If your dog has a serious illness or is recovering from surgery or an accident, their nutritional needs will be different from when you have a healthy pup. Diarrhea, vomiting, and a decreased appetite can make getting your dog the right nutrients a real challenge. At True Care for Pets, our veterinary team recommends giving your pet a variety of foods designed to be easy on the stomach while affording the most nutrients in a small serving. Every bite counts when you’re trying to build up your dog’s strength, so make every one count.
Recovery Food for Dogs
After an emergency visit, our veterinarian team often advises pet owners to feed their dogs a mild diet, full of solid nutrients but very easy on the digestion. Some of the more common foods our team recommends are:
- Chicken and rice: These two ingredients are very easy for dogs to digest, and are the prime ingredients in many commercial dog foods. This mixture will give your dog the protein and carbs needed for recovery.
- Sweet Potato: Full of healthy fiber and vitamins that dogs need, most pets consider sweet potatoes a treat. Bake or boil the sweet potatoes without any seasoning, then mash and scoop them into balls before freezing. Your pet will perk up when you feed them these veggie treats.
- Bone Broth: Trendy for humans now, bone broth is very healthy and a tempting treat for the sickest dog. Boil beef, chicken, or turkey bones, simmering on the lowest setting overnight for up to 24 hours. Refrigerate, scoop off the hard fat layer on top, then serve the jelled broth after heating a bit to liquify it.
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin has much of the same nutrients as sweet potatoes do, and has the added bonus of often regulating a dog’s digestive system. If you want to give canned pumpkin (only two to four tablespoons), make sure it’s solid pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Baby Food: Our emergency vets often recommend giving sick and recovering dogs baby food because it’s found with a wide variety of protein recipes without the spices, garlic, or onion that most human preparations have. It’s easy to keep on hand and very simple to feed even the sickest dog.
Schedule an Appointment with your True Care for Pets Vet
Caring for sick or recovering dogs or cats can be a challenge, and even more so when you can’t contact your regular veterinarian. In our emergency animal hospital, we’re here for any pet emergency when your usual clinic is closed. For any accident or emergency illness, bring your pet to our ER right away.