# Ideas for a better food? - sensitive stomach



## Michell (Jun 7, 2008)

Hi all, 

I have a 10 month old Australian Shepherd and hes had a sensitive stomach since he was little. We don't feed him any scraps. 

He was on Science Diet as a puppy, then we switched him to Candidate All Life Stages. But then he started puking up all his food. 

So we switched him to California's Natural. But then he started puking up bile in the mornings and his stools were very yellow and mushy. 

So we talked to the vet, and she put us on IAMS Veterinary Formula Intestinal Low-Residue. Now his stools are good, hes not vomiting up all his food. 

But he does still vomit up bile in the mornings. 

(I know other people have talked about this being an empty stomach problem, but we feed him around 10am, then again at 9pm (no vomit during the day, 1 cup at each feeding), then we feed him again at 1am (1/2 cup). So hes going for a longer period of time during the day without feeding but hes vomiting in the morning. I'm stumped.)

My question is this: The first two ingredients in the IAMS food is Corn Grits and Brewers Rice. The third is chicken by product. This is crap food even though his stools are good and hes not vomiting it up. Could anyone recommend a similar type of Intestinal Low-Residue food thats actually a good quality food as well? 

Thanks! and sorry for rambling.  
-Michell

Oh, I should also add, we've done a stool sample two weeks ago and it came back negative, and hes also had blood work done, nothing odd was reported.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

hi 
i would look for a food that says for sencetive stomach maybe one with venicen of fish meal 
jamie


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## HuskyLuv (May 16, 2008)

I don't know anything about "Intestinal Low-Residue" food, but I will share that my husky has an extremely sensitive tummy.

I can say that he does excellent on Innova EVO. He also does well on Natural Balance Complete & Balanced dry, and even better on the Natural Balance Potato & Duck and Venison & Sweet Potato varieties. I would like to try him on Wellness Core in the future, but so far those are the only foods I've tried that agree with him.

I've tried him on Drs. Foster & Smith as well as Nature's Instinct, neither agrees with him.

Just my experience for what it's worth. I know there are a lot of good foods out there and it just takes time to find the right ones for your dog. Good luck to you both!


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Just my opinion, but if his stomach is that sensitive, I would stay away from foods with multiple proteins and stick with the single protein/single carb foods. 

Buck has an extremely sensitive stomach and he's done very very well on the Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato. 

When you find a food you want to try just make the transition very very slowly.


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## shell07 (May 20, 2007)

I feed Canidae dry to mine. So far so good-not as many piles in the yard either. It sounds like a food allergy maybe? Of course if you are trying different foods make sure you do it gradually and feed each food and ONLY that food for 2 weeks so you can let it go through his system and see how he does. There are so many foods out there and it really is hard to choose the "best" one for your dog. Some dogs do great on Purina or Pedigree-some don't. Others say they swear by Iams, Innova, etc..and some don't like that. It is a guessing game really-trying to find out which one your dog will strive on-but I would start by checking the similar ingredients in the foods you have given him and make a list, so you will have that for future reference-and then go from there. Good luck


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## Michell (Jun 7, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll go look at Natural Balance and EVO. 

We may just keep him on IAMS if he keeps being difficult... but when we switched our older Aussie off of a high grain food to Golden / Candidae there was such an improvement in her coat and eating habits that I've tried to stay away from those high grain foods...

We're also wondering if this problem is just because hes a typical boy, eating random crap he finds on the ground, licking paint off the walls. 

Thanks again!


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## Equestiana (Aug 8, 2007)

I've got 3 aussie shepherds and had similiar issues when they were younger..

I would be VERY careful with EVO. It's a fantastic food but its very high in protein and my sensative aussies did very poorly on it. It was just too rich for them. 

We tried everything. Taste of the wild, natural balance, california natural, wellness. We finally settled with Canidae Chicken and Rice. Not the All Life Stages, that gave them the runs. Just the plain chicken and rice. Good luck


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## Michell (Jun 7, 2008)

Hey again, 

After Equestina's and Renoman's suggestions we went with Pinnacle Trout and Sweet Potato. First three ingredients are Trout, Oatmeal, and Herring Meal. Its also low fat, one of the vet's main concerns. 

So far his stools are better, no vomiting, and no hacking in the morning. Hes even starting to look fuller in the stomach. 

Awesome.


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## Equestiana (Aug 8, 2007)

Great choice, trout and sweet potato are very easy on a dogs stomach. Glad to hear the vomiting has stopped. Hopefully it works in the long run! It can be very difficult to find the right food for your dog


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## lillie20 (Oct 17, 2008)

I too have a dog with a sensitive stomach. Now 2 yrs, always some issue with vomit, either food or bile. Have tried it all. Now is on iams low residue and working fine, but with almost weekly bile, one time in early morining, then seems fine. I feed twice a day, with several snacks in between. Last feeding at 10:30 pm, bile occurs at 6:00 am. Problem very similar to Mitchell's dog. At last feeding, I give dry food with a some bread. What more can I do? Is my feeding frequently during the day causing him to not be able to go for 8 hrs with out food? Any advise appreciated


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## Windsors_Dad (May 26, 2008)

My dog Windsor has been throwing up bile in the morning since we've had him. He's a 14 month old Golden Retriever/Lab mix. I took him to the vet when he was 3 months old and the vet didn't have a solution. He was on IAMS at the time and we switched him to Canidae to see if that was the problem. He still threw up bile in the morning. It's never food, it's always bile.

Since he only throws up bile in the morning, we had to assume that it was because his stomach was empty. Unlike our Malumute, who died in August 2007, he doesn't eat his food as soon as we put it down. He eats when he wants. We just leave food in his bowl all the time. Sometimes he won't eat until after noon. 

I have noticed that if he gets exercised thoroughly in the morning, it will prompt him to eat and that keeps him from throwing up.

When he was 1 year, we switched him to California Natural because Canidae's formula changed. I have not noticed him throw up bile since. I am not ready to associate the change in food with the difference in behavior though. 

I am thinking that throwing up bile might be just be something that he is starting to outgrow. Your dog might do the same. But in the meantime, I would suggest you exercise your dog early in the morning to prompt him/her to eat.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Michell said:


> Hey again,
> 
> After Equestina's and Renoman's suggestions we went with Pinnacle Trout and Sweet Potato. First three ingredients are Trout, Oatmeal, and Herring Meal. Its also low fat, one of the vet's main concerns.
> 
> ...


I'm only a couple of months late with this but good choice. Pinnacle is a good food. Glad to hear it's working out for you.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 22, 2008)

We see so many posts here about dogs with sensitive stomachs. Here's my take on the situation. A dog if fed crap food by the breeder. The average breeder feeds puppies crap food. The new owner feeds that crap stuff for a while then learns the food is crap. So he does a little research and finds a decent food.

He switches the pup too fast and the dog has digestive problems because he has never had a nutritious food in his life and his body doesn't know how to handle all that nutrition. The owner probably overfeeds because hes feeding the same amount of the new nutritious food as the old crap food.

So the dog is switched back to another crap food and does ok again because that is what his body knows. Some time later he is switched to another decent food in the same manner only to have the same problems again. From this point forward he is labeled a dog with a sensitive stomach. 

He has no sensitive stomach. His body just has never learned to digest nutritious food. He was switched too fast both times. There is no way on earth that a dog can digest crap and not digest good nutrition. It's just a myth.

Switch the dog very slowly over a period of at least 4 weeks. 25% new food the first week, 50% new food the 2nd week. 75% new food the 3rd week and then all new food the 4th week. Or you could go 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% 100% over 5 weeks. The dogs body will learn to digest the nutritious food and will not have the label "sensitive stomach".

Don't judge how much to feed by whether the dog's tummy looks full. Not by whether the dog looks hungry. Judge amount by the dogs build. You should be able to see the back couple of ribs and a definate waist line when viewed from above and not see the hip bone or spine. Remember thin is best. 

Pay no attention to the suggest amount to feed that is on the bag. It is always high. Puppies should be fed 3 or 4 smaller meals a day. As they get older, you can cut back to two or or even one meal a day. 

If you have a dog throwing up bile, randomize feeding times. He throws up bile when his stomach is expecting food and none appears. If his stomach never knows what time the food will be coming, the bile vomit disappears.

You pick your dog food by the quality of ingredients. The more meat the better. The less grains the better. The more protein the better. The fewer carbs the better. No by-products is best. Your dog can handle the higher end more nutritous dog foods if he is switched slowly enough and not over fed.

