How to Aid a Dog's Digestion Naturally
Your dog is having tummy trouble and it’s causing both of you discomfort. For him, it’s got to be horribly irritating. For you, it’s pretty awful cleaning it up. A dog’s diarrhea can be caused by a host of factors, and you can solve the problem and stop it from recurring if you aid a dog’s digestion naturally. The natural way doesn’t bog down your dog with costly medications and can even save you an expensive trip to the vet. You can aid a dog’s digestion naturally with plenty of vigilance and a few steps.
Instructions
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Figure out what is causing the digestion problems. If your dog is suddenly afflicted with diarrhea, there may be a simple reason behind it. Perhaps you abruptly changed your dog’s food. Maybe he had way too many treats. He could have also ate something that did not agree with him, like big chunks of rawhide, a wild animal or his favorite chew toy.
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Monitor your dog’s diet. Zillions of treats, plates full of people food and even rawhide can bother your dog’s stomach. Dogs are also affected by onions, raisins and chewing gum. Watch that they don’t get their nosy noses into these things.
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Change foods in increments. When switching to a different food, mix a small portion of the new food in with his old food to slowly switch him to the new stuff. Keep increasing the ratio of old to new until he is content with a full bowl of the new food.
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Give him rice and cottage cheese. This tip is straight from a vet. If your dog’s digestion is particularly bad, forego his regular food and give him one cup of rice mixed with one cup of cottage cheese until the situation clears up. Some dogs may have a strong aversion to the cottage cheese, in which case you can offer just the rice. It can be brown or white and should be cooked until it’s nice and soft for him.
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Treat him with pumpkin. This suggestion came from a well-respected feed store in Tucson. One tablespoon of pumpkin per day, on top of his regular food, will help stabilize a dog’s stomach. Do not give more than one tablespoon or the method will backfire. Make sure you choose pure pumpkin (from a can is fine) and not some pumpkin mixture used for pies that’s sweetened with tons of sugar and other additives.
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Tips & Warnings
Sometimes the cause of your dog’s stomach ailment will remain a mystery. Other times it can only be discovered with X-rays, like if he ate a big rock or some other substance that is not passing through his system.
Don’t keep toxic plants or substances within your dog’s reach. Keep your home safe as you would for a two-year-old child.
If your dog’s stomach problems persist for more than a couple of days or there is blood in his stool or vomit, take him to the vet immediately.
- Photo Credit Photo of Sawyer by Ryn Gargulinski
