3 Ways to Make a Healing Mash for Dogs with Diarrhea & Gas
If you own a dog at some point you are going to deal with stomach upset. When this happens to me, and anything serious (like an obstruction) is a ruled out, I do three things. First, I pull their food for 12-24 hours. It allows their system to “reset” and have a break. It also lessens the chance that they will vomit/have diarrhea. I make sure they are still drinking water (dehydration is a big concern with stomach upset) and check frequently to make sure their gums are still nice and pink-pale gums can be a sign of dehydration. Finally, I make up some sort of bland food to give them until they’ve recovered from whatever it is they got in to. There are a number of different combinations you can try, but the ingredients are the same.
Ingredients: 100% canned pumpkin, white rice, plain yogurt, and plain boiled chicken.
Why canned pumpkin: This is NOT the equivalent of pumpkin pie filling! We’re talking only pureed canned pumpkin here, nothing else added. It can help with diarrhea and will firm up soft/loose stool thanks to its high fiber content.
Why white rice: White rice is as bland as it gets, and it is also a source of soluble fiber. It absorbs water as it passes through the GI track, which will help harden stool and add bulk.
Why yogurt: Make sure that you have non-fat/low-fat PLAIN (not vanilla) live culture yogurt. Thanks to its natural probiotics, it can help restore the balance to your dog’s gut and get all the good bacteria thriving. This is particularly useful with gas.
Why plain boiled chicken: Boiled chicken, with no salt or anything added, can add a little substance to your dog’s diet if they are ready for it. It’s a good protein source, and very bland.
1. The Plain Mash
This is a good basic mash for dogs that turn up their nose at canned pumpkin or yogurt. Make sure the chicken is plain and that you just boil it. The added water makes this easy to eat and has the added bonus of getting some much needed fluid into your pups system. I have used this to great success with a number of my fosters and my own dogs as well.
You will need…
-boiled chicken, shredded
-white rice
-1/2 cup or so of warm water
Directions
Boil chicken and cook white rice. Shred the chicken into the cooked white rice, and add roughly ½ cup of warm water. Mix thoroughly, and feed to your dog in place of its usual meals. You can also feed this in smaller quantities throughout the day which can be easier for their gut to handle. In terms of amount, adjust based on your dog’s size. My 70 pound boxer gets about 1 cup of white rice with a ‘handful’ of shredded chicken and ½ cup of warm water.
2. The Sweet Mash
For milder cases of soft stool, this tasty mash can help solidify things thanks to the pumpkin, while ensuring the balance of bacteria gets back on track with the yogurt.
You will need…
-2 tablespoons plain live cultured yogurt
-1/4 can canned pureed pumpkin, no additives
Directions
Mix up 2 tablespoons of plain live cultured yogurt with ¼ can pureed pumpkin (again, pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.) Feed this in place of a regular meal, slowly introducing regular food over the course of several days.
3. Mish-Mash Mash
This is pretty much all the ingredients mashed into one! I suggest breaking the ingredients into simpler recipes first but if you (or your dog) are feeling up to a meal that involves more than just a few ingredients, this is a good one to try.
You will need…
-¼-1/2 cup 100% Canned Pumpkin
-½ cup white rice
-1-2 tablespoons unflavored plain live culture yogurt
-Plain boiled chicken, no salt
-¼ cup warm water
Directions
Boil a chicken and cook up ½ cup of white rice-I usually just cook large batches and keep the extra rice on hand in the refrigerator. Thoroughly mix ¼ cup of canned pumpkin and 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt into the rice, and then add about ¼ -1/2 cup chicken, torn into bits. Keep any extra chicken for the next few meals, and feed your mish-mash in place of regular meals until your dog’s tummy is back on track.
Please note: The amount of ingredients in these really are general-it will completely depend on the size of your pup. A yorkie will take less than a great dane and vice versa. Stick to the general ratios (or trust your eye,) it’s not an exact science.
When your dog starts to feel a little punky and has a bit of gas/diarrhea/vomiting it’s usually nothing to be alarmed about, and after ruling out anything serious, can be remedied with nothing more than a little break for the GI system and some mild meals. Do keep in mind that if your pup can’t keep down water a trip to the vet is often necessary to get fluids a.s.a.p., and that every dog will react differently. While these may work wonders for some dogs, if yours has an allergy to one of the foods, this won’t do a whole lot of good! All that being said, personal experience has taught me that these recipes can save your dog from tummy troubles (and save your carpets from a heck of a lot of nasty dog stains too.)
