Bland Diet for Dogs: Recipes, Ratios, How Much to Feed, and How Long
A bland diet for dogs is a short-term meal of boiled skinless chicken and plain white rice that rests an upset stomach. Here is the ratio, the amount by body weight, the alternatives, how long to feed it, and when a vet is needed instead.
BVMS MRCVS
Medically reviewed by Dr. Pippa Elliott, BVMS MRCVS · Last reviewed
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A bland diet for dogs is a short-term meal of boiled, skinless chicken breast and plain white rice, mixed at about 1 part chicken to 2 parts rice, that gives an upset digestive tract a break. It is meant for a day or two, not for weeks, because chicken and rice alone is not a complete and balanced diet.
This guide covers how to make a bland diet for dogs, what to use if your dog cannot eat chicken, how much to feed by body weight, how long to keep it going, and how to switch back to regular food. It also lists the signs that mean your dog needs a veterinarian instead of a home recipe.
- 1A bland diet is boiled skinless chicken breast and plain white rice, at a 1:2 chicken to rice ratio by volume, per Tufts University.
- 2What makes a food bland (low fat, single protein, easily digested, no seasoning): no skin, bones, butter, oil, or spices.
- 3When vets recommend a bland diet and when they do not (puppies, pancreatitis, repeated vomiting): it suits mild upset in an otherwise healthy adult dog, and those three cases need a vet first.
- 4Feed the bland diet for a day or two; Cornell and VCA expect improvement within two to three days.
- 5Blood in the stool or vomit, black tarry stool, lethargy, or refusal to eat means calling a vet right away.
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What Is a Bland Diet for Dogs?
A bland diet for dogs is a low-fat, easily digested, unseasoned meal built on one lean protein and one plain starch, most often boiled chicken and white rice. VCA Animal Hospitals calls boiled chicken breast and cooked white rice the traditional version.
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine describes bland foods as boiled chicken or low-fat hamburger with white rice. These foods are easy to digest, so they let the gut rest while it recovers from a bout of diarrhea or vomiting.
VCA says veterinarians now have better options than the traditional home recipe, and a veterinary gastrointestinal diet may serve a sick dog better.
A veterinary gastrointestinal diet your vet can prescribe when a dog needs fat-restricted, easy-to-digest food.
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What is a bland diet?
A bland diet is food that is low in fat, plain, and easy to digest, so it puts little demand on the stomach and intestines. For dogs, that means a single lean protein such as boiled chicken breast with a simple carbohydrate such as white rice, with no seasoning, oil, butter, or skin. VCA notes the term has fallen out of favor among vets because it is not specific.
What makes a food bland comes down to four traits:
- Low fat: fat is harder to digest, and Tufts notes fatty meat can worsen an upset stomach.
- Single protein: one lean meat keeps the meal simple and helps you avoid ingredients your dog reacts to.
- Easily digested: cooked white rice and boiled lean meat are the foods Cornell describes as easy to digest.
- No seasoning: no salt, spices, oil, or butter, per VCA and Tufts.
A commercial bland diet for dogs, whether a prescription GI formula or a store-bought limited ingredient food, removes the guesswork of home cooking.
Owners often ask about special situations. The veterinary sources reviewed for this guide give no home bland diet protocol for these, so each needs a diagnosis first:
- A dog under the weather with an upset tummy that keeps coming back
- Acid reflux, gastritis, or a stomach ulcer
- Giardia or another parasite
For a dog with food allergies, the bland diet only works if both ingredients are safe for that dog. VCA advises avoiding any food your dog is allergic or intolerant to. A vegetarian bland diet for dogs is not addressed by the primary sources, and while Cornell reportedly lists cooked pasta as another bland option, that wording could not be confirmed on its page.
Some dogs poop less on a bland diet while the gut settles. No primary source gives a normal number of bowel movements per day on a bland diet, so watch for firming stool and steady improvement rather than a specific count. If your dog needs pills during this time, ask your vet whether they can be given in a small portion of the bland meal.
Can a dog stay on a bland diet? Not for long. Tufts University's Petfoodology says chicken and rice alone is not complete and balanced, so bland diet instructions for dogs always come with a short time limit.
KOHA's chicken and brown rice bland diet is a ready-made option for days when you cannot cook, with pumpkin already mixed in.
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When to Feed a Dog a Bland Diet
Feed a bland diet when an otherwise healthy adult dog has mild vomiting or diarrhea and is still bright and alert. VCA says a dog that otherwise seems well may get a bland, easily digested diet after a short break from food.
The timing after a short fast, according to the sources:
- After diarrhea: Cornell advises withholding food for 12 to 24 hours, then introducing the bland diet.
