Bland Diet Instructions

Start by withholding food and water for about 12 hours. If your pet has been vomiting make sure
they don’t have access to any food or water (pick up food and water bowls, close toilet lids, etc). Small
amounts of water are fine if your pet has not been vomiting.

If your pet continues to vomit despite absolutely no food or water for 12 hours, please contact us
or an emergency hospital.  Call, 202-827-6820 or 202-669-8146

After the 12 hour fast, start offering a tiny amount of bland food, as outlined below also return their water bowls:
  • Cats and Small Dogs: Give 1 teaspoon for cats and small dogs
  • Medium - Large Dogs: Give 1-2 tablespoons for medium-large dogs.

If no vomiting occurs, continue offering the small meals every 2-4 hours, gradually increasing the volume and time between meals until you are feeding 2-3 times per day.
  • Small dogs (less than 15 lbs) should be fed 1 ½ cups/daily, in small meals, over the course of the day.
  • Medium dogs (less than 50 lbs) should be fed 4 cups/daily, in small meals, over the course of the day.
  • Large dogs (greater than 50 lbs) should be fed 6-8 cups/daily, in small meals, over the course of the day.

Continue the bland diet until until stools become completely normal. 

After you’ve noticed consistently normal stools, gradually start to mix their regular food in with the bland diet. 
  • Day 1: Mix 1/4 regular diet with 3/4 bland diet.
  • Day 2: Mix 1/2 regular and 1/2 bland.
  • Day 3: Mix 3/4 regular with 1/4 bland diet.
  • Day 4: Feed all regular diet.
If at any point in the process your pet’s stools become soft, go back to 100% bland diet and start over.

If vomiting and diarrhea worsen or does not seem to be improving within 3 days, please message us back for an appointment
​
Bland Diet Recipe
​
Boiled chicken (no fat, skin or bones) and well-cooked white rice. 
  • Chicken may be substituted with cottage cheese, turkey, or ground beef with the grease drained off. 
  • Chicken or turkey baby food without additives can be used as a bland diet for cats and small dogs.
  • Add PLAIN canned pumpkin if the dogs has mushy diarrhea (not liquid) to help firm their stool 
​
Mix steamed/boiled long cooking white rice, in a ratio of 4:1, with boiled lean ground beef or chicken. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.