How much we love our canine companions! Their adorable antics and their romping and frolicking ways just melts our heart. But sometimes these little rascals eat stuff they shouldn’t and it causes stomach upset. Chicken and rice for puppy tummy troubles instead of their regular diet is a good place to start.
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NOTE: I am not a professional and have no veterinarian training. If your pet is ill you should seek help from a qualified veterinarian for instruction and health care.
If diarrhea does not subside in a day or two, or if you have a young puppy or if your dog is lethargic, call your veterinarian. Dogs can become dehydrated very quickly if diarrhea is allowed to continue unchecked and needs prompt medical attention. You veterinarian may want to check a fecal sample for internal parasites or other causes.
If you have ever had a puppy you are familiar with their wanting to bite and chew everything. When I walk Toby around the yard to do his business, he is constantly pouncing on sticks and wanting to snatch up a leaf or clump of grass. He is getting much better but I have lost count of the times I have pried open his clamped jaw to fish out some foreign item.
At first I let Toby chew on sticks because I thought it helped his teething but I have learned that sticks are not good at all since he might swallow pieces that he breaks off with those extremely sharp puppy teeth. I don’t know if it was chewing on sticks or something else he picked up but he developed loose, watery stools. I called the vet and because Toby was alert, playful and not showing other signs of distress, we began a diet of rice and chicken instead of his regular puppy food.
Some causes of diarrhea
- A dog’s stomach is very sensitive and does not adjust well to sudden diet changes. When changing your dog’s diet, make small changes, giving your pup time to adjust. Very gradually start reducing the old food and begin adding the new food, keeping an eye for loosening of stools.
- Intestinal parasites can be another cause of diarrhea. Testing for microscopic parasites is done by providing the vet with a fecal sample and if present, medication can treat for the parasites.
- Dietary indiscretion, or when dogs eat something they shouldn’t have, either from the yard, trashcan or table scraps that are too rich.
Bland food source for gastrointestinal upset
Homemade chicken and rice is a bland food source that is an easily digestible, low-fat, single protein and single-carbohydrate diet recommended for puppy gastrointestinal upset. While it’s not recommended for long-term use, cooked chicken and white rice has enough nutritional properties to help settle puppy’s tummy.
A couple of days on a diet of rice and chicken, the loose stool was better and I began adding a small amount of his regular kibble to the mixture with about 3 parts chicken and rice to 1 part kibble.
How to Make
Chicken and Rice for Puppy
Tummy Troubles
Preparing the chicken
Use boneless white meat chicken with all of the skin and fat removed. Chicken can be cooked bone-in, but the meat must be removed from the bone after cooking. The chicken will cook faster and more thoroughly if you cut it from the bone prior to cooking. You can also just purchase boneless chicken.
After removing the chicken from the bone, cut into slices that will cook quicker.
Cover the chicken with cold water and bring to a very low simmer.
You will want to be sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Slice through a piece to check that it is no longer pink.
The cooked chicken can be cut into small pieces with a knife, but a small food processor is quick and easy.
Cooked and shredded chicken.
Preparing the rice
Choose short or long grain white rice. Avoid quick-cooking rice since it has lower nutritional value than its long-cooking counterpart. Cook rice according to the package directions (1 part rice to 2 parts water).
Combining the chicken and rice
Combine the cooled rice and chicken with a 2 to 1 combination of rice to chicken. In other words, if you want to give your dog a total of one cup of food he/she will receive 1/3 cup chicken mixed with 2/3 cup of rice.
It is best to feed several small meals per day rather than one or two large meals.
Toby loved the chicken and rice so much so that he stood by the fridge waiting for more 🙂
Adding regular dog food back into his diet
After seeing normal bowel movements for a day or two, gradually start adding your dog’s regular diet into the bland food mixture. Each day, (as long as the movements are normal) increase the amount of dog food and decrease the amount of bland food until you have reached the point where your dog is on 100% dog food.
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I am happy to say that Toby is over his tummy upset and we are diligent about what he tries to eat.
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Toby is adorable. I bet that he loves that you cook him special food to make him feel better