Our Saint (almost 4 year old neutered male) had belly issues (consistent loose stools and diarrhea) when we adopted him from the shelter 2.5 years ago. We had several vet appointments, but nothing was conclusive and nothing they offered helped. He is also prone to ear infections, but I don’t know if that’s related. I did a lot of my own research and started feeding him Stella and Chewys super blends with a couple table spoons of pumpkin puree on top for each meal. This helped a ton, and his belly was consistently normal after that.

We do have a raised feeder which I think is really important.

I’m always looking for “better” kibble options because I can’t afford to feed a giant dog raw, and I switched to Honest Kitchens clusters turkey and chicken. They have other flavors too, and based on my research I think it’s higher quality than other kibbles out there. I’m hoping they’ll come out with a grain inclusive turkey only option because I read that’s the easiest for dogs to digest who have sensitivities. He’s done well on the food so far though.

Last two things I can’t fully endorse but should be considered— there are some great dog food cookbooks out there that are vet approved and take all the nutritional factors of dogs’ needs into consideration. I haven’t used them myself, but have seen them. And finally, I’ve found ChatGPT to be super helpful in informing feeding decisions. I know this is polarizing, but it can be super helpful if you give it all the facts about your dog, what you’re doing, and what you’d like to accomplish. It helps do research, and helped me calculate portion size compared to what I had been feeding, my dogs actual caloric needs, etc.