Dog with a sensitive stomach

[Midge]

My small terrier/dachshund/chihuahua mix seems to have a sensitive stomach that we can’t really control. He’ll be normal, then spend a day with an enormous amount of gut sounds and stretching. He’ll sometimes cry out with the pain, although his threshold is pretty low.

He’s been to two different vets with blood tests, x rays, etc. They say it happens this way sometimes.

We’ve tried a variety of foods. He has always eaten a lot of grass. I’ve added green beans to to his diet, which he loves but doesn’t change the amount of grass he eats. He doesn’t get people food and rarely forages.

Every once in a while, it will last for a couple days. His stool usually doesn’t change, although he will occasionally have diarrhea.

Any suggestions?

[Nezzy]

i have a terrier with a sensitive tummy. he has to eat a lower protein food( 21%) or he gets bad gas. also i add a probiotic to his meals.

[Midge]

His food is 25%. The probiotic is a good suggestion. Thanks!

[Beckham03]

What did the vet say to add? Does he get vomiting or diarrhea? How old is he?

I give my sensitive dog pro biotics sand famotadine. Does he have trouble holding weight? Maybe a digestive enzyme as well.

[Renn_aissance]

Our girl has different symptoms than your dog, and it sounds like your dog’s are more severe, but adding pre- and probiotics to her daily routine made a world of difference in stabilizing her sensitive stomach.

[Midge]

[QUOTE=Beckham03;8829607]
What did the vet say to add? Does he get vomiting or diarrhea? How old is he?

I give my sensitive dog pro biotics sand famotadine. Does he have trouble holding weight? Maybe a digestive enzyme as well.[/QUOTE]

The vet had no suggestions. He does not have trouble holding weight. I won’t say he never gets diarrhea, but it’s rare and vomiting is even more rare. He is six and this has basically been a part of him since adult hood.

[toady123]

It took several tries to get something that would work for our one dog. Ultimately it came down to a lower protein food. She would get irritable bowels and had to be on antibiotics a couple times before we found a food that worked well. We tried her on an probiotic but didn’t see a difference.

[KTRider]

I had a JRT who was just like this. Chicken and corn were her big triggers. I also think probiotics are good, and for my girl, she was on Pepcid regularly. She just tended to have a very acidic tummy and Pepcid helped a lot. She also loved getting a warm heating pad on her belly when she was really hurting. Don’t know if it actually helped the pain, or just made her warm and drowsy, but it helped.

[Beckham03]

Hopefully pro biotics will help. Sometimes with these dogs, something will work for a while then won’t. It can get frustrating.

[Midge]

Thank you!

[pony_baloney]

My recently rescued senior chihuahua mix has something similar. She’s fine for days, then one morning will have diarrhea alone or after one normal bowel movement. Lots of stomach noises and stretching beforehand. She’s fed Steve’s raw food, a digestive enzyme and Honest kitchen’s Perfect Form when needed. Just started giving a pre/probiotic; hoping this will do the trick.

I think raw is the best but don’t think it can be low protein because of the high meat content.

Do you feed pumpkin? The Perfect Form is an herbal powder that provides fiber to firm up loose stools. I was giving a small amount daily but now only use when needed, just in case it became ineffective if used too often.

https://www.amazon.com/Honest-Kitchen-Perfect-Supplement-5-5-Ounce/dp/B00A8O1V74

[Rudy]

Before you end up feeding different novel proteins and all the low protein diets on the market I would suggest you go see an Internist for further evaluation and workup likely including endoscopy with biopsies of the stomach and small intestine +/- abdominal ultrasound.

[csaper58]

This product was recommended by the vet school after my dog had surgery. It is available on Amazon and at Valley Vet Supply and many other places.

www.nutramaxlabs.com/dog/dog-digestive-health/proviable-dc-for-dogs

If the trouble is gas, human baby ‘gas relief drops’ can be a great help.

I agree with the seeing a vet, internist.

[TheHotSensitiveType]

Your poor little guy! I hope you get this figured out.

One of our dogs has a quite sensitive stomach (gas and diarrhea), and fortunately switching him to a fish protein instead of chicken, lamb or beef has resolved the issue. He gets the salmon meal and sweet potato food sold at Costco.