also make sure all of your rubbish and recycling bins are covered with lids to prevent your dog from grabbing anything inside.
