Hi everyone. I have a 2 year old lab that's got a really sensitive stomach. He had giardia as a puppy and was really skinny. We eventually got him right and he was on enkanuba sensitive digestion for around a year . Then that didn't agree with him. We've tried him on everything and the only thing that he can eat is chappie (tinned). He is on 3 a day morning dinner and tea. The vet just tells us he's fine and to keep him on that. Just wondering if anyone had an similar experience or any tips how to fatten a dog with this problem up or any magic foods that would work. It seems to be anything kibble that gives him the runs. Other than that he's a really happy healthy dog. He came from a good line and gets loads of exercise. Yes you can see his ribs . He just doesn't seem to be putting any weight on... Thanks
Hi and welcome to the forum. Sorry I don't have any experience with sensitive tummies but would say if your vet is happy with your dog's weight and condition, try not too worry. I use Chappie when my girl has an upset tummy to mix with her kibble to get her back to normal meals. You could try adding some cooked, left over veggies to his meal for some variety - my girl loves green beans, peas, carrots. Hopefully other members will be around soon who have experience of dogs with sensitive tummies.
Hi. I've had a lot of experience with a sensitive tummy. My girl was quite poorly when she was younger. We tried several different kibble X and wet food, but didn't find anything that she was enthusiastic about or that didn't give her a poorly tummy. About a year ago (she's nearly 3 now), we tried her on a BARF diet (Natures Menu, frozen blocks) and her tummy is really good on this. I would love to feed raw, but can't stomach touching certain things. She also gets at least 1 or 2 raw slightly meaty bones a week. By cutting out most foods that aren't processed, we found it worked for us. Might be worth looking into?
Naya, I was just going to write about a raw diet ... Nature's Menu is one that I've had recommended to me, though I have just started using Honeys Real Pet Food, which comes frozen and prepared. I, too, want to do more DIY raw and don't mind touching raw things... just getting the balance right. But these prepared raw foods seem perfect for most dogs and their stomachs... whilst they wouldn't have it minced in 'the wild' (I know they're domesticated, but descended from wild), it's not cooked and doesn't contain anything that is likely to upset a dog's digestion. At least that's my understanding.
Thank you for all your reply s so quickly! I'm willing to try anything,ive never really thought to try raw food ! How much would you feed a large lab?
Off the top of my head, if you're trying to put weight on, rather than lose, it's something like 2-2.5% of their body weight. If I'm out here, I hope someone will let us know. I feed mine 1.5% of their body weight to continue with a weight-loss regime... but it's still alot more than the kibble I was feeding, which was virtually nothing (reduced to help weight loss), and they eat with relish. Good luck!
Hi Andy, he is a link for Nature's Menu if you're interested in going down that route. You can check of feeding requirements if you click on any of the products and then clink on the feeding tab. I did look at this when considering changing diet for Juno but simply don't have the freezer space available. https://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/natural-dog-food/shop-by-product/raw-complete-and-balanced-dog-food
Harley is 27kg and has one block of frozen (but defrosted) a day split over 2 meals. The recommended amount is a bit more, but I allow for treats. The days we do agility she only gets 1 meal (half a block) as she has lots of treats (steak, chicken, cheese etc) when training. Hope that helps a bit
While I was away on holiday, I fed mine a prepared BARF food a few times. They loved it, and it was really gentle on their tummies. It was a French one, Nova Canis, but I'm sure they're all much of a muchness. My Shadow gets skinny from time to time and it's hard to get weight on him. I try not to worry about it too much - it sorts itself in time as I add things like a little more salmon oil or an extra egg here and there to help it along. I find if I feed him too much, he gets a runny tummy. That said, I followed the guidelines on the BARF and it was far too much for them, but they didn't get runny, they just pooed a LOT. I think they had four or five poos each that day, rather than the one or two they normally have. So it may be that it would be easier to get weight on him with a BARF diet than with one that is kibble-based. You could also try green tripe. That's very gentle on tummies and good for weight gain.
