# Puppy Food for Sensitive Tummies (The Million Dollar Question)



## bree94 (11 mo ago)

Just got Nellie's stool sample back from the vet. This time we don't have any bacteria / parasite issues, her test was clear. -whew-
The vet is suggesting a food switch. 

When we got Nellie she was on Canidae, and she refused to eat that. We tried her on Merrick for awhile, and she got over that too. I was desperately trying to find stuff she would eat because she was underweight / malnourished. 

She LOVES Orijen Puppy w/ Amazing Grains. We loved it because it was calorie dense and she needed to bulk up. She was even on it for a month with solid stools prior to her most recent bout of Giardia and Coccidia.. Nellie had a stool explosion last night though, and with a clear fecal sample the vet thinks the food is too rich for her. I've been trying to transition her back ever so slowly. Yesterday was day 4 (just adding small amounts of kibble to her chicken/rice/pumpkin meal), and we had solid stools until last night.

I'm trying to transition her from chicken / rice / canned pumpkin back to a kibble.. She's been on fortiflora probiotics since I got her, and I plan on keeping her on it for the foreseeable future. 

So time for the million dollar question, that has been asked so many times it has it's own sub section in the PF... 😂

What have you had luck with when it comes to sensitive tummies? I knew Orijen was a crap-shoot (literally) when I started her on it. We WERE doing so good on it though. I read it might be too rich, gambled, and it DID work for awhile. Her stomach is an empty waste land right now though and can't handle much apparently.

Now I'm thinking with zero good / bad bacteria in her gut.. I need to find a mellow puppy kibble that has the proper nutrition.

I'm bummed, I donated her candiae and merrick bags to the shelter a few weeks ago thinking we were on a solid path. I don't have any great pet food stores around her either for grabbing samples, so it'll all be through Chewy. 

I know we're going to have to just try stuff and see what works for her. Just didn't know if anyone had any recommendations?

Thanks!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Peggy came to us malnourished. She was so hungry, she’d try to eat the breeder’s food and then just vomit it back up.

She ended up doing great on Farmina Ancestral Grains (chicken & pomegranate) and transitioned fine to the adult version after her first birthday. She also really likes Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken and Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters (grain-free, beef), but those aren’t puppy-specific.

The Honest Kitchen works great as training treats in low-distraction environments, which is important. I think treats are often the culprit when it comes to GI upset. We avoid anything with glycerin, and my last dog also couldn’t handle the richness of liver treats.

Is Nellie on a probiotic? We used FortiFlora to help get Peggy back on track.


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## bree94 (11 mo ago)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Peggy came to us malnourished. She was so hungry, she’d try to eat the breeder’s food and then just vomit it back up.
> 
> She ended up doing great on Farmina Ancestral Grains (chicken & pomegranate) and transitioned fine to the adult version after her first birthday. She also really likes Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken and Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters (grain-free, beef), but those aren’t puppy-specific.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing, I'll look at these brands! That sounds stressful... Especially vomiting. It's sad when they are so little and nutrition is so important, but they are struggling to eat. 

I'll look into that brand of treats. I haven't had the time to research treats much, so I've been making my own. Either just using more boiled chicken, since she's on it already. Or I've been making a plain four ingredient one. Flour, peanut butter, egg, water. Roll it out, cut in little square and bake till crispy. She LOVES peanut butter, so even though there isn't a lot of PB in the recipe and it's fairly plain --they are a good mediocre treat that still get her attention without being slimy boiled chicken. hah Not super high value, but they work good in the house or to give folks to share with her socializing since she is a bit timid. That way I'm not handing people boiled chicken, tried that a couple times and got the "ewww" face... oops! haha

Nellie's issue is she is being picky about kibbles. So she's underweight AND finicky. The long stint on Chicken / Rice bulked her up for awhile in the beginning. The last 2 weeks though she's going through another lean / bony phase again.

Yes, I've had her on FortiFlora since week one and will for the foreseeable future. Thank goodness for that, or I have no idea how much worse it would be.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I’ve found that probiotics sometimes work best when you switch them up or take a short break. I’m not sure why this is, but my doctor recommended it to me, too, backing up my personal experience. Might be worth talking to your vet about.

Those bony phases are normal, but you do want to find a food Nellie will consistently eat, even if it’s in varying quantities. Peggy self-regulates, eating like a horse some days and like a bird on others. These rhythms were especially pronounced through puppyhood.

I find just a spoonful of Weruva in the morning is often enough to stimulate her appetite, and she’ll move right over to her kibble dish. Unlike plain chicken breast, it’s nutritionally balanced and acts as part of her meal intake.

The Honest Kitchen I mentioned is also a complete meal. But it’s palatable enough that Peggy happily eats it like a treat. _Definitely_ a good alternative to slimy chicken or string cheese when we want someone else to feed her a treat.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

We had a terrible experience with Orijen. It has great ingredients but definitely too rich for some pups. It is a million dollar question isn’t it because each dog is unique and there are so many great brands and formulations so a lot of different recommendations. 

We really like the Fromm brand. We use the Fromm Four Stars Nutritionals line with healthy grains. It is an all stages food. Fromm does make puppy food too. Both of my Boys do well on it. Bobby has had ongoing gut issues for a long time and is on a prescription food but we are able to feed him the Fromm mixed in with with his prescription and according to his gut we adjust the mix accordingly. Joey thrives on the Fromm. I like the ingredients but I also like the Four Star Nutritionals line because the flavors are easily interchangeable, at least for most dogs. I am able to switch flavors easily even with Bobby. I don’t think Chewy carries it but Amazon does and I’m guessing you could order it directly from the Fromm company. It’s a good company. 

Fromm’s Crunchy O’s treats are awesome! I love them because they handle easily and are great pocket treats There are several flavors. My boys love them and they are not too rich and no glycerin. Bobby, even with his ultra sensitive gut, does well with these treats. 

I agree with Peggy the Parti on her food recommendations. We tried Farmina and Bobby absolutely loved it but unfortunately it didn’t end up working for Bobby. But it may work for your pup! It is a great food. I totally recommend the Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken. It is the one canned dog food that works for both of my boys when I need to use canned food for a topper periodically. Bobby tolerates it very well.

Honest Kitchen makes a powdered goat milk probiotic called Daily Boosters. Because it is goat milk it may or may not be tolerated but amazingly, Bobby tolerates it very well. I give it to both of my boys and they absolutely love it!

Hoping you quickly find something that works well!


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## beowoof (Dec 6, 2021)

during the great kibble taste test Kirby liked acana & orijen but his body found them too rich and they led to stinkier than average poops. i do like using the acana small breed as training treats as the kibbles themselves are teeny tiny. i couldn't convince him to try the bag of hill's science (he literally spat it out, lol) and both eukanuba/proplan have been extremely challenging to find consistently in my area... resulting in us settling on royal canin small breed puppy. royal canin still has notable supply chain issues which has been annoying but for the most part it's widely available, palatable to my fusspot and hasn't upset his sensitive tummy... i've used their regular and vet formulas with my dogs in the past with 0 complaints. 

Kirby went through a 2-3 week phase where he barely ate and really worried me for awhile. puppies do go through lean and chubby phases so there's a good chance she's growing, her teeth are sore, or the warmer weather is affecting her already finicky puppy appetite. i know it's stressful when they don't eat so hopefully you find a solution that works for you and your pup!


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

That isn't any easy answer, Fromm, Merrick, Canidae, Zignature all were misses to rich, too hard or just plain didn't agree, Honest Kitchen was a meh. Pia eats Heath Extensions grain free White fish and Buffalo, the only food that agrees with her and she happily eats.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

I've found that my dogs tend to do best on a "mid-grade" kibble, as opposed to super premium or grocery store brands (if you like Dog Food Advisor, think three to four star foods). I've fed a lot of different brands over the years, and frequently find myself back at Purina Pro Plan. Right now, my dogs are on a brand called Blackwood. I've also fed Science Diet, Iams, Fromm, Canidae, 4Health (Tractor Supply Co.), and American Journey (Chewy), along with others that I can't recall off hand.

Of my current dogs. my GSD with allergies does best on a fish based, grain inclusive kibble, and Simon doesn't seem to tolerate beef very well, so all three of them get a salmon and rice kibble.


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## Getting ready (May 4, 2019)

My pups seem to do best on purina pro plan. It says there are probiotics in it. It is the kibble that Blueberry has eaten the longest but that may be because Scribble likes it so Blueberry thinks he does too.


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## Yellow (Sep 24, 2018)

check out Carna 4 sprouted seed supplement. I give it to both my poodles for added vitamins/minerals, and prebiotic/probiotic. One is on Farmina and other is fed raw
for a good probiotic look into Visbiome Vet


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Beckie did okay on Pro Plan sensitive stomach (salmon) but she needed to be on a specialized hypoallergenic food. Merlin did well on it. I think it’s worth a try,


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Purina pro plan for sensitive stomach - it's in the name, just try it.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Elroy was eating Purina Pro Plan Puppy, *shredded chicken blend*, thoroughly soaked in water, until about 5 months old. He absolutely devoured it. I had to get him a slow feeder bowl. After 5 months, we started a new bag of the same kibble, and he stopped eating it. Long story short, the new bag of kibble was bad (gone rancid). After I got another new bag, he ate it again. Shortly after that, I stopped soaking his kibble and he ate it dry, without wolfing it down. Slow feeder bowl not needed anymore. 
Have you tried Purina Pro Plan yet?


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I am a fan of Hill's Science Diet as my dog did not tolerate ProPlan at all. You might want to try Science Diet Puppy which is highly recommended at dogfoodadvisor:








Hill's Science Diet Puppy Food | Review | Rating | Recalls


Hill's Science Diet Puppy Food - an independent review, recall history, coupons and ratings by the editors of The Dog Food Advisor.




www.dogfoodadvisor.com


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## bree94 (11 mo ago)

Allll great recommendations, you guys rock! 

Last night I hopped online and got our first round of taste / tummy testers. Friday I have 4lb bags coming in:

*Farmina Ancestral Grains (chicken & pomegranate)*
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy (sensitive skin / stomach) *--interested, because looking at the Orijen puppy food I have her on. Fish is a big ingredient and it smells fishy. Hopefully, this is a good appetite stimulant for Nellie, and good on her tummy. And hopefully it's not the fish ingredients causing the issues. 
*Health Extensions White Fish & Buffalo*
Plus, *Honest Kitchen's Goat Milk Probiotic* --If Nellie can't tolerate it, I'm sure Ace will... He has a pretty iron gut, but he needs probiotics too after his round of metronidazole. 

Sounds like general consensus is Orijen has been too tough on tummies. Pro Plan has a lot of mentions so we're gonna give that a go! Farmina was on my list originally but I haven't tried it yet and I'm curious about Health Extensions.  



PeggyTheParti said:


> I’ve found that probiotics sometimes work best when you switch them up or take a short break. I’m not sure why this is, but my doctor recommended it to me, too, backing up my personal experience. Might be worth talking to your vet about.
> 
> Those bony phases are normal, but you do want to find a food Nellie will consistently eat, even if it’s in varying quantities. Peggy self-regulates, eating like a horse some days and like a bird on others. These rhythms were especially pronounced through puppyhood.
> 
> ...


I've never heard about switching up probiotic brands, but that sounds interesting! I'm giving it a shot with the Honest Kitchen Goat Milk one @Spottytoes mentioned. It would make sense, because after both of their stool samples the vets asked me --have you been giving them the Fortiflora?? I said yes, and they just "Hummph'd" and said it didn't look like it because they didn't have ANY guy bacteria good or bad. I countered with "Well could their meds have just cancelled those out too since it was killing everything?" They said maybe, and to just keep going with it. So I have, but I have been thinking about using a different brand... Fingers crossed! 

I'll look into this honest kitchen treats too! Definitely better alternative, awesome that it's complete meal too. Not just peanut butter cookies essentially! haha Thanks for the appetite reminders, with all her gut issues I feel like I've been hypersensitive to changes in her behavior. 