P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book with 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies
By Claire Goodall
Claire is a lover of life, the natural world, and wild blueberries. On the weekend you can find her fiddling in the garden, playing with her dogs, and enjoying the great outdoors with her horse. Claire is very open-minded, ask her anything 🙂 Meet ClaireWe Want to Hear from You! Let us know which remedies work and do not work for you, ask a question or leave a comment:
My West Highland White Terrier became susceptible to yeast infections as she aged. I found that eliminating rice, oats, grains of any kind, honey, and sugar from her diet greatly helped her. Therefore, I do not ever want to feed her rice. However, I might consider giving her rice to help her get over vomiting and diarrhea.
What about whole grain rice instead of the white rice to help with vomiting and/or diarrhea?/ Whole grain rice seems it would be far more nourishing than white rice.
White rice has no fiber whereas whole grain rice has fiber so I do not understand your comment about white rice having fiber when it is clear that white race has zero fiber.
I make my own dog food for years and my vet told me dogs systems can’t digest or break down brown or other kinds of rice other than white. Their systems are different than humans in this way, as plain white is the most gentil on their tummies.
I love these suggestions! I have a 7 year old boxer (Mako!) who recently had a big scare with some awful gas. He was in so much pain that we initially thought the worst, gastric torsion, and rushed him to the vet after a few tablespoons of Pepto did nothing for him. Luckily, it was just gas due to constipation and inflammation. We decided to make him a homemade chicken soup with carrots and white rice the next day. Simply, boiled down some chicken breasts in plain water, added a few large carrots chopped into bite sized chunks and boiled some white rice on the side to add in. He loved it and it helped get him back to normal within 2 days without having to medicate. I also heard that pumpkin is great for gas and/or constipation. I will definitely be stocking our pantry with a few cans!
I love this. Every once in a while, my 2 year old Staffordshire Terrior, Calliope, will have stomach troubles related to being a naturally curious dog. I always give her some pumpkin mixed with a little peanut butter (because she will eat anything with peanut butter in it) and Pepto. Works like a charm for loose bowels and tummy aches. And she loves it. Double win for mommy! She likes yogurt as well, but I have found that for her, it sometimes makes her gas and potty issues worse. Every dog is different I guess.
I make my own yogurt with live probiotics and swear by it. When I saw an add for probiotics for pets I started giving my animals a spoon of yogurt with dinner every night and it has totally taken care of the gurgles and gas that my boy had! Something to be said for what they are not getting in their overly processed food!
Great idea Susan! Should do this with my kitties too!
Chicken is not good for dogs especially allergic dogs. The next best thing is boiled beef, not chicken.
Could this be used for cats as welll?
My bulldogs were on a diet similar to this for allergies. One meal was canned pumpkin, pork, and pinto beans. The other option was sweet pototoes and white fish, Before we had the official “diet” they ate just white rice and raw chicken for several months to identify their allergies!
I am curious about the portions of pumpkin, pinto beans and pork you used. I am looking at using the same diet for my German Shepherd who has serious allergies. The dermatologist suggested the pinto bean and pumpkin diet to calm the system and eventually start food trials. The recipe they want me to use is 50/50 of pinto beans and canned pumpkin. Since she weighs 75 lbs, that is 4 cups beans and 4 cups pumpkin daily. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I really though 4 cups of pumpkin would be too much and cause a diarrhea problem. So I am curious on your portions.
Great ideas
I just love the pics of your dogs looking at the food on the counter. Thanks for sharing this! BTW, absolutely love the recipe for calamine lotion and plan on sharing it on my blog. 😀
My mom swears by chicken and plain white rice for doggie diarrhea, which I am about to try right now, but I decided to Google it to be safe. The photos of your dogs in the background made me laugh, what awesome pictures! 😀
Why not use the water from the cooked chicken as the added water in your recipes or to cook the rice in.
You can certainly use it! If I have a dog with a really tender tummy I try to keep it as bland as possible-e.g. no broth or stock such as you would get after cooking the chicken-however if it works for your pups it’s a great way to avoid any waste 🙂
Thank you Claire,
This post is very helpful. We have 4 dogs that are provided with a healthy diet as 3 of the dogs are working dogs. Sooner or later one of them gets into something that doesn’t agree with them and they have all gone through a bout of Diarrhea or sour stomach. Our working dogs are LGD’s (Livestock Guardian Dogs … Great Pyr, Aussie and an Anatolian Shepherd)
I give pumpkin seed powder to our goats for parasite control. Pumpkin is a great vermifuge and is very nutritional. I will start adding Pumpkin to the dogs food as well when it is needed.
