What to Feed a Dog With an Upset or Sensitive Stomach

For an occasional upset stomach, bland foods like plain boiled chicken and rice, canned pumpkin, and a little bone broth can help settle things within a day or two. For an ongoing sensitive stomach, look for an everyday food that's genuinely easy to digest: high-quality protein, moderate fat, added fiber, and no artificial fillers. If symptoms last more than a couple of days, or come with lethargy, blood, or repeated vomiting, skip the home remedies and call your vet.

Tummy troubles are one of the most common things pet parents ask us about, and "upset stomach" and "sensitive stomach" usually call for different playbooks. This guide covers both: what to feed for a short-term flare-up, what a good everyday diet looks like, what to avoid, and when to call the vet.

What's the Difference Between an Upset Stomach and a Sensitive Stomach?

An upset stomach is usually a short, one-off event with a findable trigger: a new treat, a trash-can raid, a stressful car ride, a fast food swap. A sensitive stomach is more of a pattern: recurring gas, loose stools, or vomiting that keeps showing up, often tied to an everyday ingredient, protein, or fat level that doesn't agree with your dog.

	Upset Stomach (Acute)	Sensitive Stomach (Chronic)
Typical duration	A day or two	Weeks, months, or an ongoing pattern
Usual trigger	Something specific: new food, stress, a scavenged snack	An everyday ingredient, protein, or fat level
First step	A short bland-food reset, rest, and hydration	A longer-term diet change to something more digestible
When to call the vet	Vomiting or diarrhea past 24 to 48 hours, blood, lethargy	Symptoms that keep returning no matter what you try

Both deserve the same starting point: rule out anything serious, then look at food.

What Are the Signs of an Upset or Sensitive Stomach in Dogs?

Dogs can't tell you their stomach hurts, so it helps to know what to watch for:

• Vomiting or regurgitating food
• Diarrhea or unusually soft stools
• Constipation or straining to go
• Loud gurgling or rumbling from the belly
• Excessive gas
• Loss of appetite or picking at food
• Low energy or acting unusually tired
• Drooling more than normal

One or two of these after a known trigger, like a new treat, usually isn't cause for alarm. The same signs showing up again and again, especially vomiting or diarrhea without an obvious cause, are worth mentioning to your vet.

What Causes an Upset or Sensitive Stomach in Dogs?

A handful of things tend to be behind most cases:

• Diet and sudden food changes. Switching foods too quickly, new treats, or table scraps can throw off digestion, even with a good food.
• Food allergies or intolerances. Some dogs react to specific proteins, often chicken, beef, or dairy. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, allergies involve the immune system, while intolerances are a digestive issue affecting only the gut.
• Low-quality ingredients. Fillers, artificial additives, and unclear protein sources can be harder to digest and more likely to trigger a reaction.
• Eating something they shouldn't. Curious dogs get into trash, grass, and other things that aren't food, any of which can irritate the stomach.
• Stress and anxiety. Per the American Kennel Club, routine changes, loud noises, and separation anxiety can show up as digestive upset, not just behavior changes.
• Underlying health issues. Infections, parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, and pancreatitis can all cause ongoing stomach problems, which is why a recurring pattern deserves a vet visit rather than repeated food swaps.

What Should You Feed a Dog With an Upset or Sensitive Stomach?

For a short-term flare-up, bland and simple is the goal:

• Plain boiled, unseasoned chicken and rice
• Canned pumpkin or cooked, mashed sweet potato
• Real bone broth, which adds hydration along with natural collagen and amino acids that support gut comfort
• Small amounts of peeled apple (no seeds) or cooked green beans

For an everyday diet, the goal shifts from "bland" to "genuinely easy to digest, every day":

Often Helps	Often Hurts
Named, high-quality protein	Vague "meat by-products"
Moderate fat content	High-fat diets and fatty table scraps
Added fiber (sweet potato, pumpkin)	Low-quality fillers like corn, soy, or wheat
Whole-food, human-grade ingredients	Artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
A protein your dog already tolerates well	Dairy (most adult dogs are lactose intolerant)

Fresh, human-grade dog food is built around this list by default: real meat, fiber-rich vegetables, and none of the starchy fillers that slow digestion down.

