If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you’ve probably noticed he can’t tolerate certain foods very well. He has symptoms that rather unpleasant for all. Because of that, it’s important to understand how dog foods effect your pet’s digestive system, which the best sensitive stomach dog food choices are, and other things that can help your furry pal out.

We’ve gathered some helpful information that should help explain some of the issues, as well as bringing together a list of the twelve best choices as recommended by professionals and real pet owners.

Comparison Table

Product

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Purina Pro Plan Focus Sensitive Skin & Stomach

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food

Iams Proactive Health

Purina Pro Plan FOCUS

Hill's Science Diet Wet Dog Food

Purina ONE SmartBlend

Royal Canin Maxi Nutrition

Blackwood Pet Food All Life Stages

Wellness Complete Health

CANIDAE All Life Stages

Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient

How We Chose the Best Foods for Dogs with Sensitive Stomachs

canine carry outs dogue-de-bordeaux-puppy-dogs-sweet-

Image via Pixabay

We went digging around, looking for the absolute best sensitive stomach dog food options. We looked through the reviews on sites like PetSmart, Petco, Chewy, Amazon, and others - as well as through lists of top rated foods given by professionals and veterinarians.

Our list brings together only the top-rated, highly ranked by real user options. Hopefully this will help you find the right choice for your pooch.

The Top 11 Best Sensitive Stomach Dog Food Choices

Below we’ve compiled the top 11 best dog foods for your best friend with a sensitive stomach.

The ingredients are selected carefully, and all of these should be gentile on their tummy and entire system.

Purina Pro Plan Focus

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Dog Food Salmon and Rice...
  • Oat meal is easily digestible and gentle on the digestive system
  • High protein formula, with real salmon as the first ingredient
  • Fortified with guaranteed live probiotics for digestive and immune health

Purina offers a highly rated sensitive stomach dog food that’s for adults. It can also help dogs suffering from sensitive skin. The number one ingredient in this product is real salmon, which means the food provides a high level of protein that will help your dog develop lean muscles.

The food features oatmeal, which is an easy to digest source of carbohydrates, so your dog will have fewer stomach troubles. This food also includes Omega 3 fatty acids to help give support to your dog’s mobility and joint health.

Other important nutritional values in this dog food include zinc and omega 6 fatty acids so that your dog will be able to have great skin and a healthy coat that is shiny. This product is manufactured in facilities based in the U.S. In this dog food, there’s no corn, soy, wheat, or artificial colors.

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Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Sensitive Stomach & Skin,...
  • This adult dry dog food promotes digestive health while nourishing skin
  • A source of prebiotic fiber to support a balanced gut microbiome in your grown dog
  • This dog food is formulated to be highly digestible for optimal nutrient absorption & easier stool pick-up

Hill’s Science offers a highly rated brand of sensitive stomach dog food that is for adult dogs, which also happens to be great for sensitive skin.This food features a unique blend that is a balanced meal while remaining gentle on the stomach.

The food features important nutritional elements such as antioxidants, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Omega-6 fatty acids to ensure your dog is healthy and happy. This food is produced at a facility in the USA and is made from high-quality and natural ingredients

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Iams Proactive Health

DISCONTINUED BY MANUFACTURER: IAMS ProActive Health Sensitive Skin &...
  • Contains one (1) 19 pounds bag of IAMS PROACTIVE HEALTH Adult Dry Food Grain Free Recipe with Real Chicken and Peas
  • Farm-raised chicken is the first ingredient to help support strong muscles in adult dogs
  • Grain free recipe with no corn, wheat, or soy: tailored for dogs with grain sensitivities

Another highly recommended option to consider is Iams ProActive sensitive stomach dog food. This food is designed to help dogs who have both skin and digestive issues. The first ingredient that’s used in this is chicken, while other ingredients include salmon, vegetables, fruits, and lentils. This food gives your dog a 100 percent balanced meal.

The food has been enhanced with minerals, vitamins, omegas and antioxidants in order to help support your dog’s overall health.  This is a product which proudly no grains, chicken by-product meal, wheat, corn, soy, or artificial ingredients.

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Purina Pro Plan FOCUS

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Dog Food Pate, Sensitive...
  • Twelve (12) 13 oz. Cans - Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Dog Food Pate, Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon...
  • High protein dog food made with real salmon for a taste dogs love and easily digestible rice, which is gentle on the...
  • Natural prebiotic fiber in our salmon and rice dog food formula nourishes specific intestinal bacteria for digestive...

Another highly rated option you should consider is Purina Pro Plan Focus for Sensitive Skin and Stomachs. The main ingredients in this wet food are salmon and rice.

This food has been crafted specially so that your dog can easily digest it. It features linoleic acid, which is an omega fatty acid that helps your dog’s skin and coat.