- After vomiting: the Merck Veterinary Manual says the usual approach to short-term vomiting is withholding food for 24 hours, then offering small amounts of easily digested food.
- Once vomiting stops: Merck says small, frequent amounts of a bland diet can start after vomiting has stopped for 12 to 24 hours.
A bland diet for sick dogs is not the right move in every case. Puppies, dogs with known or suspected pancreatitis, and dogs that vomit repeatedly need a vet before any home feeding plan. No fetched primary source gives puppy-specific bland diet guidance, and Cornell notes coccidia is a common cause of puppy diarrhea that can lead to dehydration.
A bland diet for dogs after surgery, including stomach surgery, should follow your surgeon's discharge instructions, which override any general guide. Owners sometimes wonder why dog food seems so bland already; the point of a bland diet is not flavor but low fat and easy digestion while the gut heals.
For broader home care when the stomach is off, see our guide to dog upset stomach, which covers fasting, hydration, and when symptoms need a vet. When to stop the bland diet, how long to feed it after diarrhea, and how to introduce dog food after it are covered in the duration and transition sections below.
Bland Diet for Dogs Recipe: Chicken and Rice Ratio
The standard chicken and rice ratio is one part chicken to two parts rice (1:2 by volume), the 2:1 rice-to-chicken mix Tufts Petfoodology gives as a short-term option to discuss with your vet.
Tufts gives a sample batch by volume and weight: 2 cups (about 300 g) of cooked white rice with 1 cup (about 150 g) of chopped baked chicken or turkey breast. That makes about 3 cups of the mix. VCA notes the proportion can vary, so your vet may adjust it. The steps below show how to prepare it.
How to make a homemade bland diet for dogs:
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breast and trim visible fat.
- Boil the chicken in plain water with no salt or spices until it is cooked thoroughly.
- Cook plain white rice in water, with no butter or oil.
- Chop or shred the chicken into small pieces.
- Mix 1 cup of chicken with 2 cups of rice.
- Cool the mix before serving and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
How to boil chicken for a dog's bland diet is simple: cover the breast with water, bring it to a boil, and simmer until no pink remains. VCA stresses that chicken must be cooked thoroughly and leftovers stored properly to avoid bacterial contamination.
Bland diet for dogs without chicken
A bland diet for dogs allergic to chicken swaps the protein, not the method. Tufts lists turkey breast as an acceptable alternative, and Cornell names low-fat hamburger. Tufts cautions that ground beef may be high in fat regardless of how it is cooked and can worsen an upset stomach.
Lean ground turkey is a common choice for a dog with a chicken allergy, though no fetched primary source names ground turkey specifically; Tufts refers to turkey breast. Brown rice in a bland diet for dogs is not what Tufts, Cornell, or VCA describe, since all three specify white rice.
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Other Bland Diet Foods for Dogs
The sourced bland diet foods for dogs are boiled skinless chicken, turkey breast, low-fat hamburger, white rice, cottage cheese with rice, plain canned pumpkin, and veterinary GI diets. Merck names cottage cheese and rice, or a prescription diet, as bland options.
A bland diet food list for dogs, based on the veterinary sources:
- Boiled skinless chicken breast with plain white rice (VCA, Cornell, Tufts)
- Turkey breast in place of chicken (Tufts)
- Low-fat hamburger with white rice (Cornell)
- Cottage cheese and rice (Merck)
- Plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling (VCA)
- A veterinary gastrointestinal diet (VCA, Merck, Tufts)
What can I give my dog instead of chicken and rice?
Instead of chicken and rice, you can use turkey breast with rice (Tufts), low-fat hamburger with rice (Cornell), or cottage cheese and rice (Merck). A veterinary GI diet is another option many vets now prefer. Skip fatty meats such as regular ground beef, and avoid any food your dog is allergic or intolerant to.
Are scrambled eggs ok on a bland diet?
No fetched primary veterinary source addresses scrambled eggs on a bland diet for dogs, so eggs are not on the sourced bland diet list. If you want to use them, ask your vet first. Any egg would need to be fully cooked and plain, with no butter, oil, or salt, in keeping with the no-fat, no-seasoning rule.
Is pumpkin a bland food for dogs? VCA lists canned pureed pumpkin, not pie filling, as a home option. It is high in soluble fiber and can help bind loose stool. No primary source gives a pumpkin dose, so ask your vet how much suits your dog's size.
Plain organic pumpkin puree with no pie spices, a simple pantry add-in to ask your vet about for loose stool.
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For a closer comparison of fiber options, see our breakdown of Glandex vs pumpkin. For dogs that need a gentler everyday food after recovery, our guide to dog food for sensitive stomachs covers complete diets.
The best bland diet dog food for a sensitive stomach depends on the cause. A commercial option such as KOHA Limited Ingredient Bland Diet Sensitive Stomach Chicken & Brown Rice with Pumpkin Dry Food Dog Food is sold as a limited ingredient food with one animal protein, brown rice, and pumpkin, according to retailer listings, which could not be confirmed on the manufacturer page.
Probiotics are a separate tool some vets add during recovery. Purina's FortiFlora contains the probiotic strain Enterococcus faecium SF68, according to Purina UK pages. Our guide to probiotics for dogs with diarrhea explains how they are used.
A veterinary probiotic powder with Enterococcus faecium SF68 that sprinkles over food; ask your vet if it fits.
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Bland diet treats for dogs are not part of the plan. Treats for dogs on a bland diet stop entirely, because the goal is to keep everything the gut handles simple and low in fat.
How Much Bland Diet to Feed a Dog
A 10-pound adult dog needs roughly 1 cup of the chicken and rice mix per day, and a 60-pound dog about 4 cups, split into four or more small meals. These amounts are estimates, and your vet's instructions override them.
The amounts are a calculated estimate built from the Tufts recipe, USDA FoodData Central calorie values for cooked white rice (130 kcal per 100 g) and braised chicken breast (157 kcal per 100 g), and the Ohio State resting energy formula (70 times body weight in kg to the 0.75 power), which works out to about 209 calories per cup of mix.
The bland diet feeding chart by weight below gives cups per day and meals per day for a mix of one part chicken to two parts rice (1:2); the day-by-day transition schedule follows in the next section.
| Dog weight | Estimated calories per day | Cups per day (estimate) | Meals per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | about 218 kcal | about 1.0 cup | 4 or more |
| 20 lb | about 366 kcal | about 1.8 cups | 4 or more |
| 40 lb | about 615 kcal | about 3.0 cups | 4 or more |
| 60 lb | about 834 kcal | about 4.0 cups | 4 or more |
Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center calls calorie calculations starting points and crude estimates, and individual needs can differ substantially. Cup weights also vary with how tightly you pack the mix. No primary veterinary source states a cups-per-day amount for a home bland diet.
Bland diet portions for dogs should be small and frequent. VCA recommends splitting the daily food into more meals during digestive upset, so a dog that normally eats twice a day may get four or more. Start small and watch how your dog handles each meal.
How much bland diet to give a puppy is a question for your vet. No fetched primary source gives puppy portions, and puppies with diarrhea can become dehydrated.
How Long to Keep a Dog on a Bland Diet
Keep a dog on a bland diet for a day or two, and expect clear improvement within two to three days. How many days to feed it depends on how fast the stool firms, followed by a gradual transition back to regular food. Tufts says a day or two of this unbalanced recipe will not cause deficiencies, but weeks to months of it can seriously harm pets.
How many days on a bland diet a dog needs, by source:
- Tufts: a day or two is fine; weeks to months is harmful.
- Cornell: diarrhea that does not resolve in 48 to 72 hours needs a vet.
- VCA: diarrhea should improve within about one to three days, and a vet visit is due if it lasts more than three days.
- Merck: after vomiting, if the bland diet is tolerated, it is usually continued for 1 or 2 weeks before the regular diet is reintroduced, a plan best set by your vet.
A long-term bland diet for dogs is not safe without veterinary planning. Cornell says bland diets are not nutritionally balanced and are not for long-term feeding. A dog that needs digestible food for longer can move to a complete veterinary diet such as Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Adult Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dry Dog Food, which Royal Canin sells through vets and select retailers.
How to Transition Back to Regular Dog Food
Once stools are firm and your dog is eating well, mix the regular food back in gradually over several days. VCA says the normal diet can be slowly reintroduced over several days once vomiting is controlled.
Cornell's general diet-change guide starts at 75% old food and 25% new food. Coming off a bland diet, the bland mix is the old food and your dog's regular food is the new one. Cornell gives only that starting point; the later days below are a sample schedule, not a sourced standard:
- Day 1 to 2: about 75% bland diet and 25% regular food (Cornell's starting split).
- Day 3 to 4: about 50% bland diet and 50% regular food.
- Day 5 to 6: about 25% bland diet and 75% regular food.
- Day 7: 100% regular food.
No primary source gives a fixed day-by-day bland-to-regular schedule, so slow down if stools soften and let your dog's stool set the pace. If diarrhea returns after a food switch, Cornell suggests going back to the earlier diet until stools firm, then restarting more gradually. Merck advises contacting your veterinarian if signs come back after feeding.
Bland Diet for Dogs With Diarrhea, Vomiting, Pancreatitis, or Colitis
A bland diet helps mild diarrhea and vomiting in otherwise healthy dogs, but pancreatitis, colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease need a vet-directed diet. The right food depends on the condition.
What food stops diarrhea in dogs?
No food reliably stops diarrhea on its own, but boiled skinless chicken with plain white rice is the classic choice because it is low fat and easy to digest, per Cornell and VCA. Plain canned pumpkin can help bind stool, according to VCA. If diarrhea lasts beyond two to three days, see a vet.
A bland diet for dogs with vomiting and diarrhea starts small: tiny, frequent meals once vomiting has stopped for 12 to 24 hours, per Merck. Read more on what drives an upset stomach in our guides to dog has diarrhea causes, dog vomiting and diarrhea, and gastroenteritis in dogs.
How each stomach issue is handled, according to the sources:
- Pancreatitis: VCA says mild cases are supported with small amounts of a low-fat, easy-to-digest diet. Merck's professional manual says a low-fat diet, under 20 g of fat per 1,000 kcal, is crucial for treatment success. Fatty substitutes such as ground beef, skin-on chicken, oil, or butter are unsafe here. See pancreatitis in dogs.
- Colitis: VCA suggests a low residue or hypoallergenic diet, and some dogs do better on low-fiber food. Stress colitis resolves in 3 to 5 days for most dogs, per VCA.
- Gastroenteritis, gastritis, and nausea: the same small, frequent, low-fat bland meals apply once your vet confirms home care is appropriate.
- IBD: a 2024 JAVMA review reportedly notes low-fat GI diets are often recommended for pancreatitis, but IBD feeding is a long-term plan your vet builds, not a home bland diet.
Can a bland diet cause constipation in dogs? The sources reviewed do not address it. Watch for stool getting firmer as the gut settles, and call your vet if your dog strains without passing stool.
A bland diet for dogs with blood in the stool is not a home-care situation. Blood changes the plan, as the next section explains.
When a Bland Diet Is Not Enough: See a Vet
See a vet instead of feeding at home if your dog has blood in the stool or vomit, black tarry stool, repeated vomiting, lethargy, or refuses food. These signs need an exam, not a recipe.
Red flags from the veterinary sources:
- Black, tarry, or bloody stool (Cornell, VCA)
- Vomit containing blood (VCA)
- Vomiting more than once or twice a day (Merck)
- Lethargy or refusing to eat (Cornell, VCA)
- Diarrhea not resolving in 48 to 72 hours (Cornell)
- Vomiting lasting more than one to two days (VCA)
Merck warns that severe vomiting and diarrhea can lead to shock from dehydration. Bloody diarrhea is also the hallmark concern in hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs, which needs prompt veterinary care.
A dog that needs a bland diet again and again may have a condition more serious than simple diarrhea, according to a summary of Cornell's guidance. Recurring episodes are worth a full workup.
Bland Diet for Dogs FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the menu for a bland diet?
The bland diet menu is boiled chicken breast, skinless and boneless, mixed with plain white rice at about 1 part chicken to 2 parts rice. Sourced alternatives are turkey breast, low-fat hamburger, cottage cheese with rice, and plain canned pumpkin, all served unseasoned in small, frequent meals.
What's the most bland food?
Boiled, skinless chicken breast with plain white rice is the most commonly recommended bland food for dogs, named by VCA, Cornell, and Tufts. No primary source ranks bland foods against each other, but this pairing is the standard starting point.
Are potatoes a bland food?
No primary veterinary source reviewed for this guide addresses potatoes in a dog's bland diet, so they are not part of the sourced recipe. If your vet approves them, they would need to be plain boiled, with no butter, salt, or seasoning.
Can I feed my dog a bland diet every day?
No. A homemade bland diet is not complete and balanced, so it should not be fed every day long term, per Cornell and Tufts. A dog that needs special food for weeks needs a complete diet or a home recipe formulated to be balanced.
Is chicken and rice good for a dog with diarrhea?
Yes, for mild diarrhea in an otherwise healthy adult dog. Boiled chicken and white rice are low fat and easy to digest, which gives the gut a break, according to Cornell. If diarrhea does not improve within two to three days, see your vet.
Editor
The Webvet Editorial Team is the in-house group of pet-care editors and writers behind Webvet, operated by Smart Pet Collective. The team researches, writes, and maintains Webvet's pet health, behavior, and medication content. Every article follows a defined editorial process: research from reputable veterinary and scientific sources, careful drafting, mandatory review of medical content by a credentialed veterinarian, and dated publication. Health and medication articles are medically reviewed by a licensed veterinary professional before they go live and are kept current over time.
Veterinarian · BVMS MRCVS
Dr. Pippa Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS, is a veterinarian with nearly 30 years of experience in companion animal practice. Dr. Elliott earned her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow. She was also designated a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Married with 2 grown-up kids, Dr. Elliott has a naughty Puggle named Poggle, 3 cats and a bearded dragon.
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