If you are switching from a very low quality food to a very high quality food, I suggest you take 5 or 6 weeks to make the switch. Don't sitck the "sensitive stomach" label on your dog. You have created that sensitive stomach and you can make it go away.


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## Windsors_Dad (May 26, 2008)

RawFedDogs said:


> We see so many posts here about dogs with sensitive stomachs. Here's my take on the situation. A dog if fed crap food by the breeder. The average breeder feeds puppies crap food. The new owner feeds that crap stuff for a while then learns the food is crap. So he does a little research and finds a decent food.
> 
> He switches the pup too fast and the dog has digestive problems because he has never had a nutritious food in his life and his body doesn't know how to handle all that nutrition. The owner probably overfeeds because hes feeding the same amount of the new nutritious food as the old crap food.
> 
> ...


You don't have any idea what you're talking about. You're being presumptuous in thinking that me and everyone else in this thread is at fault for our dogs throwing up.

FYI, my dog was throwing up bile when I got him. It was not because of the IAMS food. My Malamute, who passed away in August 2007, ate IAMS his whole life and NEVER threw up bile. So your argument that crap food=throwing up bile is bull.

FYI, when I switched my dog from IAMS to Canidae, I did it slowly over a 5 week period because I had so much IAMS left. I did the same a few months later when I was forced to transition to another food when Canidae changed their formula (it was either transition to the new Canidae or switch to California Natural), but by the time I found out that Canidae wanted me to transition to the new formula, I only had two weeks of the old Canidae left. So that transition was over 2 weeks. A DOG WOULD NOT THROW UP BILE IN IF HE WAS BEING TRANSITIONED TOO QUICKLY, HE WOULD REGURGITATE HIS FOOD AND HAVE DIARRHEA.



> If you have a dog throwing up bile, randomize feeding times.


 Um, he doesn't eat when I put food down, he eats when he's ready. 



> He throws up bile when his stomach is expecting food and none appears.


Huh? No, he throws up bile because his stomach is empty.



> If is stomach never knows what time the food will be coming, the bile vomit disappears.


Your logic is confounding. Yes, it's all psychological.

I've had many dogs over the years and never once had a problem with one of them throwing up bile until now. 

Just because you haven't experienced the so-called "sensitive stomach" in your dogs doesn't mean it doesn't exist. For you to come in here and threadcrap on legitimate concerns and then paint all of the owners in here as the cause of their dog's sensitive stomachs is just presumptuous and stupid.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 22, 2008)

Windsors_Dad said:


> You don't have any idea what you're talking about. You're being presumptuous in thinking that me and everyone else in this thread is at fault for our dogs throwing up.


In many cases its true. If the shoe fits, wear it. If not, don't worry about it.



> FYI, my dog was throwing up bile when I got him. It was not because of the IAMS food. My Malamute, who passed away in August 2007, ate IAMS his whole life and NEVER threw up bile. So your argument that crap food=throwing up bile is bull.


Evidently you need reading lessons. Go back to my post and show me where I linked bile vomit to any type of food whatsoever. The quality, brand, type of food isn't what causes bile vomit. I know raw fed dogs who bile vomit until the owner learns what causes and remedies the situation.



> A DOG WOULD NOT THROW UP BILE IN IF HE WAS BEING TRANSITIONED TOO QUICKLY, HE WOULD REGURGITATE HIS FOOD AND HAVE DIARRHEA.


You've confused 2 different subjects. One is transistioning dogs from one food to another and the other is bile vomit. Neither has any effect on the other.



> Um, he doesn't eat when I put food down, he eats when he's ready.


Um, you've spoiled your dog. If my dogs don't eat their food in 10 minutes, I pick it up and don't feed again until next meal time. Doesn't take long for them to eat when you put it down.




> Huh? No, he throws up bile because his stomach is empty.


Huh? No, your absolutely wrong. I feed my dogs a raw diet. Their stomachs are empty 6 hours after eating. The next meal doesn't come for 6 more hours. They go 6 hours with a completely empty stomach.. Bile vomit is caused by the dog expecting food and his stomach starts producing digestive juices. If no food comes, these juices irritate the stomach lining and its vomited to get it out of the body.



> Your logic is confounding. Yes, it's all psychological.


My logic is reasonable and knowledgable. I have forgotten more about the canine digestive system than you will ever know.



> I've had many dogs over the years and never once had a problem with one of them throwing up bile until now.


I've helped many many dogs with digestive problems over the years. Most of them I help switch from a diet of kibble to a prey model raw diet. Bile vomit is not an unusual problem and easily fixed.



> Just because you haven't experienced the so-called "sensitive stomach" in your dogs doesn't mean it doesn't exist.


I haven't experienced it because i know how to avoid it. Properly treated, the canine digestive system works just fine. Mistreated and it sometimes malfunctions.



> For you to come in here and threadcrap on legitimate concerns and then paint all of the owners in here as the cause of their dog's sensitive stomachs is just presumptuous and stupid.


I came on here and advised how to avoid digestive problems when switching dogs to a new food, particularly from a crap food to a food that isn't quite as crappy. As an added bonus I talked about how to avoid and if necessary to cure bile vomit at no extra charge.

Go vent your anger somewhere else. It has no effect on me. I hope the rest of your weekend goes better. Go back an re-read my post. You will definately learn something.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

I'm not going to "debate" with anyone on this issue. But....I'm going to give my experiences and opinions about it. I DO have a dog with a sensitive stomach, another that's a picky eater, and one that is a "dog's dog" that can eat anything with nothing unusual happening (lol). That being said, I'll explain the sensitive stomach issue with Stella...she has not vomited bile or anything like that, but she has had such loud gurgling in her stomach that you can hear it in another room and soft, mucousy stools. I have tried many great foods for my pack, even Cal. Nat. and Natural Balance LID, and Wellness Simple Solutions. None seemed to do the trick. So I kept trying...FROMM 4-star (any flavor, including Surf & Turf) is one that works well. They also do okay on a couple of other grain-frees: TOTW Pacific Stream and Wellness Core orig. and ocean. They do well on Avoderm Naturals Chicken & Rice, too. Now I'm not too fixated on whether there are grains or not in their food (as long as they are good quality). So, I thought I would try Eagle Pack Holistic Select brand after reading some good info. about it. Well, let me tell you, they have been on this food now for about 2 months and they are doing the best they have done yet! I am using the dry and can. Stella no longer has "gurgles", Lucy eats like she's starving and of course, Desi just eats like usual with no problems, but I feel his coat looks a little better. I believe I have finally found a food that we will stick with for awhile. I will rotate the flavors in both the dry and can. So...Good Luck in your search for a food that will help your sensitive stomach pooch. It is out there, whether you feed raw, kibble, can or home-cook. All are fine choices!


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## lillie20 (Oct 17, 2008)

Another Bile episode with this iams low residue, switching to ca natural, fish and potato. WINDSOR DAD - Are you still feeding this brand? How is it working out? MITCHELL? Your dog still on Pinnacle, how is that food working? Both of your situations are exactly like my dog. Thanks!


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

You could try a prey model diet starting with chicken. This is easier on a dogs digestive system and easier to digest. 

You could also try something like Evo or Wellness Core or Orijen that is a higher quality food. In the others those grains are hard to digest and could keep causing the reoccurring problems.


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## Michell (Jun 7, 2008)

lillie20 said:


> Another Bile episode with this iams low residue, switching to ca natural, fish and potato. WINDSOR DAD - Are you still feeding this brand? How is it working out? MITCHELL? Your dog still on Pinnacle, how is that food working? Both of your situations are exactly like my dog. Thanks!


Hey all,

As an update, my puppy (Now a year and 4 months old) is still on Pinnicle fish and potato. Hes doing great. We haven't had any bile problems since we switched. 

For the questions about if bile only happens if a dog is being switched to a new food, Bender (the puppy) had been on Candidae for a while before he started puking bile. We also had just moved, which may have stressed him out. 

As someone else here said, you should also ignore what the bag says to feed your dog. When we switched to Pinnicle we also started feeding him alot more, another cup so that he was eating 3 1/2 cups, about a cup and a half over what hte bag said to feed him. 

I kept up this extra feeding schedule until it looked like he was getting too big, then I slowly started cutting him back 1/2 a cup at a time until he looked like a healthy puppy. Now hes at 2 cups a day, but I strongly feel that extra cup and a half helped him get healthy again. 

Hope that helps, good luck everyone


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