Dog not eating? How much bland diet to feed, and for how long?
Okay, so my dog, bless his furry little heart, had a bit of a tummy upset. The vet recommended a bland diet for a few days, and I was like, "Sure, no problem!" But then I got home and realized I had NO idea how much to actually give him. Cue the frantic Googling!
Figuring Out the "How Much"
First, I checked the vet's instructions. Sometimes they write down the amount, but this time, nope, just "bland diet." Super helpful, doc. So, I started digging online. Most places talked about a 50/50 mix of a protein (like boiled chicken) and a carb (like white rice). Okay, I can handle that.
But still...how MUCH? I found some general guidelines based on weight, which was a good starting point. It's something like 1/2 to 1 cup of the mixture per every 20 pounds of weight.
My Dog's Specifics
- My dog weighs around 50 pounds.
- So, based on the guidelines, he needed somewhere between 1 1/4 and 2 1/2 cups of the bland diet mixture, each time.
Putting It into Practice
I decided to start on the lower end. Better to give too little than too much and upset his stomach again, right? I cooked up a batch of plain, boiled chicken breast and plain, white rice. I carefully use boil, don't use fried.
I mixed it together, roughly 50/50, and measured out about 1 1/4 cups. My dog gobbled it down like he hadn't eaten in days (even though he'd just had a small, regular meal earlier!).
Monitoring and Adjusting
I watched him closely for the next few hours. No vomiting, no diarrhea...success! I gave him the same amount for his next few meals, spreading them out throughout the day into smaller portions instead of two big ones.
After a day, he seemed to be doing better, so I very slowly started mixing in a tiny bit of his regular food. I increased the regular food and decreased the bland diet over the next couple of days until he was back to his normal diet.
It all worked out! He's back to his old self, happy and healthy. The key, I think, was starting small, being patient, and paying close attention to how he was reacting. Every dog is different, so what works for one might not work for another. If you're ever unsure, it's always best to call your vet and double-check!
