Min Pin sensitive stomach — when LID diets fail

Five limited ingredient diets with no improvement is genuinely frustrating — and it usually means the problem isn't just about reducing ingredients, but about what those ingredients actually are or how the food is processed. Sensitive stomach issues in dogs generally fall into food intolerance, ingredient sensitivity, or a gut that needs a simpler, more digestible diet, and identifying which one applies is the key to finding the right food. To help narrow this down: what breed and age is your dog, what symptoms are you seeing — loose stools, vomiting, gas, something else — and what have the five diets you've tried had in common ingredient-wise?

That's actually a really important detail — they were all kibble. The processing involved in making dry kibble, even good-quality limited ingredient kibble, can be hard on a sensitive gut. The high heat, the binding starches, and the lower moisture content all add digestive load. The fact that you've switched proteins repeatedly and nothing has changed strongly suggests the issue isn't the protein source at all — it's the format. Has she ever been on a wet food or raw diet, even briefly?

Your vet isn't wrong that kibble can work for many dogs, but for some individuals the format itself is the barrier — and Miniature Pinschers as a breed can be prone to a fussier digestive system. Given that you've exhausted the kibble route pretty thoroughly, I'd move her to a wet food with a single, novel protein and no cereals. Specifically, I'd try Forthglade Complete Grain Free Wet Dog Food — the turkey with vegetables variety. It's a single-protein wet food, genuinely grain-free, uses simple whole ingredients, has high moisture which eases digestion significantly, and it's free from the binding agents that make kibble harder to process. It's also widely available and reasonably priced for daily feeding in a small dog. The portion sizes for a Min Pin will be modest, so a multipack goes further than you'd expect.

Given how unsettled her stomach already is, I'd actually do a quicker transition than the standard 7-10 day blend. Start with 80% Forthglade and 20% of her current kibble for just two or three days, then move fully to the wet food. Mixing wet and dry for longer can sometimes extend the digestive disruption. Once she's fully on the Forthglade, give it a solid three weeks before you judge the results — mucus in stools in particular can take a couple of weeks to fully clear once the gut lining starts to settle. If loose stools persist beyond three weeks on the wet food, that's when it's worth going back to the vet to look at whether there's an underlying condition like IBD or a parasitic issue rather than a diet one.

A canine-specific probiotic can genuinely help bridge the transition and support the gut lining while it adjusts. Prokolin Advanced is a good, vet-recommended paste that's easy to dose for a small dog — a short course during the switch can reduce the loose stools and help establish better gut flora. Beyond that, keep treats minimal and plain during the trial period; even a small chew or treat with a problematic ingredient can muddy the picture and make it hard to know whether the new food is working.