Puppy with sensitive stomach

Question
Hi, I have a 5 month old Mini-Munchkin (3/4 Yorkie and 1/4 shih tzu) who has developed a sensitive stomach.  Maybe my fault, for he has been on different food due to being a pickey eater. Has had a bit of a sensitive stomach since I brought him home.  Sometimes he also has some mucas in his stools. He is current on vacanations and was dewormed in march, just in case. Currently he is on a mixture of Medi-cal(digestive formula) and deli fresh (puppy formula), and a holistic formula of crunchy food from eagle brand.  Yesterday he threw up 4 times(food) and today, once (bile).  I give him a probiotic powder.  What else can I do???  And he also is not a big water drinker.  Can I add something to his water to make it more appealing?
Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi Teresa,

Thank you for writing to me about your mini munchin!!!  What a cutie pie he must be..but poor boy..has a tummy problem! I apologize for the delay in responding.  I have been overwhelmed with recent rescue work.  Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Sometimes vaccinations can create a problem so be sure that when you next vaccinate him that it is done with single vaccinations (not multiple) and that they are dead, not live.  I wouldn't give him any vaccinations until he is feeling up to par because they do take a toll on the immune system. The new protocol for vaccinations is once every 3 years, not more than that.

Instead of feeding him commercial food, why not give him real food to eat?  I would concentrate at this point on jars of baby food.  These are broken down and easy to digest.  However, puppies are growing and need a certain nutritional balance, so you would have to work with a nutritional vet such as Dr. Kruesi (long distance through your own vet...after your vet does a phone consult with Dr. Kruesi, you would be able to work with him directly). http://www.crvetcenter.com/

You can also refer to Dr. Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

Prior to feeding your dog, give him a digestive enzyme such as Prozyme (JB Wholesale Pet Supply- www.jbpet.com ).  The enzymes will help him digest his food and more readily absorb all the nutrients.

To encourage him to drink more water you can add some broth to it but usually dogs drink what they need so unless he's dehydrated, I wouldn't worry about it.

Your sweet boy may also be suffering from food allergies so I would suggest that you have your vet run an allergy panel to determine if there are any sensitivities.  Additionally, start rotating his foods throughout the week so that he repeats what he is eating not more than once every four days.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis