Irish Setter gluten sensitivity & soft stools fix

Irish Setters are actually one of the breeds with a known genetic predisposition to gluten sensitivity — it's called Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy and it's well documented in the breed, so recurring soft stools after wheat-based food is a real red flag worth taking seriously. True food allergies are less common than intolerances, but either way the most effective fix is usually an elimination diet using a novel or hydrolysed protein source with no grains at all. To point you in the right direction — how old is your Setter, what symptoms are you seeing beyond the soft stools, and have you already tried a grain-free food or spoken to your vet about it?

That picture — soft stools, gas, and post-meal discomfort on a wheat-containing food — fits gluten sensitivity very neatly in an Irish Setter. The good news is this is usually very fixable just by switching the diet. Before I suggest anything specific, a couple of quick questions: is he otherwise healthy and a good weight? And has he ever eaten fish-based food before, or has it always been poultry?

Perfect — that actually works in your favour. Because he's never eaten fish before, it counts as a novel protein for him, which makes it ideal for an elimination trial. My recommendation is Canagan Grain-Free Scottish Salmon. It's completely free from wheat, gluten, and all grains, uses salmon as the single main protein source, and has a genuinely high meat content — around 50% fish — with no fillers that would muddy the picture. It's well tolerated by sensitive dogs and the ingredient list is clean enough to give you a proper read on whether removing gluten resolves his symptoms. Most owners with gluten-sensitive Setters see a noticeable improvement in stool consistency within two to three weeks. Transition slowly over seven to ten days to avoid any extra upset, and keep a simple note of his stools so you can track the change clearly.

For a healthy 3-year-old with no other symptoms beyond what you've described, a supervised dietary trial at home is completely reasonable — and it's exactly what most vets would recommend as the first step anyway. Do loop your vet in if things don't improve after four to six weeks on the new food, if he loses weight, or if the symptoms get worse rather than better. But a straightforward grain-free switch is a sensible, low-risk starting point and you don't need a referral to do it.