Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Dogs

The best high-fiber dog foods for pups with poop problems

Best high-fiber dog foods for nutritious and delicious meals

Gabrielle LaFrank
By

When shopping for the perfect dog food, what nutrients do you consider? It’s easy to look into numbers like calorie count and protein percentage, but many pet owners overlook the fiber concentration of kibble. Not surprisingly, high-fiber foods for dogs have amazing benefits that go beyond the gut — but not many pet parents know about this! Those who do are often introduced to fiber for dogs while their own pup is battling constipation or diarrhea, but it can still take some time to find the best high-fiber dog food for your pet. Be patient!

We assure you — the search is well worth it. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite fiber-rich kibbles for your pup, including some from brands you know and love. But first, here’s what you need to know.

Related Videos
Beagle eating kibble

Why high-fiber foods for dogs are helpful to more than their digestive tracts

It’s important to understand why fiber is a helpful nutrient for dogs before you decide whether it would benefit your own fur baby. As we mentioned, it is often introduced to help dogs with regulating bowel movements during bouts of constipation or diarrhea, but the American Kennel Club notes it can be used as a safe digestive aid at any time.

These are just some of the amazing ways fiber can benefit your dog:

  • Regulating frequency and consistency of bowel movements
  • Allowing your dog to remain full for longer after meals
  • Promoting healthy intestinal pH
  • Killing bad gut bacteria
  • Helping the intestines recover from digestion and injury
  • Lowering the risk of colon cancer
  • Managing weight
  • Reducing the risk and effects of canine diabetes

It’s easy to see why fiber is beneficial to many canine diets, but it’s important not to go overboard either. Too much fiber can lead to diarrhea and an increased frequency of defecation. In some cases, this can mean accidents in the house, according to Hill’s Pet, so there are many reasons to monitor your pup’s fiber intake. Luckily, this is easy to do with the right food.

Dog eating from a round food bowl placed on the hardwood floor

The best high-fiber dog foods for pups who need a helping paw with digestion

By trying out one of these fiber-rich kibbles, you can help your pup’s digestion, body, and overall health. These are some of our favorites:

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Formula Dry Dog Food

Easy to digest, great tasting, and full of beneficial nutrients? Yes, please! This carefully created formula was designed for digestive health by veterinarians and nutritionists, so you know your pup is getting exactly what they need: both soluble and insoluble fiber, antioxidants, probiotics, and more!

If you think this food might help your dog, talk to your veterinarian about getting their approval. Though this product is readily available in stores and online, a veterinarian’s prescription is required.

Hill’s Prescription Diet Gastrointestinal Biome Canine Dry Dog Food

This is another prescription kibble that is scientifically proven to aid with canine digestion and bowel regulation. In fact, it can resolve bouts of diarrhea within 24 hours, as well as prevent future issues.

With pumpkin as this food’s main source of natural fiber, you won’t have to worry about ingredients you don’t recognize. Your dog will get their protein from real chicken, too. And since omega-3 fatty acids help fight inflammation, this is a food that can be introduced while your dog is recovering from digestive upset.

Iams ProActive Health High Protein with Lamb and Rice Adult Dry Dog Food

This food’s combination of quality ingredients and beneficial nutrients make it a great kibble for dietary support. Your pup’s tummy will love the fiber and probiotics in every bite, while their mouth drools over the delicious, savory taste. With chicken being the first ingredient, this dry food promotes a healthy heart and muscles, too.

This vet-recommended blend contains a number of omega-6 fatty acids, which encourage a shiny coat and happy skin. You might think this would be a prescription-ordered kibble, but it’s available over the counter in pet stores for any pup who needs to try something new.

Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Weight Adult Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food

If your dog needs a little help in the BM department, Nutro’s Natural Choice Healthy Weight dry dog food might just be the right choice. Not only does this recipe contain natural fiber for digestive regularity, but it also includes top-quality meat, antioxidants (for immune support), and zero by-products. No cornmeal here!

This non-GMO kibble is great for adult dogs of any breed and size, and — good news — you won’t need a prescription to be able to buy it.

With any of these options up your sleeve, though, you’ll be able to get your pup fed and feeling like themselves in no time. Whether it’s constipation or diarrhea, your dog is struggling with, adding the right amount of fiber to your dog’s diet can be a saving grace. You never know what might help!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mental health service dogs 101: What you need to know about alert dogs, emotional support animals, and others
Find out about the different types of mental health service dogs
A therapy dog wearing their harness sits and looks to the side

For many pet owners and animal lovers, simply having a four-legged friend around can make the worst days a little better. They can single-handedly coax you out of bed in the morning, and they're the perfect outlet to talk or cry to when things are too much to take on alone. That's the power of unconditional love!
Of course, animals like dogs can do so much more for their owners' mental health. That's why some pups make the perfect candidates as mental health services dogs, such as emotional support animals (ESAs), psychiatric service dogs (PSDs), or even therapy dogs. Before you get lost in all the fancy terms, though, let's run through what these service animals do, and how they differ from one another. The details might surprise you!
Here's everything you need to know about the different kinds of service dogs for mental health.

Emotional support animals aren't trained for specific tasks, but they provide lots of love and comfort
Despite being wonderfully helpful to those who need them, emotional support animals can also be controversial because of the lack of regulation in the industry. There are countless online organizations that claim to offer ESA certification (for a large amount of money, too), but the only true way to have your pet licensed is to get a "prescription" from your psychologist or psychiatrist.

Read more
5 most common Bernese mountain dog health issues and what to do about them
What you should know about health issues before bringing home a Bernese mountain dog
Man holds his Bernese mountain dog outside

Choosing the perfect breed of dog for your family is nearly as hard as choosing to get a pet in the first place. When weighing the options, the health of the animal and its pedigree should enter into your decision. You want your new furry friend to stick around for a good long time!
While one of the most lovable breeds out there, Bernese mountain dogs also have one of the shortest life spans of only about 8 to 10 years. These gentle giants come with a few issues that can be managed with proper care and a little bit of genetic testing. Here are five of the most common Bernese mountain dog health issues.

Hip and elbow dysplasia
These dreaded conditions are particularly prevalent in large breeds like Berners and can contribute to stark reductions in the quality of life for pups. The good news is that there are a number of breeding programs that attempt to correct for both with careful study to pick the perfect pups for continuing the line.

Read more
4 ways to uplift your dog’s mental health and why it’s so important
How to keep your dog's mental health at its best
A happy Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever smiles at the camera

You may not see it overnight, but the pet industry is changing. Owners and professionals alike are watching pets become part of the family instead of simple companions. This means the way people care for their pets is changing, too, and they all seem like changes for the better.
Pet mental health is a new topic that's taking the spotlight thanks to these changes, which is why we asked Renee Rhoades, the head behavior consultant at R+Dogs, about the importance of dogs' mental health. The things owners can do to keep their pups feeling fulfilled are surprisingly simple, so read on to learn about the easy changes you can make for your own dog. You might also be surprised to see how similar human and canine mental wellness is!

Why your dog's mental health is so important
If you've ever faced depression, anxiety, or another mental health concern, you'll understand just how important it is to safeguard your emotional well-being. Even short experiences with mental illness can change a person's perspective permanently, and the same can be said for our canine friends. If you need to see it to believe it, just look at the depressed dogs in shelters!

Read more