The recipe for diarrhea
Most mild diarrhea in an adult dog settles in 48 hours with a bland bowl and water. The mistake is feeding it for two weeks.
Why this bowl is built this way
A gut that is irritated wants the least work possible. White rice is almost pure starch, so there is very little left for the colon to ferment; plain chicken provides protein without fat; pumpkin adds soluble fibre that holds water and firms the stool. Together they rest the gut without starving the dog.
The second half of the treatment is time. This bowl is a two to three day intervention. Fed long term it is a calcium-deficient diet, and continuing it also hides the fact that a problem is not resolving on its own — which is information you want early.
What goes in — by share of the bowl
Shares, not grams. The gram column is per kilogram of finished food, so it scales to any batch you cook. Your dog's actual portion comes from the calculator, because it depends on body weight and not on the recipe.
| Component | Share | Per 1 kg | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poached chicken or white fish | 35% | 350 g | No skin, no fat, no broth. Skim the poaching water. |
| White rice, overcooked | 40% | 400 g | The base. Rinse the surface starch after cooking. |
| Cooked pumpkin | 20% | 200 g | Soluble fibre to firm the stool. Canned plain pumpkin, not pie filling. |
| Added fat | 0% | 0 g | None. Fat is what you are resting the gut from. |
| Veterinary completer | 5% | 50 g | Only if the bland diet runs beyond three days, and then with the vet. |
Method
- Withhold one meal, not water. Water stays down at all times.
- Cook the chicken or fish plain, skim the fat, shred it.
- Overcook the rice and rinse it.
- Feed small amounts four times a day instead of two large meals.
- Continue for 24 to 48 hours after the stool is normal, then transition back over three days.
- Write down what the stool looked like each day. If you end up at the vet, that log is worth more than your memory.
What each part is doing
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| White rice | Almost no fermentable residue for the colon to work on. |
| Lean protein | Maintains the dog without adding a fat load. |
| Pumpkin | Soluble fibre that firms stool by holding water. |
| Small frequent meals | Less volume per meal means less irritation and better absorption. |
How much to feed
Per day, for this type of dog. Two meals a day is standard for adults; puppies and dogs recovering from stomach trouble do better on three or four smaller ones.
| Dog weight | kcal / day | Food / day | Per meal (2×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 374 | 288 g | 144 g |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 630 | 484 g | 242 g |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 1059 | 815 g | 407 g |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1436 | 1104 g | 552 g |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1781 | 1370 g | 685 g |
Calculated for a neutered adult at moderate activity. Use the calculator for your dog's real numbers. Use the calculator for the exact grams.
What to watch for
- Blood in the stool, black tarry stool, vomiting with the diarrhea, a fever, or a puppy with diarrhea are vet visits, not recipe problems.
- Do not add yogurt, probiotics, pumpkin and a new food in the same day. If it works you will not know what did it.
- Never give human anti-diarrheal medicine. Some are toxic to dogs and others mask a worsening problem.