Spottytoes said:


> We had a terrible experience with Orijen. It has great ingredients but definitely too rich for some pups. It is a million dollar question isn’t it because each dog is unique and there are so many great brands and formulations so a lot of different recommendations.
> 
> We really like the Fromm brand. We use the Fromm Four Stars Nutritionals line with healthy grains. It is an all stages food. Fromm does make puppy food too. Both of my Boys do well on it. Bobby has had ongoing gut issues for a long time and is on a prescription food but we are able to feed him the Fromm mixed in with with his prescription and according to his gut we adjust the mix accordingly. Joey thrives on the Fromm. I like the ingredients but I also like the Four Star Nutritionals line because the flavors are easily interchangeable, at least for most dogs. I am able to switch flavors easily even with Bobby. I don’t think Chewy carries it but Amazon does and I’m guessing you could order it directly from the Fromm company. It’s a good company.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the input!!! I'm gonna try Fromm in the next round if this first round doesn't lock something in. I also have the Honest Kitchen goat milk supplement coming!!! I'll let you know how it goes!  



beowoof said:


> during the great kibble taste test Kirby liked acana & orijen but his body found them too rich and they led to stinkier than average poops. i do like using the acana small breed as training treats as the kibbles themselves are teeny tiny. i couldn't convince him to try the bag of hill's science (he literally spat it out, lol) and both eukanuba/proplan have been extremely challenging to find consistently in my area... resulting in us settling on royal canin small breed puppy. royal canin still has notable supply chain issues which has been annoying but for the most part it's widely available, palatable to my fusspot and hasn't upset his sensitive tummy... i've used their regular and vet formulas with my dogs in the past with 0 complaints.
> 
> Kirby went through a 2-3 week phase where he barely ate and really worried me for awhile. puppies do go through lean and chubby phases so there's a good chance she's growing, her teeth are sore, or the warmer weather is affecting her already finicky puppy appetite. i know it's stressful when they don't eat so hopefully you find a solution that works for you and your pup!


"The Great Kibble Taste Test" hahaha --I read that like some Lord of the Rings movie title. It feels like it deserves an imposing name, trying to find a food that the taste buds AND tummy likes! haha 
You make a great point about sore teeth and weather changes. Nellie literally lost 3 teeth last night, and two the week before (those are just the ones we found!) and the weather has gone from snowing to 90 degrees overnight it feels like. 



TeamHellhound said:


> I've found that my dogs tend to do best on a "mid-grade" kibble, as opposed to super premium or grocery store brands (if you like Dog Food Advisor, think three to four star foods). I've fed a lot of different brands over the years, and frequently find myself back at Purina Pro Plan. Right now, my dogs are on a brand called Blackwood. I've also fed Science Diet, Iams, Fromm, Canidae, 4Health (Tractor Supply Co.), and American Journey (Chewy), along with others that I can't recall off hand.
> 
> Of my current dogs. my GSD with allergies does best on a fish based, grain inclusive kibble, and Simon doesn't seem to tolerate beef very well, so all three of them get a salmon and rice kibble.


This is a good point! I want so badly to do perfect by her, which I feel is "5-star super nutrition"... When really "super nutrition" means I just need to listen to her body. Lord knows I don't eat perfect every day! haha 

I have fed Ace a mix of those brands, much like you have over the years and he was perfectly healthy his entire life. Now 14 years old and still kicking. Definitely aging, but he's had a good, long, healthy life --especially for a big dog. 

Thank for the notes on fish based food! I have a couple of those coming, and I think Nellie really loves the fishy aspect of her Orijen (I think?)... Who knows! Fingers crossed though, I'll keep you all updated!

@Yellow --I'll look into those supplements and ProBiotics too! By the time I purchased my first test round, I hadn't heard anyone mention those probiotics -but I did see them online. If she rejects the goat's milk, we'll give those a go...


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## MMM18 (Sep 29, 2020)

It can take a while to find the right food. It took me a while to get Monte on something that he could tolerate. We finally seem to have found it. He eats Just Food For Dogs Venison and Butternut Squash, which I believe is available on Chewy now. It's a fresh-frozen food.


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## Jilly SummerSunset (Sep 16, 2020)

bree94 said:


> Just got Nellie's stool sample back from the vet. This time we don't have any bacteria / parasite issues, her test was clear. -whew-
> The vet is suggesting a food switch.
> 
> When we got Nellie she was on Canidae, and she refused to eat that. We tried her on Merrick for awhile, and she got over that too. I was desperately trying to find stuff she would eat because she was underweight / malnourished.
> ...


