There is usually dry feed and special wet food for gastrointestinal processes, but if we want to save money and give our dog a healthy option, while giving him joy every day, then it is best to check if these foods that we give below are suitable for our case or not. Just as no two people are the same, no two dogs are the same.
The soft diet is also often used when dogs have little appetite after an accident, an operation, some type of trauma, vomiting, after childbirth, if they suffer from cancer or an injury, etc. It is a quick and easy resource that helps us keep our dog in perfect condition.
allowed foods
Among the best foods we can choose are poultry such as chicken or turkey, beef, rabbit or white fish. All this must go without bones, skin, nerves or bones, and without salts or spices of any kind, just boiled. We can also choose vegetables and fruits, which are washed, peeled and cut into small pieces. In the case of vegetables, they should also be boiled, we can boil them together with meat or fish to enhance their flavor.
We can choose potatoes, eggs, apple, pumpkin, carrot, banana, pear, strawberry, watermelon, green beans, spinach, cabbage, celery, peas, hake, etc. As long as they are suitable for dogs, all parts of the dish that we are going to offer our dog are well cleaned and cooked.
If we have chosen potatoes, we must remove the cooking broth, since it contains a substance called solanine that could be toxic to our dog. It should be said that fruits can also be cooked and if we create a puree, the better, because that way we do not stress their digestive system.
The proportions must be 70 or 80% meat or fish and 20 and 30% fruit and vegetables. In another section we will explain the doses and how to add cooked rice, which is also another allowed food.
foods to avoid
Of course you have to avoid raw food, sausages, fats, brown rice, oils, spices, sugars, toxic foods, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, salty foods, high fiber, biscuits for human consumption, dog treats, hard foods, food without nutritional contribution such as bread, expired foods, dairy products, butter, spicy foods, food from other animals, meats with bones, fruits with skin, unwashed vegetables, etc. All this will cause pain and adverse effects to the animal, so you have to take better care of it than ever and not make beginner mistakes.
Neither should we offer very hot or very cold food, since these extremes will cause greater damage to the animal’s digestive system and it will suffer and the diarrhea could last several more days and even get complicated to the point of fever or blood in the stool. .
How to do a soft diet
Being with diarrhea, our dog should eat small portions spread over several times. The most correct thing is to eat every 3 or 4 hours, so we control the stool and see how the matter progresses. In addition, with this monitoring and this feeding, we ensure that the animal is nourished and hydrated, and it will even want to play.
The portions have to be small, distanced from each other, but very complete. Always remembering that there must be meat and/or fish and fruits and/or vegetables. The best thing is that there is chicken and hake with potatoes, carrots, cooked rice and two apple wedges.
Cooked rice must be very cooked, to make digestion easy and help cut digestion. We can offer the rice first, so that it doesn’t get too cold and turn into a paste, and then, after a while, offer the rest of the ration. We must let the animal adapt, eat quietly, sleep, rest its belly and improve.
It seems like a lot, but we are talking about very small portions and very far apart throughout the day. It is important that nutrients are not lacking and more so in the midst of a diarrheal process that may cause dehydration. It is imperative that you always have clean, fresh water within reach.
When to go to a vet
We speak from experience, when a carrocho has diarrhea for more than 2 days and its mood begins to drop, we are already late, since it could be a deadly virus called parvovirus. On the other hand, if our furry friend’s mood is good, it can lead to confusion, so we will downplay it, but it could be due to parasites in his intestines, so we recommend going to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
If our dog is old, it is normal for him to poop loosely, since at his age digestions are heavier, any unusual food makes them feel bad, they get stressed faster, etc. But they are not excuses, but signs, since we must be alert and if the diarrhea does not stop in 24 hours, there is blood, tremors, the poop is very dark or very (very) light, they are signs that some organ is failing.
If our dog, regardless of age or sex, stops being active, drools a lot, tries to vomit, pants a lot and has diarrhea, it’s time to run to a vet, he could have something stuck in his stomach or intestines, he could also be stomach torsion or intoxication.