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Hill's Science Diet Wet Dog Food

Hill's Science Diet Wet Dog Food, Adult, Sensitive Stomach & Skin,...
  • Delicious wet dog food formulated for optimal digestive and skin health
  • Easily digestible, grain-free dog food with natural fibers for improved stool pickup
  • Supports healthy skin and coat with omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E

Another option is look at is Hill’s Science Diet Adult for Sensitive Stomach and Skin. This is another product which is made with high quality ingredients and does not use any potentially unhealthy preservatives and artificial flavors.

Instead, your dog will get to eat salmon which provides the high-quality protein he needs to build and maintain strong muscles.

The vegetables in the food help give your dog an easy time with digesting because of all of the natural fibers. This food includes such helpful nutrients as omega fatty acids, Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

This food is recommended for dogs who are between the ages of one and six years old.

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Purina ONE SmartBlend

Purina ONE Natural, Sensitive Stomach Dry Dog Food, +Plus Skin & Coat...
  • Sensitive skin dog food made with real salmon as the #1 ingredient to help support strong muscles, including a healthy...
  • A SmartBlend of high-quality ingredients in this adult dog food, along with vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids, promotes...
  • Purina ONE Skin & Coat dog food includes four antioxidant sources for a strong immune system and natural glucosamine...

Purina offers their own sensitive stomach dog food called SmartBlend Sensitive System Formula for adult dogs. This is a quality food with the first ingredient of real salmon. This is coupled with other high-quality ingredients to help ensure your dog is getting the nutrients she needs.

The kibble is designed with a crunchy texture that helps clean your dog’s gums and teeth as she chews. The healthy ingredients also provide important nutrients like antioxidants, glucosamine, Omega 3 fatty acids, and Vitamin E.

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Royal Canin Maxi Nutrition

Royal Canin Large Digestive Care Dry Dog Food, 30 lb bag
  • FOR LARGE DOGS WITH SENSITIVE STOMACHS: Royal Canin Large Digestive Care Dry Dog Food is formulated for large dogs 15...
  • HEALTHY DIGESTION: Optimal blend of highly digestible proteins, prebiotics, and dietary fibers promotes healthy...
  • OPTIMAL STOOL: Aids digestion and supports a balanced intestinal flora that also promotes optimal stool quality

The Royal Canin Maxi Sensitive Digestion dry dog food is another great choice for your dog with a sensitive stomach. This is a dog food is intended for dogs that are over fifteen months old, and weigh between 56 and 99 pounds.

This product is made from high quality ingredients and is designed to support your dog’s digestive health by providing him with a high-quality source of protein. It’s also designed to help promote a balanced intestinal flora, so they will have a regular system. This dog food also promotes healthy skin and shiny coat.

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Blackwood Pet Food All Life Stages

Blackwood Pet Food 22300 All Life Stages, Special Diet, Sensitive...
  • FAMILY OWNED & MADE IN USA – Our pet food is proudly made in the USA. We put only the finest ingredients into our...
  • SENSITIVE SKIN AND STOMACH DOG FOOD - Slow cooked and handcrafted with the natural goodness of salmon, brown rice,...
  • GREAT TASTING, OPTIMAL NUTRITION FOR ALL LIFE STAGES – Blackwood Dog Food is ideal for all breeds and is nutritionally...

Blackwood offers a sensitive stomach dog food that’s made from salmon and brown rice. This food has wholesome ingredients to ensure that your dog gets the maximum amount of nutrition in every bowl of food. The food features probiotics to help aid your dog’s stomach in digestion.

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Wellness Complete Health

Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food with Grains, Made in USA with...
  • PROTEIN RICH ADULT DRY DOG FOOD: Nutritionally dense crunchy kibble with ingredients such as whitefish and sweet potato...
  • ALL NATURAL: Created by nutritionists, veterinarians and animal lovers, our recipes provide an ideal balance of nature's...
  • SUPPORTS HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM & COAT: Supported by antioxidants for strong immune systems, vitamins and calcium for...

Another possible sensitive stomach dog food to consider is Wellness Completes Health Natural Dry Dog Food. This is a health focused food balanced to meet your dog’s daily nutritional need. By using whitefish and sweet potato, it helps to make sure every bite is full of both good taste and good nutrition.

This food is made in the USA, backed by the Wellness guarantee, and is made from only premium all-natural ingredients. There’s no trace of soy, wheat, corn, meat by-products, or artificial ingredients.

