A sick dog with an upset stomach does best on a simple bland diet of boiled white rice and plain boiled chicken breast, mixed at a ratio of about 75% rice to 25% chicken. This combination is low in fat and fiber, easy to digest, and gentle enough to let an irritated stomach recover. Most mild cases of vomiting or diarrhea resolve within a day or two on this approach, but knowing the details of preparation, portion sizes, and when to worry makes the difference between a smooth recovery and a worsening situation.
Start With a Short Fast
If your dog is actively vomiting, withhold food for up to 24 hours to let the stomach settle. During this time, limit water access to small amounts so your dog doesn’t gulp down a full bowl and immediately throw it back up. Offer a few tablespoons of water every 30 minutes instead.
Once vomiting has stopped for 12 to 24 hours, you can introduce tiny amounts of bland food. Start with about a teaspoonful and wait to see if it stays down before offering more. Puppies dehydrate much faster than adult dogs, so a young dog that vomits more than once or twice should skip the at-home fasting approach and go straight to a vet.
The Standard Bland Diet
The go-to recipe is boiled white rice mixed with plain boiled chicken breast, no skin, no bones, no seasoning. Use a 75/25 split: three parts rice to one part shredded chicken. White rice is key here, not brown. Brown rice has more fiber, which is the opposite of what an irritated gut needs. The whole point of a bland diet is to slow stool production and give the digestive system a break.
If your dog can’t tolerate chicken or has a known food allergy, you have several protein substitutions that work just as well: boiled pork loin, plain egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese, 7% lean ground beef, or plain low-fat yogurt. For the carbohydrate, boiled white potatoes or even plain cooked pasta can replace rice. The principle stays the same: one simple starch, one lean protein, nothing else.
When a food allergy is the suspected cause of the stomach trouble in the first place, the goal shifts. You want a “novel protein,” meaning something your dog has never eaten before. This could be venison, pork, or another protein that hasn’t been part of their regular diet. In cases of chronic digestive inflammation, your vet may recommend a prescription diet with specially processed proteins that are less likely to trigger a reaction.
How Much to Feed
Split the day’s total into four to six small meals rather than one or two large ones. Smaller portions are easier on a recovering stomach. Here’s a general guide based on your dog’s weight:
- Under 5 lbs: about ½ cup total per day
- 5 to 15 lbs: ½ to ¾ cup per day
- 16 to 30 lbs: 1 to 1½ cups per day
- 31 to 50 lbs: 1½ to 2 cups per day
- 51 to 75 lbs: 2 to 3 cups per day
- 76 to 99 lbs: 3 to 4 cups per day
- Over 100 lbs: 4 to 5 cups per day
These are total daily amounts. If you’re feeding six small meals to a 40-pound dog, that’s roughly ⅓ cup per meal.
Keeping Your Dog Hydrated
Dehydration is the real danger when a dog is vomiting or having diarrhea. Plain water is the first priority, but a dog that feels nauseous may refuse to drink. You can make water more appealing by adding a splash of low-sodium chicken broth (with no onion or garlic in the ingredients).
Pet-specific electrolyte solutions are another option and are formulated differently from human sports drinks. They have lower sugar content and mineral ratios designed for a dog’s system. Look for versions that are sugar-free or very low in sugar, since excess sugar can cause its own digestive problems in dogs. Some come as powders you mix into cool (not ice-cold) water, and many are flavored with chicken or other tastes dogs find appealing. These can be especially helpful if your dog has had multiple bouts of diarrhea and is losing fluids faster than plain water can replace them.
Pumpkin for Diarrhea
Plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices) is a well-known home remedy for loose stools. The soluble fiber in pumpkin absorbs water in the gut and helps firm things up. Add 1 to 4 tablespoons to your dog’s bland meal, adjusting based on your dog’s size. Start on the lower end and increase if needed. It can also help with mild constipation, since the fiber works in both directions to normalize stool consistency.
What to Avoid Completely
When your dog is sick, the biggest mistakes happen with well-meaning additions. Here’s what to keep out of anything you prepare:
- Onions and garlic: toxic to dogs even in small amounts, and they show up in most store-bought broths and seasoning blends
- Butter, oil, or fatty trimmings: fat is the hardest macronutrient for a sick stomach to process and can trigger pancreatitis in some dogs
- Salt and seasonings: excess sodium stresses the kidneys and can worsen dehydration
- Dairy in large amounts: many dogs are lactose intolerant, which makes diarrhea worse (small amounts of low-fat cottage cheese or plain yogurt are usually tolerated)
- Bones of any kind: splintering is a choking and perforation risk even when a dog is healthy
If you’re buying pre-made broth, read the label carefully. Most brands marketed for humans contain onion powder, garlic, or high sodium levels. Look for broths specifically labeled for pets, or make your own by boiling chicken breast in plain water.
Transitioning Back to Regular Food
Once your dog has had normal stools for two to three days on the bland diet, it’s time to reintroduce their regular food. Don’t switch back all at once. A sudden change can restart the whole cycle of stomach upset.
The standard approach takes about seven days. Start by replacing roughly 25% of the bland diet with your dog’s normal food, keeping the other 75% as rice and chicken. Over the next several days, gradually increase the proportion of regular food while decreasing the bland portion. By day seven, your dog should be back on their normal diet entirely. If loose stools or vomiting return at any point during the transition, drop back to the last ratio that worked and hold there for another day or two before moving forward again.
Signs That Need Veterinary Attention
A bland diet is appropriate for mild, short-lived stomach upset. It is not a substitute for veterinary care when something more serious is going on. Take your dog to a vet if you notice any of the following: vomiting or diarrhea that continues beyond 48 hours, blood in the vomit or stool, refusal to eat or drink anything, noticeable lethargy or depression, or any suspicion that your dog swallowed a foreign object like a sock, toy, or bone fragment.
Unvaccinated puppies with gastrointestinal symptoms are always an emergency. Parvovirus can cause fatal dehydration within 24 hours without supportive care. Even vaccinated puppies dehydrate faster than adults, so more than one or two episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in a young dog warrants a vet visit rather than a wait-and-see approach at home.