Thank you again for a great post
Love that way to take care of my four legged kid
So do you fast the dog for 12-24 hours and then start the mash? I want sure. Thank you
I’m so glad I found your information on how to care for a dog’s upset stomach! Our two beagles and one coonhound all developed vomiting and diarrhea one week after a month of repairs and construction work going on in our home and throughout our neighborhood. We weren’t sure if they had a virus or nervous stomach. It started with one dog and then as he started to improve on rice and chicken, the other two dogs became sick by the weekend. We were in contact with our vet, and it looked they they would all have to go in Monday if they didn’t improve. I found your recipe for the plain pumpkin and plain yogurt added to the chicken and rice. The pumpkin and yogurt made a rapid improvement–overnight! I also changed the rice I was using from the soggy “boiling bag” type to the ready to microwave type. It’s faster and not so wet. Two of the dogs absolutely loved it — even after refrigerating the leftover portion. The other dog was more willing to try it cold, too, a day later. I have been cleaning up after them – indoors and out- meticulously in order to see if they’re improving and to prevent any further complications. The pumpkin and the yogurt must have made the biggest difference, because the chicken and rice alone were just not enough to help.
By the way, I found the canned pumpkin on the baking aisle. I had checked the canned vegetables/fruit aisle without any luck. It was with baking items, but was marked 100% pumpkin, no other ingredients. As for the whole recipe, I started each dog with a serving spoon amount in a custard cup. They thought it was a snack and were all eager for more! Thanks so much for posting this remedy! I will remember this one and pass it along to friends–and my vet!
I am so glad it helped!! It sounds like you’re doing a good job taking care of the problem. Those unknown bouts of stomach upset can be so frustrating-they are definitely a common occurrence at my house with all the foster dogs! Sounds like you have quite the pack of hounds on your hands 😉 hope they are all feeling 100% by now.
The pumpkin that u feed dogs is it the same can of Pumpkin u buy to make a pumpkin Pie?
My 3 month old Siberian Husky developed mild diarrhea so I made him a mash of pumpkin and plain yogurt after fasting him for 12 hours. His stool returned to normal right away. The next three days I started to add in his dog food with the mash little by little. His stool were normal. When he had diarrhea, he acted normal as well. He didn’t seem sick and acts like himself. His bowel movements didn’t increase either. He goes 2-3 a day as usual. As soon as I took him off the mash of yogurt and pumpkin, his mild diarrhea came right back. I took him to the vet. Test were done and came back negative. He vet reccomended flagyl to be sure but as soon as he goes off for a day his diarrhea comes back. Can anyone put in some insight on what is causing my puppy to have diarrhea? I have a theory that he is eating to fast and swallows his food whole and I’ve tried some stuff to slow him down but nothing is working. He seems very heathy too. No weight lost either. Any insights on this situation? I’m sure many of y’all been there and worried about a young puppy when things like this happens, I want to find out what is wrong with him because I do not want his healthy at risk. I planned on taking him to the vet again but I feel like my vet is guessing because he doesn’t know what’s wrong
Sounds like maybe a food allergy. Try switching to a different food slowly mixing the new food into the old food, a little more each day over a week or so. I’m not a vet, but my dogs definitely have issues with certain dog foods and their dyes/ingredients.
Love the pics of the boxers as I have one of my own! so adorable!
I lOVE this recipe for the pumpkin doggie treats. I make them often. They are so easy to make and my Beagle (Pismo) just adores them! He knows when I am making them and just hangs around the kitchen, waiting for them to cool so he can have some. Thank you for the Pumpkin ideas. Luckily, Pismo loves plain pumpkin. When his tummy is upset, he will eat plain pumpkin. It fixes him right up! Lots of times, I will just put a tablespoon in with his regular food to keep him, well, regular. 🙂
Love the pics of your boxers. Adorable! Thanks so much for sharing!
Estelle Stone
Glad you found it helpful! Also, Pismo is an AWESOME name 😀
I found using the medium to short grain rice helps with digestion better also.
My vet said boiled chicken for dog direaha just gave to my tonight hope this works. If not will be adding pumpkin. Thank you for your post
Chicken and white rice I ment
I keep seeing people are feeding dogs chicken n rice. What kind of rice. Minute rice or a certain brand?
The all in one combination works right away with my puppy, he had gotten into some milk and had bad liquid diahrea the poor thing worked over night still giving it to him and his pooped have form again!! So happy thank you for this by the way 🙂
My wolfdog pup (Dad-timber wolf/malamute and Mom- timber wolf/german shepherd) Skye just turned 1 year old 5 days ago has diarrhea and weight loss. She is still very playful and her appetite is still great (she loves to eat). I just found this site and immediately went out and got 2 big cans of the 100% pumpkin, I have just gave her the first “dose” of pumpkin mixed with 1 packet of probiotics for dogs. I have purchased the canister of the probiotics for dogs and a bottle of anti diarrhea medicine for dogs which didn’t seem to do anything for her. I have been giving her boiled chicken with rice for meals for the past day and a half. I had been feeding her Blue Buffalo – Wilderness since I got her at a month old which seemed to be doing great with her stomach until a few weeks ago, I then did research on that brand and found there are A Lot of dogs getting diarrhea from that food so I switched her food, her stool firmed up a bit and now is like very soft pudding with gas and weight loss. I am so worried about her but was told that as long as she is still playful and willing to eat, I don’t need to take her to the vet (which is very hard to find one in my area that handles wolves/wolf hybrids). I give her her vaccines.
