Sensitive Dog Food – Which Food Suits a Sensitive Stomach

Soft stools, flatulence, eating grass in the morning or a dog that keeps scratching: at that point at the latest, many owners find themselves standing in front of the shelf marked “sensitive dog food”. But “sensitive” is not a protected term, and not every sensitive food suits every sensitive stomach. Here you will read what really matters in the composition, how to switch the food step by step and when the vet is needed.

How to tell that your dog has a sensitive stomach

A sensitive stomach rarely shows itself with one clear sign, but with many small ones:

• stools that are sometimes firm, sometimes soft, or stools with mucus
• frequent flatulence and audible gurgling in the tummy
• eating grass, lip-smacking or vomiting yellow foam, often in the morning on an empty stomach
• picky eating or a dog that suddenly leaves its food
• itching on the paws, ears or belly that keeps coming back

The causes are varied. Often they are quite practical things: switching food too quickly, too many different snacks, a very fatty food or leftovers from the table. Some dogs cannot tolerate a particular protein source. And sometimes worms, giardia, stress or an illness are behind it. The right food can support digestion, but it does not explain every problem.

When to go to the vet with diarrhoea

Soft stools once after a stolen sausage sandwich are not an emergency. You should go to the vet, however, if:

• the diarrhoea lasts longer than two days
• there is blood in the stools or the stools look black and tarry
• your dog vomits several times, especially together with diarrhoea
• your dog seems listless, does not eat, does not drink or has a hard, painful belly
• it is a puppy, an old dog or a very small dog. They dehydrate faster, so it is better to go earlier here.

Even if you suspect a food allergy, the vet is the right person to talk to. An allergy can only be reliably diagnosed with a supervised elimination diet, more on that below.

Sensitive dog food: what matters in the composition

Clearly named ingredients

Read the composition, not the front of the pack. “Lamb meat 38%” tells you exactly what is in it. “Meat and animal derivatives” with no further detail does not tell you which animal the protein comes from. For a sensitive dog you want to know what it is eating, so that you can change something specific if there are problems.

One main protein source: monoprotein and lamb

Monoprotein means the food contains only one animal protein source. That makes it easier to find out what your dog tolerates and what it does not. Lamb is popular in sensitive foods because many dogs have so far eaten little lamb. Important to know: lamb is not automatically hypoallergenic. A dog can react to any protein, including lamb. What counts is what it is already familiar with.

So look at the whole ingredients list. Many lamb foods, for example, contain poultry fat as a fat source. For most dogs that is not a problem. But if your vet suspects a poultry allergy, you should know about it.

Wheat-free is not grain-free

These two terms are constantly confused:

• Wheat-free only means: no wheat. Other grains such as rice, barley, oats or maize may still be included.
• Rice is a grain. A food containing rice is therefore never grain-free, even though rice is easily digestible for many dogs.
• Barley contains gluten. Wheat-free therefore does not automatically mean gluten-free.
• Grain-free means: no grain at all. The carbohydrates then come from potatoes or peas, for example.

Grain-free is not automatically better. Many dogs with a sensitive stomach tolerate rice extremely well. Grain-free is mainly worthwhile if your dog demonstrably cannot tolerate grain or your vet recommends it.

Fibre and prebiotics

In many sensitive recipes you will find ingredients such as beet pulp, linseed, chicory or inulin, FOS and MOS. These are fibres and prebiotics. They serve as food for the gut bacteria and contribute to regular digestion.

Skin and gut: why food also affects the coat

In some dogs a food intolerance does not show up in the stools at all, but on the skin: itching on the paws, ears and belly or ear problems that keep coming back. That is why many varieties have names like “Sensitive Skin and Stomach”. Whether the food really is the trigger can only be clarified with an elimination diet. During this, your dog usually gets only one food with one protein source and one carbohydrate source for six to eight weeks, with no snacks, chews or leftovers. It is laborious, but the only way to a clear answer, and it should be done under the guidance of your vet.

Regardless of that, skin and coat need omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from the food. How to care for the skin from the outside without irritating it further is explained in our guide to itching and dry skin.

