Foods That Support Digestive Health In Dogs And Cats

Support your dog or cat’s digestive health — and soothe her tummy troubles — with bone broth, pumpkin, oats and other healing foods. 

In fact, dogs and cats can experience many gastrointestinal problems. Symptoms may be subtle, developing over time. Or they can come on suddenly. It’s important to know what to look for and take steps to figure out what’s wrong. This article focuses on some of the foods that support digestive health in dogs and cats. 

Signs of a GI problem 

Symptoms of digestive issues are many and varied. For example, you might notice symptoms such as:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Inappetence (and even anorexia in cats)
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Abdominal swelling 
• Behavioral changes – e.g. lethargy, hiding, back hunching, grumpiness, etc. is 

If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog or cat, especially if they’re persistent or recur often, it’s vital to take her to the vet to find out what the problem is. 

Once you know what you’re dealing with and have worked out a treatment plan with your vet, you can aid the healing process. Foods that support digestive health in dogs and cats can help. The following tried-and-true recipes are great for tummy troubles!

Recipes for soothing tummy troubles 

Bone broth

Bone broths provide a nutritional boost to your dog or cat’s diet. They offer an easy way for her to receive quick nourishment, and they help support the healing process. Moreover, traditional Chinese Medicine has used bone broths for thousands of years. Even the most basic bone broths are packed with protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, amino acids, glycine, collagen, keratin, gelatin, chondroitin sulfates, glucosamine, and hyaluronic acid.

Studies show that gelatin and amino acids in bone broth support the GI tract. They protect the mucosal lining and reduce inflammation.

Ingredients 

• 1-2 pounds chicken or turkey bones or 2 large beef marrow or knuckle bones 
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

Instructions

1. Place the bones and apple cider vinegar in a soup pot or slow cooker, then cover with filtered water. The apple cider vinegar releases calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, and amino acids from the bones.
2. Bring to a boil, skimming the particulates and foam that rise to the top. Then, turn the heat down and let the bones simmer all day or overnight. Add ½ cup curly or flat parsley just a few minutes before you separate the broth from the bones.  
3. Discard the bones, but keep all the meat and cartilage as a great meal topper.

Congee

A porridge made from rice, congee is another stomach soother. This simple dish is especially helpful for pets with chronic digestive issues.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup Thai jasmine rice
• 3 cups filtered water

Instructions 

1. Combine rice and water in a pan and bring to a boil. Stir, then turn heat down to a low simmer. Ensure the rice absorbs all the water. Cool before serving, and don’t keep leftovers more than 24 hours. 
2. For dogs with chronic diarrhea, add 2 oz finely grated Chinese yam to the congee. Simmer for one hour, then turn off the heat and add an egg yolk. This serves as a special tonic. Serve it as mini meals throughout the day.
3. While cats can have small amounts of rice, make sure it is plain or mixed with a little bone broth.

Slippery elm with goat milk yogurt 

Keep this herb in your pantry. It can be used both internally and externally for a variety of ailments. Many consider it one of the best remedies for digestive issues

Slippery elm is a nutrient-dense food that supports the GI tract with its tannins and mucilagens, which provide astringent and anti-inflammatory properties. Its sweet taste appeals to both cats and dogs. 

When you combine slippery elm with goat milk or yogurt, it lines the gut and intestines, protecting mucous membranes from irritation. Prepare the following recipe, and store it in your fridge.

Ingredients

• 1 cup slippery elm bark
• ½ cup oat flakes
• ½ cup barley flakes
• ¼ cup arrowroot
• 1 tablespoon marshmallow
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon dill seed
• 1 teaspoon Manuka or local honey
• 1 cup goat milk yogurt

Instructions

Combine the first seven ingredients. Add 1 teaspoon of the mixture to the honey and whisk in a little warm, filtered water. Then add 1 cup of goat yogurt.

• Puppies, small dogs, and cats: ¼ to 1 teaspoon added to each meal
• Medium dogs: Up to 3 teaspoons added to each meal
• Large dogs:  Up to 5 teaspoons added to each meal

Soothing slippery elm smoothie 

Ingredients

• ½ cup slippery elm powder
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce

Instructions 

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and whirl until smooth. Use as a meal topper or freeze in small ice cube trays.

Homemade yogurt 

While you can easily buy unsweetened yogurt from the store, it’s fun to make your own! This old Eastern European recipe was taught to me over 30 years ago. 