Why Is Fresh, Gently Cooked Food Easier to Digest Than Kibble or Canned?

Texture and processing matter as much as ingredients do.

	Kibble	Canned	Fresh, Gently Cooked
Moisture content	Low	High	High
Processing	High-heat extrusion	High-heat, shelf-stable processing	Gently cooked at lower temperatures (sous-vide)
Common additives	Fillers and preservatives common	Preservatives and additives common	Whole-food ingredients, no fillers

Higher moisture content is generally easier on digestion and hydration, and gentler cooking preserves more of a food's natural nutrients than high-heat extrusion or canning does.

Digestibility is the clearest way to measure this: the percentage of nutrients in a food a dog's body actually absorbs, versus what passes through unused. A Pup Above fresh food is up to 50% more digestible than standard kibble: third-party testing puts A Pup Above's gently cooked, human-grade recipes at 93%+ digestible, against published kibble digestibility as low as 64% (Gross et al., Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th ed., Mark Morris Institute, 2020). That level of digestibility is part of why fresh food is often chosen for a sensitive stomach as an everyday diet. For more, see our guide to highly digestible dog food or the full fresh food vs. kibble comparison.

What Ingredients Should You Avoid for a Sensitive Stomach?

Beyond the table above, a few specific culprits come up often: unnamed by-products (which vary in quality and are tougher to digest than a named, whole protein), synthetic colors and preservatives (natural options like vitamin E are gentler), and high-fat foods or fatty table scraps (harder to digest and linked to a higher risk of pancreatitis). If your dog reacts to one specific protein, often chicken, beef, or lamb, a novel protein like turkey, fish, or pork may be worth trying under your vet's guidance.

Some ingredients are not a digestion question at all but a safety one, and they are worth knowing before you cook anything for your dog at home. Onions, garlic, chives, and leeks are all in the allium family, and all of them are toxic to dogs whether raw, cooked, or powdered; they damage red blood cells and can cause anemia, and garlic is the most potent of the group by weight. That rules out most broths, stocks, gravies, and seasoned leftovers from a human kitchen, since onion or garlic powder is in nearly all of them. Grapes and raisins, xylitol, chocolate, macadamia nuts, and alcohol are off the list too (American Veterinary Medical Association). If you are putting together a plain, protein-rich meal for a dog with a sensitive stomach, the safest version is genuinely boring: one named, cooked protein and a simple starch, with no seasoning at all.

If allergies or itchy skin are part of the picture too, our skin and food allergies guide and hypoallergenic dog food guide go deeper on elimination diets and triggers.

How Do You Switch Foods Without Upsetting Your Dog's Stomach?

A sudden switch is one of the most common, and most avoidable, causes of an upset stomach. The American Kennel Club recommends starting a new food at roughly 80 to 90 percent old food and 10 to 20 percent new food, then shifting that ratio gradually over about 10 days. Dogs with sensitive stomachs often do better with an even slower transition, closer to two to three weeks.

For a full week-by-week schedule, see our food transition guide.

What Else Helps a Dog's Upset Stomach Naturally?

A few supportive habits go a long way alongside the right food:

• Probiotics. These support a healthy balance of gut bacteria; ask your vet about a high-quality supplement.
• Hydration. Offer fresh water often, and consider diluted bone broth if your dog needs encouragement to drink. See our hydration tips for more.
• Rest and tracking. A calm space to recover, plus a note of any changes in stool color, consistency, or frequency, gives your vet useful information if things don't improve.
• Skipping human medications. Don't give over-the-counter human medications without your vet's sign-off. The American Veterinary Medical Association warns that several common ones are unsafe for dogs.

When Should You Call the Vet?

