5 GREAT Get Well Meals for Poorly Dogs
Pup been poorly? Wondering what to feed a dog with an upset stomach? Well, we’re not just about personalised dog accessories and gifts for dog-lovers. We like to give advice too.
So here’s our five favourite tried and tested Get Well meals that all dogs will enjoy, Dog food for upset stomachs.
The following recipes are intended to help dogs with mild stomach upsets such as nausea, constipation, and diarrhea or loose stools. As these symptoms can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem, always check with your Vet first. Dogs with existing health conditions and/or allergies may need additional nutrition to stay healthy.
1. Bone Broth
Bone broth is a deliciously mild, liquid meal that sits easily in a dog’s upset tummy. It’s also a good way to add moisture to dry food.
Fill a slow cooker with beef marrow bones or bones with plenty of joints, like turkey and chicken legs. Cover the bones completely with 2-3 inches of water, add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar cover, and cook on a low heat for 24 hours.
Whilst adding vinegar may sound counter-intuitive it actually is the super-ingredient that helps your broth form gelatin. It also extracts all of the nutritious minerals out of the bones.
Once cooking is done, allow the broth to cool, sieve it to remove ALL bone components and then transfer the liquid to a container, cover and pop in the fridge. Leave for three to four hours. Scrape off the hard layer of fat and discard in the waste bin (NOT down the sink!!!).
The remaining broth should now look like jelly. If it doesn’t, don’t worry – it’s still very edible and packed with the same goodness, just add more vinegar next time.
You can either feed the broth as jelly, or you can gently heat it to make it more liquid. Be sure to test the temperature of heated broth before you give it to your dog.
Store it in the fridge or freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.
PLEASE NOTE: Bone broth is amazingly healthy for your dog and is full of healthy bone marrow and other goodies. BUT cooked bones are DANGEROUS for dogs. Be sure to remove all of the bones from your broth before serving it.
2. Pumpkin, Banana and Sweet Potato Mix
Pumpkin, Banana and Sweet Potato all have similar digestive health benefits. They’re high in fibre which helps regulate your dog’s digestive system.
Boil the Pumpkin and Sweet Potato until softened. Cool and serve with some chopped banana. You can also add some shredded chicken to the mix.
3. Cottage Egg
It’s one of our own woofers’ favourite treats and eggs are really good for settling dogs tummies. The cottage cheese makes the flavour come alive and even the most reluctant of eaters will be sure to show you a clean bowl. Per dog: 1 egg, 50ml Milk, 1 tablespoon low fat cottage cheese.
Mix together the egg and milk and pop into a non stick pan - WITHOUT OIL - and cook as you would do scrambled eggs. Spread it out on a chopping board once it’s cooked as it cools easier like this. Once it has cooled, pop into a bowl and add in the spoonful of cottage cheese. Serve.
4. Chicken and Rice
The plainer the better for this one. Whilst white rice is nutritionally poorer, it is much more bland and is therefore advised for poorly pups.
Use grilled or boiled chicken, shredded with some cooked white rice.
Kibble and Yogurt
Kibble will help give your dog the nutrition it needs, but when it’s dry and they’re disinterested it’s hard to get it into them. Try mixing with a tablespoon of zero fat unsweetened Greek yogurt.
5. Baby Food
Did you know that you can feed your dog baby food when he or she is poorly? Vet hospitals frequently feed certain types of baby food to help the dogs they are caring for. It’s easy to swallow, easy to digest and is a handy way to give oral medications. Feed Stage 2 meat-based baby foods such as Turkey, Lamb or Chicken but PLEASE make sure that they contain no Onion powder or Garlic additives as these are not good for dogs.