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk (e.g. homogenized cow milk, or whole, naturally homogenized goat milk)
• 1 small container (175 grams) Balkan style yogurt (try water buffalo or sheep yogurt too)

Instructions

1. Place milk in a large pot and bring to a boil. Be cautious, as this is a “watch the pot carefully’ recipe” Small bubbles will form around the edges and move towards the center. Watch the milk to ensure it doesn’t burn; you can do this by simply turning the heat down just before it reaches a rolling boil. 
2. Boil the milk for 15 minutes. A timer is helpful for this step. Then turn the stove off and let the milk cool until it is lukewarm. 
3. In a mixing bowl, combine a small amount of yogurt with a small amount of milk until smooth – e.g. combine 4 tablespoons of milk and 6 tablespoons of yogurt. The more yogurt used, the firmer the result will be. A small whisk is perfect for this step.  
4. Put this mixture back in the pot with the rest of the milk. Cover the pot and leave it until yogurt has formed, checking it from time to time. It may take anywhere from eight to 12 hours, but if you use whole goat milk, semi-firm yogurt will be ready in as little as four hours. As the yogurt forms, it resembles Jell-O. 
5. Store homemade yogurt in containers and refrigerate or freeze. Homemade yogurt lasts as long as commercial brands.

Pumpkin pudding cake 

Unsweetened pumpkin is a terrific stool softener, which makes it a great remedy for constipation. And since it is also high in fiber, it’s good to have around for bouts of diarrhea.  

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole oat flour
• 1 cup whole brown rice flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon carob powder
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
• ¼ cup ground almond or Brazil nuts (optional)
• 3 cups unsweetened, pure pumpkin puree 
• ¼ cup honey (e.g. a combination of local and Manuka honeys)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a cake pan or Pyrex baking dish. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and spoon into the pan. Bake for 75 minutes and cool completely before serving.  
2. Cut in small squares or strips, and store in an airtight container. This recipe freezes well.

Vee Vee’s rescue recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole oat flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup oat bran
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Manuka Honey or local honey, or a combination
• 2 tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a floured cutting board. Knead the ball a few times. If you find the dough is too wet, add more oat flour. Take little pieces from the ball and roll them out to a thickness of about ¼”. 
2. Cut the biscuits into desired shapes, and place on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets. You will have to continue to flour the board as you roll out the dough. You will need two cookie sheets for this recipe.  
3. Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, and let them completely cool in the oven. Leave these biscuits out in the open to continue hardening, or store them in a Ziploc bag or cookie jar.

10 gut-soothing ingredients 

1. Research shows that honey, especially New Zealand’s Manuka honey, is effective against pylori bacteria. This bacteria causes stomach ulcers. The UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a phytochemically derived antibacterial property found in some strains of Mauka honey.
2. Similar to honey, Carob is great to have on hand for settling an upset GI tract, and to curb diarrhea too.
3. Cinnamon helps treat nausea and flatulence, and its oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
4. Ginger is great for nausea. It acts as a digestive tonic, helping to relieve stomach aches and flatulence. It also stimulates the digestive juices and helps expel worms.
5. Dill seeds contain volatile oil constituents that combine to cause an anti-foaming action in the stomach, much like the anti-gas remedies lining pharmacy shelves.  This makes dill particularly soothing to the digestive tract. It is also recognized as an antispasmodic and helps reduce flatulence.
6. Pumpkin is beneficial for both diarrhea and constipation. There are seven grams of soluble fiber in each cup. Pumpkin helps coat and soothe the GI tract when it is irritated, and therefore is an excellent source of electrolytes, which are lost during a bout of diarrhea.  
7. Oats are one of the world’s healthiest foods. They contain a type of fiber called beta-glucan, which supports the immune system against bacterial infections, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Adding oat bran to your animal’s daily diet is an easy way to give him valuable fiber, and extra support if anal glands or hairballs are a problem.  

Dairy ingredients

1. Goat’s milk, unlike cow’s milk, does not contain aggluntinin, which means fat globules don’t gather. This makes digestion easier. Goat’s milk also offers more linoleic and arachnodonic essential fatty acids, and a higher proportion of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids, than cow’s milk. 
2. Sheep’s milk is naturally homogenized. It contains ten essential amino acids, and twice the fat of cow’s milk, including Omega-3 essential fatty acids. It is also rich in medium-chain fatty acids. Its fat globules are small, making them easier to digest.
3. Water buffalo milk is also naturally homogenized. Like sheep’s milk, it contains ten essential amino acids. Water buffalo milk contains no A1 beta-casein, so it’s a great alternative for animals and people with an intolerance to cow’s milk. As with sheep’s milk, the fat molecules are smaller, making them easier to digest.

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