Home care is appropriate for a mild, short-lived upset stomach. It's time to call your vet if symptoms last more than a day or two, keep coming back, or show up alongside anything more serious.

"Contact your veterinarian if your dog's gas is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, lethargy, or loss of appetite." Katie Grzyb, DVM, writing for PetMD

The same guidance holds for an upset or sensitive stomach generally: occasional, mild symptoms are common, but a pattern, or any single severe episode, is worth a professional opinion rather than a guess.

Which A Pup Above Recipe Is Best for a Sensitive Stomach?

There's no single best protein for every dog, but a few things make a recipe more likely to sit well. Start with the Sensitive Stomach collection, or one of these:

• The Sensitive Stomach bundle pairs two gentle, grain-inclusive recipes, chicken and turkey, chosen for being lower in fat and easy to digest (also available in a 7lb size for bigger or multi-dog households).
• Single-protein recipes from the full fresh dog food lineup make it easier to identify a trigger protein if you're troubleshooting.
• The sampler pack is a lower-commitment way to see how your dog responds before committing to a bigger bag.

Every recipe is human-grade, gently cooked, and made with real bone broth, without the fillers or by-products that tend to be hardest on a sensitive stomach. Across A Pup Above's full lineup, that's reflected in a 4.9 out of 5 rating across 1,081 Okendo reviews as of September 2026, and digestion, stool, and diarrhea are among the most common themes across the brand's 1,212 approved reviews (59 combined mentions). Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz for a recommendation based on your dog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dog food for a dog with a sensitive stomach?

Look for an easily digestible recipe with named, high-quality protein, moderate fat, added fiber, and no artificial additives or unnecessary fillers. Fresh, gently cooked, human-grade food tends to be easier to digest than heavily processed kibble because it's made with fewer, whole-food ingredients.

What can I feed my dog at home for an upset stomach?

For a short flare-up, plain boiled chicken and rice, canned pumpkin or cooked sweet potato, and a little bone broth are gentle, easy-to-digest options while things settle. Skip the seasoning, and check in with your vet if symptoms last more than a day or two.

Can a sensitive stomach cause diarrhea in dogs?

Yes. Diarrhea is one of the most common signs of a sensitive stomach, along with loose stools, gas, and occasional vomiting. Diarrhea lasting more than 24 to 48 hours, or that includes blood or lethargy, is a reason to call the vet rather than wait it out.

Is fresh dog food easier to digest than kibble?

Generally, yes. Fresh, gently cooked food uses whole ingredients and less processing than kibble, which often relies on high-heat extrusion and fillers. That combination tends to be gentler on sensitive digestive systems, though it's still worth transitioning slowly, since any abrupt change can cause upset on its own.

How long does it take to improve a dog's sensitive stomach with a new food?

Some dogs improve within a few days of a properly managed transition; others take a few weeks before you can judge whether a new food is right. A slow switch, closer to two to three weeks for sensitive dogs, tends to make the process smoother.

Can a sensitive stomach cause skin problems too?

It can. Food sensitivities that upset a dog's stomach often show up as itchy skin, ear irritation, or a dull coat at the same time, since diet affects both systems. If your dog has stomach and skin symptoms together, our skin and allergies guide is a good next stop.

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Sources: Adverse Reactions to Food in Dogs (VCA Animal Hospitals) · How to Tell If Your Dog Is Stressed (American Kennel Club) · Bone Broth for Dogs (American Kennel Club) · Best Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs (American Kennel Club) · Probiotics for Dogs (American Kennel Club) · Household Hazards (American Veterinary Medical Association) · Why Your Dog Farts and What to Do About It (Katie Grzyb, DVM, PetMD) · Gross et al., Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th ed. (Mark Morris Institute, 2020), cited for digestibility data · A Pup Above verified customer review data via Okendo, pulled August 2026: digestion/stool/diarrhea theme cited in 59 combined mentions across 1,212 approved reviews; 4.9/5 aggregate rating across 1,081 reviews per live product-page schema, as of September 2026