Dog Food For Dog Diarrhea

The first thing you need to know about dog food for dog diarrhea is that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

The best dog food for a dog with chronic diarrhea will depend on a number of factors, including the dog's dietary history, whether the diarrhea originates in the small or large intestine (or both) and what the cause is. Since the latter is often unclear, a bit of trial-and error may be necessary to find the right dog food.

This article discusses dog food for dogs with chronic diarrhea. If your dog has occasional acute diarrhea, see Dog Diarrhea Treatment for suggestions.

The Right Dog Food for Chronic Dog Diarrhea

Diet plays a vital role in the management of chronic diarrhea, regardless of the cause. Before I go into the specifics of protein, fat, and carbohydrate content, I want to briefly discuss a few criteria all dog foods intended for dogs with chronic diarrhea should meet:

Highly Digestible - Dog foods range in digestibility from barely over 50% for some of the low quality grocery store brands to over 95% for the highest quality specialty diets. Most commercial dog foods are somewhere in between, with premium dog foods typically falling in the 70-80% digestibility range, while most super premium dog foods are between 82% and 89% digestible. The more non-digestible fillers a dog food contains, the greater the potential for loose stools. By contrast, highly digestible dog foods maximize nutrient absorption and produce small stools.

Wholesome Ingredients - High quality ingredients can make a big difference for dogs with chronic diarrhea. Given that long-term diarrhea can result in nutrient deficiencies, a nutrient-rich diet is very important. There are even some indications that meats from animals raised without artificial growth hormones and antibiotics and plant foods grown without pesticides may be less likely to cause digestive problems than their conventionally farmed counterparts, but at this point, the evidence is largely anecdotal.

Low Allergen - Common allergens such as gluten, artificial colors, preservatives, and other additives should be avoided. Dogs with some types of chronic diarrhea benefit from a limited ingredient diet with a novel protein and carbohydrate source.

Anti-Inflammatory - Due to the inflammatory nature of many conditions responsible for chronic diarrhea, dog foods designed to manage these conditions should be strongly anti-inflammatory.

This may mean limiting ingredients high in the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, while increasing levels of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA and EPA. Dog foods for dogs with diarrhea should have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio between 1:1 and 4:1.

The simplest way to increase DHA and EPA levels is by adding salmon oil, herring oil, sardine oil, or other fish oil to the diet, as is commonly done in prescription diets for inflammatory bowel conditions.

Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate Recommendations

The recommended macronutrient levels for dog foods intended for dogs with chronic diarrhea vary based on the type of diarrhea and the individual dog's health and dietary history.

Protein - Is essential for proper immune function and to repair damaged intestinal tissue. Therefore dogs with gastrointestinal conditions should be maintained on diets with moderate to high protein levels unless a low protein diet is indicated for some other reason.

Protein quality is as important as quantity, so protein sources with high digestibility and bioavailability should be selected. Fresh muscle and organ meats and eggs top the list of desirable protein sources, followed by meat meals. Plant protein is generally less desirable.

If the gastrointestinal condition is believed to be immune-mediated, a limited ingredient diet containing a single protein source the dog has not eaten before is typically recommended. Alternatively, a dog food containing hydrolyzed protein can be fed. In hydrolyzed proteins, the amino acid chain has been shortened, so the immune system doesn't recognize the food as the offending protein.

Fats - are significantly more difficult to digest than the other macronutrients, and impaired fat digestion is a symptom of several conditions that can cause chronic diarrhea, including pancreatitis, liver disease, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and other disorders of the small intestine.

Therefore, low fat diets are typically recommended for chronic diarrhea resulting from an inflammation of the small intestine (see Dog Diarrhea Causes for the difference between small intestine and large intestine diarrhea).

For dogs with impaired fat digestion, an alternative to a very low fat diet is a dog food that contains a substantial portion of its fat content in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Unlike other fats, medium-chain triglycerides do not require pancreatic lipase and bile salts for digestion, making them appropriate for many dogs with the above mentioned conditions. For instance, in a study of dogs with EPI, the test subjects were able to absorb only 5% of standard long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), but 75% of medium-chain triglycerides. Coconut oil is the best source of medium-chain triglycerides.

Carbohydrate - Digestion can be impaired by conditions of the small intestine as well as the large intestine.

While some dogs with chronic diarrhea can eat grains that are easily digested and gluten-free (e.g., white rice), other dogs--particularly those with IBD--experience a significant improvement in symptoms when all grains are removed from their diet. Vegetable starches such as potato or sweet potato can be substituted for grain.

In some cases, however, the problem isn't just grain, but all starch.

Some dogs with IBD improve dramatically when placed on a meat-based, starch-free diet. Since dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates provided that sufficient glucose precursors are present, such a diet can safely be fed long-term if vitamins and minerals are properly balanced.

