Have you gone through countless bags, brands, and formulations of food for your dog trying to find that one perfect one that doesn’t both their tummy? Does your dog constantly seem to be battling stomach issues and have a sensitive GI tract? Unfortunately, this isn’t unusual. For some breeds, it’s almost a given that they will have at least some GI tract issues. The problem is that it’s uncomfortable for your dog and can lead to constant messes that you get to clean up.
Here, we’ll take a look at some of the steps you can take to help alleviate the issues your dog has with its sensitive tummy.
Does Your Dog Have a Sensitive Stomach?
The first thing is to figure out if your dog has a sensitive stomach or not. There are some common signs to watch for which include:
- Eating grass on a regular basis, they do this to soothe an upset stomach.
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Vomiting
Most of these will happen immediately after they eat, or shortly after. This also isn’t a definitive list, as there are plenty of other signs and symptoms of a sensitive stomach in dogs. Some will be easier to spot than others.
Ensure Your Dog Doesn’t Eat Anything Questionable
The first step to take is to monitor closely what your dog is eating. This means their specific food and nothing else. Skip the treats and ensure they aren’t getting into any garbage or things outdoors that may upset their tummy.
Encourage Them to Eat Slower
Sometimes it’s not even about a food intolerance or allergy, it may be that your dog just eats too fast. When this happens, they ingest a lot of air, which can bother their tummies. You can try feeding them smaller portions more frequently throughout the day, using a special bowl with obstacles that forces them to eat slower or just giving the food to them bit by bit at mealtime.
Start Paying Attention to Food Ingredients
You’ll also want to start reading the ingredients list closely, making sure the food doesn’t contain high amounts of filler and low-quality ingredients. If your dog continues to have worsening stomach issues, your vet may recommend a special therapeutic food, or have you start making your own dog food at home.
Give Supplements a Try
There are also certain supplements and products that are meant to soothe the GI tract and help reduce stomach flare-ups. Of course, you always want to be careful with dosage levels so as not to give the wrong amounts and cause other issues.
Cannabis supplements are one product that is getting a lot of attention, as they can benefit your pet in a variety of ways. As Canna Companion points out, GI tract issues are just one of the areas that hemp oil can help.
Helping Your Dog to Be More Comfortable
While a sensitive stomach isn’t a life-threatening issue for your dog, the fact that it makes them so uncomfortable is usually all it takes for owners to jump into action and look for remedies.