Homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs: hake with potato

Homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs: hake with potato, carrot and rice, low in fat and very gentle. For everyday feeding, not for a bout of diarrhea.

Time
40 min + 10 min resting
Makes
About 1.3 kg / 2.9 lb (2 days for a 10 kg / 22 lb dog)
Type
Main meal
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs: hake with potato
The recipe at a glance
  • 41 % hake, boneless
  • 27 % peeled potato
  • 20 % white rice
  • 10 % carrot

Follows THE RULE. All 6 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.

If your dog has a delicate stomach (frequent soft stools, gas, the odd bout of vomiting when you change their food), this homemade dog food for sensitive stomachs is designed for them: steamed hake, a mild white fish, with potato, carrot and a little rice, all well cooked and very low in fat. It's an everyday meal, not a bland diet for acute diarrhea.

It looks humble, like a chunky mash with white flakes, but it smells of freshly cooked fish and is wonderfully easy to digest. The salmon oil is added at serving time and, for the first few weeks, only half the amount, so your dog's stomach can get used to the fat gradually.

Why it works

Hake is a very lean protein, with barely 1% fat and short fibers, one of the easiest on the stomach. Well-cooked potato and white rice provide energy in the form of easily digested starch, and cooked carrot adds some soluble fiber. Fat, which is what most often disagrees with these dogs, comes almost entirely from a small amount of salmon oil, rich in omega-3. The eggshell balances the calcium.

Talk to your vet first. This recipe is for everyday feeding of dogs with delicate digestion. If vomiting or diarrhea keeps coming back, your vet should look for the cause before you change the diet.

Step by step

  1. Cook the potato, carrot and rice

    Peel the potato and carrot and cut them into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes. Put them in a pot with the rice and 1 liter (about 4 cups) of water, and cook over medium heat for 20-22 minutes, until the potato falls apart when pressed.

  2. Steam the hake

    For the last 8 minutes, place the hake in a steamer basket or a strainer over the pot, covered. It's ready when it separates into white, opaque flakes.

  3. Check for bones

    Flake the hake with your fingers and remove any bones, even if the package says “boneless”.

  4. Mash and mix

    Drain the vegetables and rice, saving a cup of the water. Mash with a fork into a chunky purée, add the hake and a splash of cooking water to keep it moist. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

  5. Add the calcium

    Sprinkle over the ground eggshell, mix well and divide into portions. The salmon oil goes in the bowl at serving time.

How much should I feed?

Approximate daily portion for a "spayed or neutered adult" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).

— g a day

Weight3 kg5 kg10 kg15 kg20 kg30 kg40 kg
Grams/day2653856508801,0901,4801,835

Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.

Energy
97 kcal/100 g
Protein
36 % dry matter
Fat
5 % dry matter
Calcium:phosphorus
1.3 : 1

Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.

Storage

Fridge: 2 days. Freezer: up to 2 months in portions. Thaw in the fridge; if it releases water, stir it again before serving. Serve lukewarm, never hot: very hot or very cold food can also upset a sensitive stomach.

If you don't have…

You don't have hake
Fresh cod (never salt cod) in the same amount
Your dog doesn't tolerate fish well
Turkey breast in the same amount, cooked in the vegetable water
You don't have potato
Sweet potato in the same amount

Cooking tips

  • Switch from the previous food very slowly: for dogs with sensitive stomachs, better over 2 weeks than one.
  • Three small meals a day are better than one or two large ones.
  • For two weeks, write down what your dog eats and what their stools look like: it's the most reliable way to find out what disagrees with them.
  • To feed it every day as the only meal, add a vitamin and mineral supplement made for homemade diets: the recipe covers protein, energy, calcium and omega-3, but not every vitamin and trace mineral.

Safety

  • This isn't a diet for a flare-up: if there's acute diarrhea or vomiting, switch to the bland diet and, if there's no improvement in 48 hours, see the vet.
  • Potato always cooked, peeled and with no green parts.
  • If digestive problems are frequent, even if mild, have your vet check your dog: there may be a cause (parasites, an intolerance, intestinal disease) that diet alone won't solve.
  • Low-fat
  • Freezer-friendly

Frequently asked questions

What can I feed a dog with a sensitive stomach?

Food that's low in fat, highly digestible and kept the same for a while: white fish or turkey, well-cooked white rice or potato, and gentle vegetables like carrot or pumpkin, split into several small meals. What usually disagrees with them most is fat, sudden food changes and table scraps.

Is white fish like hake good for dogs?

Yes, cooked and boneless, hake is one of the gentlest fish for dogs: almost fat-free, with high-quality protein and easy to digest. It's great for dogs with sensitive stomachs or extra weight. Because it's so lean it provides little omega-3, which is why this recipe adds a little salmon oil. Frozen hake works just as well, and cod is a good stand-in.

How do I know if my dog has a sensitive stomach?

Typical signs are frequent soft stools, gas, gurgling belly sounds, occasional vomiting, or diarrhea every time their food changes. It happening now and then isn't unusual; if it keeps recurring, look for the cause with your vet, because it could be an intolerance, parasites or intestinal disease. Diet helps, but it doesn't replace that diagnosis.

Can dogs eat boiled potatoes?

Yes, boiled and peeled, potato is a gentle, well-tolerated carbohydrate. What dogs should never eat is raw potato, green skin or sprouts, because they contain solanine, which is toxic. No fries or potato chips either, because of the salt and oil. In this recipe it's well cooked and mashed, which is how dogs digest it best.

What's in it, in detail

If they liked it, try

The fridge list

The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.

Download the list (PDF)