I stick and have stuck with Purina products for decades. GSDs have the most sensitive digestion. Now that I have 2 SPOOs and a GR (who they tend to have chicken allegies), I feed all three dogs PurinaOne SpecialBlends Lamb & Rice and ProPlan Lamb & Oatmeal Adult/puppy. I give the 2 younger dogs an extra 6 mos of puppy because they are large breed, slower growers. Perfect, less stool because they absorb the nutrition. They love it.


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## bree94 (11 mo ago)

*UPDATE*
I've been locked out of my account for awhile. I think I input the wrong password too many times and for a few days it wouldn't let me in -even when I knew I had the right one. Today it seemed to reset though? It's let me in!

We laid out three bowls of the food: Farmina, Purina Pro Plan, and Health Extensions. Nellie started eating the Health Extensions first so we started there. It's been working GREAT! Her stools have been solid, and yesterday was her first day on 100% kibble. So far, so good! She also LOVES it.. Gobbles it right up, even dry in a bowl which is an absolute first for her. **Although all her adult teeth are finally in, so I suspect that has something to do with her willingness to tackle hard foods again. Thanks for the recommendation @twyla --I did a lot of research on puppy food, and this one wasn't really on my radar surprisingly! We're keeping the Farmina and Purina Pro Plan on hand in case things go sideways and we need to experiment more. For now, we have seemed to find a balance though!

I tried the Honest Kitchen goat milk probiotics on Ace first -since he was stable already. He doesn't care for it though, and won't touch his food if I put even a little in there. I haven't tried Nellie on it yet, because I wanted to introduce one thing at a time! I bought another Priobiotic Vetnique - Profivex. It had a a lot of great reviews? We just ran out of Fortiflora yesterday so I gave a half dose of it to both Ace and Nellie this morning. I'd like to try Nellie on the goat milk one too, she gets really excited sniffing the can, but maybe in a few weeks. I don't want to disrupt our progress from the last week since I know milk products can sometimes be a bigger gamble with the dogs. Hopefully this Profivex is decent for us.

For treats, I've been baking my own simple flour, peanut butter, egg treats still. She really loves them and they are pretty mellow. No tummy upsets there! Then she just has access to her antler chews.

Fingers crossed we keep this up! She has also been living more in a bubble. We take her into national forest areas for now to get her romping exercise to try and minimize dog traffic areas at local parks. Lots of puzzles and training at home to keep her mind busy. Then she goes to work with me 2-3 days a week, chills in my office and gets to socialize with clients. We have been doing some structured training walks on the neighborhood sidewalks, but on these she doesn't get to sniff around much, that's reserved for romping in the woods.

Attached are a few pictures from our 4th of July adventures! Nellie went on her first Canoe trip to the lake and she had a blast!
As always, thanks for all your help guys! It's so very appreciated.


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## BuzzysMom1 (Dec 23, 2020)

Asta's Mom said:


> I am a fan of Hill's Science Diet as my dog did not tolerate ProPlan at all. You might want to try Science Diet Puppy which is highly recommended at dogfoodadvisor:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So glad I saw this. My dog is having terrible GI upset with PPP. This just started about a month ago. I am now going to try the Hill's Science because this has been stressful. Hoping so see some good stools for more than 4 days.


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## BBVidya (6 mo ago)

I went through the picky eater dance, and added things to tempt her to eat. After 2 episodes of puking and diarrhea, one morning I left her sensitive stomach kibble (ProPlan) and let her go hungry until she ate it. She went 18 hrs until she realized that human food of any sort WAS NOT COMING. Then she ate her bowl empty. Good girl! Evening, ProPlan puppy topped with boiled chicken, a bit of sweet potato, and fat skimmed broth, nice and warm. She enjoyed it, eating 2/3 and finishing the rest a little later.

Maybe a generous dollop of cottage cheese for a midnight snack if she seemed hungry—otherwise— there’s that bowl of sensitive stomach kibble. She started munching kibble if hungry overnight too. She eats what she wants, when she wants.

No more bile pukes, diarrhea (unless I feed too much cottage cheese or yogurt as a treat) and a remarkable increase in energy. She’s put back on the weight she lost and has more energy. 
Strictly limiting to healthy dog food keeps her happy and healthy.

Now I top her evening meal with chicken or beef, let her lick my yogurt breakfast bowl, that’s it. She is on board with this now. Previously, I think she was training ME to give her tastier food— but it wasn’t good for her.


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