Changing your dog's food – step by step

Many stomach problems after a change of food are not caused by the new food, but because the switch was too quick. For the Superior Care dry foods from Nature’s Protection, a changeover over seven days is recommended. For a dog with a sensitive stomach, feel free to take ten days:

1. Days 1 to 3: 25 per cent new food, 75 per cent old
2. Days 4 to 6: half new, half old food
3. Days 7 to 9: 75 per cent new food, 25 per cent old
4. From day 10: only the new food

This is how the changeover works:

• Weigh instead of guessing. The total amount stays the same, only the ratio changes. Kitchen scales are more accurate than any measuring cup.
• Look at the stools every day. If they get softer, go back one step and stay there for two or three days before you continue.
• No new snacks during this time. Otherwise you will not know what your dog cannot tolerate.
• Choose quiet weeks. Do not switch at the same time as a holiday, a house move or worming.
• Serve wet food at room temperature and always provide fresh water.

If your dog currently has acute diarrhoea, this is not the right moment for a changeover. The stomach has to settle first, if in doubt after consulting the vet.

What we recommend for a sensitive stomach

We are an authorised dealer of Nature’s Protection and have checked the compositions of the varieties below ourselves. The information comes from the manufacturer.

Dry food with lamb: Superior Care Sensitive Skin and Stomach

The dry food for adult dogs from twelve months is available for all breeds and as a separate recipe for small breeds. The first ingredient is lamb meat at 38 per cent, plus rice and barley. The food is wheat- and maize-free, but not grain-free. For digestion it contains beet pulp, linseed, chicory extract, MOS, brewer's yeast and yucca extract, as well as one per cent coconut oil and one per cent clinoptilolite, a natural mineral that Nature’s Protection calls MicroZeoGen. The variant for all breeds has 25 per cent crude protein and 14 per cent crude fat, the one for small breeds 28 and 16 per cent. Poultry fat is included as a fat source.

Who it is for: adult dogs with a sensitive stomach or sensitive skin who tolerate rice and barley well and for whom lamb is still new.

Grain-free: Superior Care Hypoallergenic with salmon

If your dog cannot tolerate grain, Superior Care Hypoallergenic with salmon is the grain-free alternative. It contains 40 per cent salmon, the carbohydrates come from potatoes and peas, plus salmon oil and linseed. Poultry fat is included here too. For dogs with a diagnosed food allergy there is the Veterinary Diet Hypoallergenic with insect protein as the only protein source. It is a dietetic complete feed, best discussed with your vet.

Wet food: Prime Sensitive Digestion

The Prime Sensitive Digestion wet food is grain-free and consists of 80 per cent lamb. The manufacturer describes it as a single-protein recipe. It also contains salmon oil and linseed, inulin as a source of FOS, yeast products with MOS and beta-glucans, and yucca. With 82 per cent moisture it is a good choice for dogs that drink little or prefer wet food. Because both rely on lamb, it also works as a topping for the Sensitive dry food. After opening, store in the fridge and feed within 48 hours.

Snacks that do not upset the stomach

Snacks are the point many people forget. The best sensitive food is of little use if five different treats are fed on the side. Look for short ingredients lists:

• The duck strips are 92.8 per cent duck and grain-free.
• The rabbit ears are 100 per cent rabbit ear, with no other ingredients. They are low in fat and give the dog something to chew on.
• The snack with rabbit heart is grain-free and low in fat. Besides 25 per cent rabbit heart, however, it also contains 44.5 per cent chicken. If you need to avoid chicken, go for the rabbit ears instead.

During an elimination diet there are no snacks at all. Simply take a few pieces from the daily ration as a reward.

Try first, then the big bag

With picky or sensitive dogs, it is worth testing before you buy a big bag. For many Superior Care varieties we have dry food samples. That way you can see whether your dog likes the food before you switch.

Your next step

First look at the ingredients list of your current food: which protein sources are in it, which grain? That tells you which variety makes sense next. You will find all varieties for sensitive dogs in our collections Sensitive Skin and Stomach and Hypoallergenic Food. If you are unsure, send us a photo of the coat on WhatsApp and tell us what your dog currently eats.