Fiber can be helpful in large intestine diarrhea but is contraindicated in conditions of the small intestine. In case of the former, a blend of soluble and insoluble fiber is often recommended

Commercial Dog Food, Prescription Diet, or Homemade Dog Food?

All three types of dog food are options for dogs with chronic diarrhea, but home-prepared diets typically produce the greatest improvements in the shortest amount of time.

This is most likely due to the generally very high quality of ingredients used, minimal processing, lack of any additives or preservatives, and the ability to tweak fiber and fat levels and add supplements to match the needs of the individual dog.

Yet not everyone is able to prepare their dog's food from scratch, so I'll be discussing commercial dog foods and prescription diets as well.

Prescription Dog Foods for Chronic Diarrhea

Several types of prescription diets are available for dogs with chronic diarrhea associated with food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other disorders.

Novel protein limited ingredient diets are hypoallergenic formulas consisting of a single protein source the dog has not encountered before (venison, rabbit, whitefish, and duck are the most common options) and a single low allergen carbohydrate source (potatoes or rice are usually used). These diets are also available with hydrolyzed protein sources.

Low residue diets are designed to reduce stool volume and frequency by using ingredients that are highly digestible and avoiding ingredients that prolong digestion time, are difficult to break down, or contain significant indigestible portions. Low residue diets are helpful in most cases of chronic diarrhea, but they're especially beneficial when the disorder originates in the small intestine.

Special gastrointestinal formulas vary but most are low in fat and enriched with the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.

Typically they also contain prebiotics such as FOS and MOS that can help restore a healthy microbial balance in the GI tract by selectively promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria, while inhibiting the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

Formulas designed for colitis usually contain a fiber blend with special emphasis on soluble fiber. Formulas for dogs who have difficulty digesting fats may contain a significant percentage of their fat content as medium-chain triglycerides, usually in the form of coconut or copra oil, because these fats can be absorbed even by dogs with impaired fat digestion (often seen in small intestine diarrhea).

Commercial Dog Foods for Chronic Diarrhea

When selecting a commercial dog food for a dog with diarrhea, look for a food that's as natural as possible. There shouldn't be any artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or other additives. Ingredients should be "human-grade," and the protein source should be highly digestible.

I have not seen coconut oil used as a fat source in non-prescription diets, so a standard low fat dog food is your best bet if your dog has difficulty digesting fats.

Many dogs with chronic diarrhea also seem to have difficulty digesting grains, but many grain-free dog foods are very high in fat, so make sure you check the fat content if fat absorption is also an issue for your dog.

Sometimes the problem isn't just grain but all starch. This can be the case in dogs with IBD.

Since kibble has to contain some starch or the pieces wouldn't hold together, your options in this case are a high quality, meat-plus-supplements canned dog food or a home-prepared diet.

Home-Prepared Dog Foods for Chronic Diarrhea

Homemade dog foods can might be effective for treating chronic diarrhea, and I think there are a number of reasons for that. Some reasons could be that it contain high levels of high quality protein in the diet, no additives and is fresh made, but the exact causes is not know for sure.

Unfortunately commercial dog foods that are low in fat are almost always low in protein as well, and low protein levels are not in the best interest of dogs with chronic diarrhea.

When you prepare your dog's food at home, you can increase protein levels without drastically increasing fat levels (see Low Fat Dog Food for details), and that's a big advantage. You can also omit grains and other ingredients your dog may have trouble digesting.

For dogs with fat malabsorption issues, you can add fat and needed calories in the form of high quality, unrefined coconut oil, and you can introduce these fats gradually, slowly building up to about one teaspoon per five kilos of body weight, to avoid triggering digestive upsets.

Fish oil is also best introduced gradually for dogs with chronic diarrhea. Slowly build up to a dose of 300 mg combined DHA and EPA, per five kilos of body weight.

Home-prepared dog foods tend to be highly palatable, which is particularly important where chronic gastrointestinal disorders have resulted in diminished appetite.

Digestibility and bioavailability are typically very high due to the quality ingredients used. And obviously homemade dog foods don't contain preservatives and additives that can trigger immune reactions.

Probiotics, prebiotics, and other supplements that have proven helpful in managing chronic diarrhea (see IBD Treatment for supplement suggestions) can be added to the homemade diet in amounts tailored to the individual dog.

My only reservation about recommending a home-prepared diet is nutritional balance and completeness. Feeding an unbalanced or incomplete diet for a few weeks won't be a problem for an adult dog. But when it comes to the long-term dietary management of a chronic gastrointestinal disorder, you want to make sure that the homemade dog food you are feeding won't create or exacerbate nutritional deficiencies and imbalances.

Therefore I strongly suggest having an animal nutritionist review your recipe or diet. I don't feel this is something you should do all by your self.