Homemade puppy food for a sensitive stomach: hake, rice and carrot
Hake with rice and carrot for puppies with a sensitive stomach: low in fat, easy to digest, with measured calcium. Plus when to see the vet.
- Time
- 40 min + 10 min resting
- Makes
- About 1.4 kg / 3 lb (almost 2 days for a 10 kg / 22 lb puppy)
- Type
- Main meal
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 39 % hake, boneless
- 33 % white rice
- 13 % carrot
- 7 % egg
Follows THE RULE. All 8 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
This homemade puppy food for a sensitive stomach is for puppies that easily get soft stools, gas or a bloated belly after eating, once the vet has ruled out parasites or another cause. Steamed hake, very well-cooked white rice, carrot and egg: everything soft, low in fat and with no hard pieces that take effort to digest.
The hake steams in 8 minutes and flakes apart with your fingers, which also lets you feel for any bones before it reaches the bowl. The rice is cooked a little past done with the grated carrot, until it is almost creamy, and the kefir goes in cold at the end. It is a soft, moist meal that many puppies eat more slowly than kibble.
Why it works
Hake is a white fish with very little fat and an easily digested protein, ideal when the gut complains about fattier foods. Cooked egg rounds out the protein and provides fat in a form that is well tolerated. Very well-cooked white rice and carrot provide energy and gentle fiber that help firm up the stool. Kefir provides lactic acid bacteria with less lactose than milk (the evidence in dogs is still limited), olive oil raises the energy a puppy needs, salmon oil provides DHA and eggshell balances calcium and phosphorus.
Talk to your vet first. Before putting it down to his stomach, your vet should rule out parasites and infections, which are very common in puppies. As his only diet, this recipe needs the growth supplement your vet prescribes, especially for large breeds: do not add more eggshell by eye.
Step by step
Cook the rice with the carrot
Put the rice and grated carrot in a pot with 650 ml (2¾ cups) of unsalted water. When it boils, lower the heat and cook until the rice is overcooked and almost creamy.
Boil the eggs
Boil the eggs for 10 minutes from when the water comes to a boil, cool them under the tap and peel them.
Steam the hake
Steam the fillets until the flesh is white and opaque in the center and separates into flakes.
Flake it and check for bones
Let the hake cool for a couple of minutes and flake it with your fingers, checking every flake: that way you will feel any bone before it reaches the bowl.
Mix in the oil and calcium
Combine the rice and carrot, the hake and the chopped eggs. Add the olive oil and sprinkle in the eggshell while you stir.
Cool and serve with the kefir
Let it come down to room temperature, divide the day's portion into his meals and add the kefir and salmon oil to each one just as you serve it.
How much should I feed?
Approximate daily portion for a "puppy (4-12 months)" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).
— g a day
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grams/day | 295 | 430 | 725 | 985 | 1,220 | 1,655 | 2,055 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 108 kcal/100 g
- Protein
- 32 % dry matter
- Fat
- 9 % dry matter
- Calcium:phosphorus
- 1.4 : 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: up to 2 days, because it is fish; keep the kefir separately in its own container. Freezer: up to 2 months, without the kefir, in single-meal portions. Thaw in the fridge and warm it before adding the kefir.
If you don't have…
- You cannot find hake
- Fresh cod (never salt cod), boneless, in the same amount
- Your puppy does not tolerate kefir
- Simply leave it out, or use plain yogurt with no sugar or sweeteners in the same amount
- You want to vary the vegetable
- Pumpkin or zucchini in small cubes, cooked with the rice, in the same amount
Cooking tips
- With a sensitive-stomach puppy, consistency helps most: the same times, small frequent meals and no new treats while things settle.
- Switch from his previous food to this one over 7-10 days, not all at once. If his stools get softer, go back to the previous step for a couple of days.
- Keep a simple daily record of what his stools are like (hard, formed, soft, liquid): it is far more useful to your vet than "sometimes he has an upset stomach".
- As his only diet, it needs the growth supplement your vet prescribes.
Safety
- Check the hake flake by flake: a fish bone can lodge in a puppy's mouth or esophagus.
- Never use canned fish with added salt, or smoked or breaded fish.
- Kefir must always be plain, with no sugar or sweeteners: check the label for xylitol.
- A puppy with frequent diarrhea does not just have a sensitive stomach until your vet confirms it: parasites such as Giardia and some infections are very common at this age.
Frequently asked questions
What can I feed a puppy with a sensitive stomach?
Food that is low in fat, easy to digest and kept the same for several weeks: cooked white fish or chicken, very well-cooked white rice, egg and gentle vegetables such as carrot or pumpkin. Split it into 3-4 small meals and avoid new treats and table scraps. Before that, your vet should rule out parasites, which are the most common cause.
Can puppies eat hake?
Yes, cooked boneless hake is one of the best fish for puppies: it is high in protein, very low in fat and easy to digest. Steam or boil it with no salt and flake it with your fingers to feel for any bones. Not raw, because it can carry parasites such as Anisakis.
Can puppies have kefir?
Yes, in small amounts and if they tolerate it well. Plain kefir has less lactose than milk because fermentation uses up part of it, and it provides lactic acid bacteria. Start with a teaspoon per meal and watch his stools for a couple of days. It must be plain, with no sugar or sweeteners. It does not replace any treatment from your vet.
Is it normal for a puppy to have soft stools?
It is common, but you should not assume it is normal. A change of food, the stress of arriving in a new home or eating too fast can soften stools for a day or two. If it lasts more than 24-48 hours, see your vet. Go right away if there is blood, vomiting, lethargy or he stops eating or drinking: a puppy can dehydrate within hours and, before he has all his vaccines, parvovirus is an emergency.
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.