Dog Food for Scottish Deerhound Sensitive Stomach

Scottish Deerhounds with a deep chest and sensitive digestion after exercise are a specific concern — that combination raises the risk of bloat (GDV), so how and what you feed really matters here. Sensitive stomach issues in dogs generally fall into a few categories: food intolerance, ingredient sensitivity, or a gut that simply does better on a plainer, more digestible diet. Working out which applies to your dog is the key to finding the right food. To point you in the right direction — what symptoms are you actually seeing after exercise, how soon after eating does he typically exercise, and what food is he on currently?

That pattern — gas and loose stools a few hours after exercise rather than immediately — points more to the food itself than the timing of exercise. Supermarket large-breed kibbles often contain a fairly long ingredient list: multiple protein sources, cereals like wheat or maize, and various additives. For a sensitive-gutted sighthound, that complexity is often the problem. Deerhounds also tend to process food differently to stockier breeds — they have a long digestive tract relative to body size, and a kibble that ferments quickly in the gut will produce gas. Before I suggest a specific food, one question: do you know whether he's reacted differently to any particular protein in the past — chicken, beef, anything like that?

That's really useful. Chicken sensitivity is actually quite common in dogs who've eaten it repeatedly over years — it's one of the most overused proteins in commercial dog food. Given his size, the deep chest, the post-exercise sensitivity, and the likely chicken intolerance, I'd point you toward Burns High Oats Adult Dry Dog Food — the lamb and wholegrain oats version. It's a single animal protein source (lamb), uses wholegrain oats as the main carbohydrate which are slow-fermenting and genuinely gentle on the gut, and the ingredient list is notably short — Burns built their whole range around the idea that less is more for sensitive dogs. It's also lower in fat than most large-breed kibbles, which matters for a lean sighthound where rich food can trigger loose stools. The oats give it a low glycaemic release too, so energy is steadier and there's less fermentation in the gut during exercise recovery. It's available in large bags on Amazon UK and is well-established — not a niche product that's hard to reorder.

Go slowly — slower than the packaging suggests. I'd do a 14-day transition rather than the standard 7: roughly 25% new food mixed with 75% old for the first four or five days, then 50/50 for another four days, then 75% new for three or four days, then fully switched. Keep the total daily portion the same throughout. Given his bloat risk, keep feeding him from a raised bowl if you're not already, split his daily amount into two meals rather than one, and hold off exercise for at least 90 minutes after each meal — that buffer is worth sticking to even once he's settled on the new food. If the loose stools and gas clear up within three or four weeks of being fully on Burns, you'll have your answer about the ingredient sensitivity. If they don't, it's worth a vet conversation about whether there's an underlying gut issue rather than a dietary one.

Good plan. Burns lamb and oats, slow 14-day transition, two meals a day, 90-minute gap before exercise. That covers all the bases for a deep-chested dog with a sensitive gut. Hope he's more comfortable on it — Deerhounds are brilliant dogs and deserve a diet that actually suits them.