Could there be something seriously wrong with her that I would need to demand my local vet to see her?
Open to any and all comments as I want the best for her. I am to the point of wanting to feeding her all raw or home cooked diet. Please help me! Thank you.
Karen
Since the soft stools and diarrhea return after returning to the regular diet, I would suggest a possible food allergy and/or GI upset. If her stomach sounds like an endless volley of “zingers” after she eats, definitely a GI upset. If that’s the case, you really need to get the food straightened out. GI upset with an unchecked inflammatory process, can lead to serious health issues. If a regular vet doesn’t see this as a problem, I would get a second opinion from a animal dermatology veterinarian. Have you tried a Limited Ingredients Diet. I have an 8 year old German Shepherd who has been intolerant and allergic to all commercial diets for 8 years now. I home-cook her food. I have her on a novel protein of Rabbit. She finally developed a low-level allergy to the rabbit which caused a very, very serious entire GI tract inflammation. Her small intestine was very inflamed nd now we have early stage IBD. I now have her on a non-animal protein diet of Soy to help calm the system down and start food trials again. What I should have been doing was to find a second protein for her and rotate those foods every 3-6 months to avoid an allergic development. I would not waist time getting help with your little fur baby.
Boarded my dogs for a week, and my English Bulldog came home with explosive diarrhea. Inhave been feeding him Chicken & Rice for 3 days, and after reading your post, I am going to add pumpkin and yogurt into the mix today.
I have a question, though. How do you reintroduce their regular diet back in?
I have a teacup yorkie that has had a bowel problem for the last 4 months or longer. We have made numerous trips to the vet and have tried all kinds of medicine even had a stomach biopsy done which came back negative. Can someone suggest something I can do or try to help her. She weighs 4 lbs and is still very active like nothing is wrong with her. All help is greatly appreciated
Oh boy, there can be so many causes of this stuff. What exactly is she suffering from? Loose stool? I am not a vet but from my experience I’d try gradually switching her food if possible-my pup has allergies and used to get a terribly upset stomach from it. They can outgrow allergies, or develop them later in life. Sometimes when you’re searching for a complicated answer, the simple stuff like that gets overlooked 😉
Otherwise, if her stool sample came back free of any worms or parasites, you could try a probiotic in “pure” form. I’ll use one sometimes called fortiflora and just sprinkle it over the boy’s food if their stomachs are off and need help getting back in balance. I hope this helps a little, I know how frustrating these problems can be! (as a side note-i’d watch closely to make sure she isn’t eating anything outside if she goes out in a yard. Sometimes weird plants can crop up etc.)
I just made this for my 5 month old boxer Mimzy. She eats, gasp gag, poop along with anything else left unattended. She is energetic with loose stools. I am hoping this does the trick. She loved it and I let my 5 year old french bulldog Moo eat it too. She tends to get impacted anal glands and I can’t help but think this will be good for her too. I am feeding them Blue Buffalo Wild normally. How long should I keep this up? I am considering the pumpkin as a regular add to the dry food, once Mimzy is feeling better. She has kept us up at night needing to go out every two hours with loose bowels. I am feeling very fortunate that at her young age she alerts. We treated for all parasites and worms previous to this and I have not noticed any of the worms she came home with. My little loves are so precious to us. Thank you for the recipe. Wish me luck.
Nice to hear that everyone is finding this mash helpful for their dogs. I’ve been looking online on many websites and found this recipe consistently to be helpful for others. My dog trainer, however, suggested rather than white rice that I use oatmeal instead. So I’ve been using cooked oatmeal, boiled chicken, a spoon of pumpkin, and a spoon of plain yogurt for my lil 4 lb yorkie. It’s been working for my little guy so far 🙂
Can I use plain, nonfat Greek yogurt?
Greyhound, poodle and labradoodle. Labradoodle suffers yeast infections in ears so I avoid grains, including cheap loaf from supermarket.
More expensive fresh loaf contains selected cereals, another said bran, very vague.
Was cooking chicken carcasses which I would shred with a handblender. Used to then cook pasta in the broth, but learnt of the yeast problems. So then I tried rice, but noticed it passed straight through, which is a waste of money if it has no nutritional value.
Effectively what I want is something that fills them up and is nutritional and avoid yeast infections.
Know that yoghurt is good for bad breath, but good to know it’s also good for gas and gurgles. Ronnie – I use plain, nonfat Greek yogurt? Probably the best other than full fat or natural.
Another silly question – can actual pumpkin be used.