Following up yesterday's post of the medication chart I made to track Sarge's meds is some info about bland dog diets. There's lots of info out there, I sort of combined a few different sources and came up with what to feed Sarge until his digestive issues calmed down. I found good info online at VCA Animal Hospital which I'm sharing below; the vet we saw suggested 4 parts brown rice to 1 part boiled chicken breast; Larissa's mom has 2 dogs that have had recurring colitis and swears by adding a spoonful of greek yogurt to their food - she also gave me a good tip to add raw ground chicken to uncooked white rice, and while the rice steams and cooks the chicken cooks as well and flavors the rice; and I read that pumpkin (100% pumpkin, not pie filling) is also good for them. So that's what I've been doing the past couple weeks - steamed white rice and ground chicken, with a spoonful each of greek yogurt and pumpkin. No treats, kibble, or anything extra other than a little egg white for a 'treat' when he needs one.
Here's the info I found online:
Not the exciting topic of TV cooking shows, bland diets have boring ingredients. They consist of foods that are low in fat and fiber and are easy to digest. Effective bland diets usually have a single protein source (no surf and turf) and a simple carbohydrate. Sometimes, bland diets include ingredients that will help the formation of solid stool. Bon appétit!
Bland diets are also boring to prepare. No grilling or pan searing here! The meat source is usually boiled (yuk). Boil boneless, skinless pieces of chicken or turkey in non-salted or lightly-salted water until done. Drain the boiled meat and allow it to cool to room temperature before dicing into small pieces. Even with these very lean protein sources, there will be a little fat produced with boiling, so skim the broth to remove the fat floating on top. Save the skimmed broth to add moisture to the food which may improve palatability. Bland is not appetizing. Bland AND dry….even less so!
As an alternative to boiling meat, you may pan fry lean ground beef or turkey. Drain thoroughly to remove as much fat as possible. Unseasoned scrambled eggs are another good protein source for tummies in turmoil. Protein rich poached fish might appeal to the feline diners. You can also use commercially prepared turkey or chicken baby food or cottage cheese as a protein source, but be aware of the sodium content.
The source of starch in a bland diet can be rice or sweet potato. Steam or boil white or brown rice until tender. Bake the sweet potato, peel it, and cut it into small cubes. Canned sweet potatoes may be used if not too high in sodium. Alternative starches also include cooked oatmeal or pasta.
Regardless of what’s on your menu, combine ingredients in a 2:1 ratio of starch to meat (e.g., 2 cups rice to 1 cup meat). Cooked diets may be refrigerated for several days or frozen for long term storage.
Pets with diarrhea only, often respond to a bland diet that includes pureed pumpkin or bananas. The fiber in pumpkin and bananas is very soluble so it doesn’t overtax the GI tract. Both are good sources of potassium, absorb water, and slow down peristalsis which helps decrease bowel movements. While they may not be a fan of bananas, cats and dogs will usually eat pumpkin quite readily. Just make sure you buy regular canned pumpkin….not pie filling. It’s not dessert time!
The goal is to rest the GI tract, so reintroduce bland food gradually. Several small meals per day are better than one or two large ones. Start by offering a very small amount, 1-2 tablespoons of food every 2-3 hours. If your pet tolerates this, you may gradually increase the amount and decrease the frequency of food, (offer ¼ to ½ cup every 4 hours).
It’s usually good to keep the pet on a bland diet for 2-3 days after the vomiting has stopped and the stool has returned to normal. When things stabilize, you can start mixing the bland diet with your pet’s normal food. Start by mixing ½ regular food and ½ bland diet. If tolerated, you can gradually increase the regular food and phase out the bland diet. Total transition time from bland diet to regular diet after upset tummy signs are gone takes about 5 days.
info found here at VCA animal hospital
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