Digestion · Food guide
Bland Diet for Dogs
A bland diet is easy-to-digest, low-fat food you feed for a few days when an otherwise lively dog has mild diarrhea or has vomited. The classic: soft-cooked rice with boiled chicken or turkey breast in a 2:1 ratio, no fat and no seasoning, split into several small meals.
Not a substitute for veterinary adviceNutrition facts: German Nutrient Database (BLS)Updated Oct 10, 2026
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A bland diet helps with mild symptoms. In these cases it doesn't replace a visit to the vet:
- Blood in the stool or vomit, or black, tarry stool
- Diarrhea and vomiting at the same time
- Vomiting more than once or twice a day
- Not eating, weak or listless
- Belly pain, fever, weakness or signs of dehydration
- A bloated belly and retching with nothing coming up
- Suspected poisoning or a swallowed foreign object
- Puppies and unvaccinated dogs: always
- Diarrhea hasn't improved after 2 to 3 days of bland diet
Bland Diet Recipe for Dogs
2 parts soft-cooked rice to 1 part lean, cooked protein. That's all it takes.
Protein, lean and cooked
- Skinless chicken breast
- Skinless turkey breast
- Low-fat cottage cheese
Carbs, soft-cooked
- White rice, cooked a little longer than usual
Keep out of the bland diet
- Fat, oil, butter
- Skin and bones
- Salt, spices, bouillon cubes
- Onion and garlic, they're toxic
- 1Boil the meat in unsalted water until cooked through, remove skin, bones and fat, and cut it into small pieces. Cook the rice until soft.
- 2Mix 2 parts rice to 1 part meat, by weight. Let it cool to room temperature.
- 3Feed small amounts often throughout the day, for example 4 meals. Always keep fresh water out.
- 4Once the stool is firm again, switch back to the usual food over 3 to 5 days (see below).
How much bland diet per day?
Daily amounts for a normally active dog, weighed cooked. The mix of 2 parts rice and 1 part chicken has about 117 kcal per 100 g. These are guidelines; it's better to feed small amounts often.
| Dog | Per day | of which chicken | of which rice | Per meal (4×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg | 320 g | 110 g | 210 g | 80 g |
| 10 kg | 540 g | 180 g | 360 g | 130 g |
| 20 kg | 910 g | 300 g | 610 g | 230 g |
| 30 kg | 1,230 g | 410 g | 820 g | 310 g |
Energy needs as in the Kahuno app: 70 × body weight0.75 × 1.6 kcal. Nutrition facts from the German Nutrient Database (BLS): Chicken breast fillet, boiled 116 kcal, White rice boiled 117 kcal per 100 g. Very active, young or older dogs need more or less.
How long to feed a bland diet, and how to switch back
Keep feeding the bland diet until the stool is firm again. Then switch back to the usual food gradually over 3 to 5 days, for example like this:
Day 1
¾ bland diet, ¼ usual food
Day 2
½ bland diet, ½ usual food
Day 3
¼ bland diet, ¾ usual food
Day 4 on
Usual food only
Short-term only: Chicken and rice doesn't cover all the nutrients a dog needs. A day or two does no harm, but over weeks it can do serious harm. If your dog needs a bland diet for longer, ask a veterinary nutritionist to put together a balanced plan.
Several meals a day
Lots of small meals, several people in the household?
On a bland diet, your dog gets small meals spread throughout the day. In Kahuno, everyone in the household sees which meal has already been given and how much is still missing, so your dog gets neither too much nor too little.
FAQ
How long should my dog stay on a bland diet?
Until the stool is firm again, usually a few days. Then mix the usual food back in over 3 to 5 days. If the diarrhea hasn't improved after 2 to 3 days of bland diet, take your dog to the vet. Chicken and rice doesn't cover all nutrients: a day or two does no harm, but weeks do.
How much bland diet per day?
Enough to cover your dog's daily energy needs, split into several small meals. A normally active 10 kg dog needs about 540 g of the rice and chicken mix per day, or around 130 g per meal with 4 meals. The table above shows the amounts for other weights.
Should my dog fast first?
Sources disagree on this. The Merck Veterinary Manual still recommends 24 hours without food for acute vomiting. Newer veterinary articles question complete fasting and advise feeding small amounts again early on. Ask your vet what's right for your dog. Never withhold water completely.
Rice or potatoes?
The veterinary sources we found name white rice. Potatoes are often recommended, but we didn't find a source like that for them. If you want to use potatoes, ask your vet first.
Can I use cottage cheese instead of chicken?
Yes. Texas A&M University's veterinary school lists low-fat cottage cheese as an alternative to chicken or turkey. What matters is the low fat content.
Does Moro's carrot soup help dogs?
There are no studies on it in dogs. The effect of the sugar compounds in carrots against diarrhea-causing bacteria has only been studied in the lab and in humans. Cooked carrots themselves are safe for dogs, but if there are warning signs they don't replace a visit to the vet.
Do probiotics or pumpkin help?
Barely. A review of many studies for the European ENOVAT guideline found that such products don't meaningfully shorten acute diarrhea in dogs. Pumpkin provides very little fiber in the usual amounts.
The ingredients in the food guide
Sources
- Cornell University, Riney Canine Health Center: Diarrhea, Abschnitte „Bland diet", „Diarrhea: Worry or wait?" und „What you should do". Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Cornell University, Riney Canine Health Center: When to go to the ER (Juni 2025), Abschnitt „Top Reasons to Head to the Emergency Vet". Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Ausgabe für Tierhalter: Vomiting in Dogs, Abschnitte „Acute (Short-term) Vomiting" und „Chronic (Long-term) Vomiting". Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Gastritis in Small Animals, Abschnitt „Treatment", kleine Mengen häufig füttern, Übergang über 3 bis 5 Tage. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Tufts University, Petfoodology: Does My Pet Need a „Bland Diet"? (2022), Abschnitt „Considerations before cooking", Reis und Hähnchen 2 : 1, nicht für längere Zeit. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine: When To See A Veterinarian For A Dog’s Stomach Ache (2022), Hüttenkäse als Alternative, ungeimpfte Welpen immer in die Praxis. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Lawrence & Lidbury: Symptomatic Management of Primary Acute Gastroenteritis in Dogs and Cats, Today’s Veterinary Practice, Abschnitte „Nutritional Management – Fasting" und „Fluid Therapy – Oral Therapy". Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Scahill et al. 2024, The Veterinary Journal: Efficacy of antimicrobial and nutraceutical treatment for canine acute diarrhoea (ENOVAT), Abstract, keine klinisch relevante Verkürzung der Durchfalldauer. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Tufts University, Petfoodology: The Problem with Pumpkin (2017), Ballaststoffgehalt üblicher Kürbismengen. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
- Kastner et al. 2002, Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift: Saure Oligosaccharide als Wirkprinzip wässriger Karottenextrakte, Abstract, Oligosaccharide aus Karotten im Laborversuch, keine Daten zu Hunden. Accessed Oct 10, 2026.
This page is not a substitute for veterinary advice.