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CANIDAE All Life Stages

Canidae All Life Stages Premium Dry Dog Food for All Breeds,...
  • Contains 1- 40 Lb. Bag of Canidae All Life Stages Multi-Protein Formula Chicken, Turkey and Lamb Meals Dry Dog Food
  • Nutritionally dense kibble that nourishes in every bite, crafted with chicken, turkey and lamb along with wholesome...
  • Complete and balanced goodness for all ages, breeds and sizes. One bag to feed them all, perfect for multi-dog homes

Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food is a dog food that’s great for dogs of all ages, from puppies to adults, and to seniors. This dog food formula is a veterinarian created, and can be given to dogs of every breed and size. It’s crafted from premium ingredients such as optimum protein from lamb meal. There is no trace of wheat, corn or soy in their natural recipe.

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Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient

Wellness Natural Pet Food Wellness Simple Natural Limited-Ingredient...
  • LIMITED INGREDIENT ADULT DOG FOOD: All natural, limited ingredient recipe crafted with a single source of protein from...
  • SUITABLE FOR DOGS WITH FOOD SENSITIVITIES & ALLERGIES: This limited ingredient recipe nourishes simply and completely,...
  • SUPPORTS DIGESTIVE HEALTH AND SKIN & COAT HEALTH: Contains natural prebiotics for a healthy digestive system, vitamins...

Wellness simple natural limited ingredient dry dog food is another good choice for those whose dogs have sensitive stomachs. It’s created to be a limited ingredient diet to help ensure every dog who eats it won’t be exposed to possible allergens and aggravating ingredients.

The idea behind this is that the fewer ingredients a dog has to digest, the less likely they are to have a negative reaction. The ingredients start with protein from high quality salmon, and mixes in easy to digest carbohydrates for your dog to have a balanced meal. There are no filler ingredients like wheat, or artificial additives.

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Issues and Symptoms of Canines with Sensitive Stomachs

Certain dogs have stomachs that are sensitive. While research has yet to discover the exact cause of dog stomach sensitivity, there has been evidence to suggest that there are genetic factors involved.

Also, a common thought is that if a dog has been used to eating only a single food and is given another food, they could find themselves naturally more sensitive to ingredients they have never eaten before.

While it is possible for a puppy to present symptoms, it is not more likely that an adult dog will present these issues.

Stomach sensitivity can manifest in a variety of symptoms. These symptoms can include:

  • Indigestion
  • Gassiness

Diet Options for Dogs with Sensitive Stomachs

If you own a dog who has stomach sensitivity, it’s important that they only consume food which is made of the highest quality ingredients that will be easy for them to digest.

Dog Food ingredients which have been known to be good for a dog with a sensitive stomach include:

  • Chicken
  • Rice
  • Corn
  • Cheese
  • Oatmeal
  • Yogurt

Although the foods listed above are great for avoiding stomach issues for a sensitive stomach, it’s still important to check and make sure your dog can handle such ingredients.

For those whose dogs suffer from very severe stomach issues, it’s important to take them to the vet for testing and treatment. It’s possible for a veterinarian to prescribe a specialized dog food to help your dog.

Natural Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs

If your dog begins to respond in a positive manner to the all-natural foods, then this is an indicator that what he is suffering from is a food allergy. Normal dog foods heavily feature additives, food coloring, and artificial preservatives which are known to irritate a dog’s stomach and intestinal lining.

Giving your dog foods with only natural ingredients are a safeguard against further stomach irritation.

While, of course, you could take the time to create all-natural dog food at home yourself, it is a time-consuming process. And most of us don’t have the time to research, cook, and experiment with a variety of ingredients and recipes. It’s much quicker and easier to purchase dog foods that we know are all-natural instead.

It’s important to always check the label of the dog food you buy, especially if it claims to be all-natural. Some of these do make false claims, stating that they’re natural, but when you look at the ingredients you find that they’re actually full of various ingredients like unhealthy artificial preservatives and colors. Also look for anything called BHA, ethoxyquin, or BHT.

Treats for Dogs with Sensitive Stomachs

Dog sniffing bowl of crackers on a table

Image via Pexels

If you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, it’s important to make sure she eats foods that help prevent her issues, and that her treats are easy on digestion as well.

Some suggestions for great treats for your dog with a sensitive stomach include:

  • Activated charcoal biscuits
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Apples

Some veggies and fruits are great for helping your dog’s sensitive stomach, but make sure you avoid the ones, like onions and garlic, that can actually cause harm.

Buyer’s Guidelines for Finding the Best Sensitive Stomach Dog Food Options

Dog eating fruits

Image  via Pexels.

Our list provides a variety of choices for dog foods that help pups with a sensitive stomach, but you can look for yourself, too. Try reading reviews to see how real dogs have liked the flavors and reacted to the ingredients in any given food.

Always make sure that the food you purchase for your dog has zero wheat, zero soy, zero corn, and absolutely no artificial coloring, flavoring, or preservatives. Go as natural as possible, and your dog’s sensitive stomach will hopefully improve dramatically.

Last update on 2023-04-14 at 23:26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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