Your dog is scratching again. Their stomach is doing something you’d rather not describe. And you’re standing in the dog food aisle trying to decide whether you have a “sensitive skin” dog or a “sensitive stomach” dog.
Apparently, nobody told your dog to pick a lane.
A highly digestible dog food with a protein your dog tolerates and nutrients that support the skin barrier can help address both concerns. Jiminy’s Good Grub is a strong option to consider: it uses black soldier fly larvae protein, an ingredient studied for digestibility and improved skin moisture retention. The right choice depends on what’s causing your dog’s symptoms.
That’s the part I want to get into. Because when you’re dealing with an itchy dog and questionable poop, “good for sensitive dogs” starts to feel like a pretty vague promise.
WHY WOULD A DOG HAVE ITCHY SKIN AND STOMACH PROBLEMS TOGETHER?
Sometimes, the same food ingredient is involved in both. Dogs with an adverse food reaction can have skin symptoms alongside digestive trouble. That doesn’t mean every dog who scratches and has loose stools has a food allergy. But it does make the food bowl worth discussing with your vet.
It’s also possible to have two separate problems. A dog can react to pollen and eat something spectacularly ill-advised on a walk. My dog Hopper’s enthusiasm for outdoor adventures keeps me humble about how much control I actually have over a dog’s day.
The useful question is whether your dog’s everyday diet supports both their digestion and their skin, while avoiding any ingredients they don’t tolerate.
That’s why I think Good Grub deserves a closer look when both issues keep showing up.
GOOD GRUB STARTS WITH A DIFFERENT PROTEIN
The first ingredient in Good Grub is dried black soldier fly larvae. Grubs. Yes, really.
For many dogs, this is a novel protein, meaning it’s a protein they haven’t eaten before. If a dog reacts to chicken or beef, choosing a food without that particular trigger can make a difference to their skin and their digestion. Good Grub’s recipe contains neither chicken nor beef.
“Novel” is personal, though. It depends on what your dog has eaten. It doesn’t mean allergy-proof, and the rest of the ingredient list matters too.
But avoiding a troublesome ingredient is only part of what interests me about grub protein. There’s research on how dogs digest it and what a grub-based diet can do for the skin barrier itself.
A SENSITIVE STOMACH NEEDS FOOD A DOG CAN ACTUALLY DIGEST
Digestibility is about how much of a food’s nutrients the body can absorb. The protein percentage on the bag doesn’t tell you that by itself.
In a peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Animal Science, researchers fed adult dogs diets containing different amounts of black soldier fly larvae meal or oil. The diets containing larvae meal had apparent total tract protein digestibility of about 88–90%, and stool quality stayed in the ideal range.
Those were study diets, rather than a test of finished Good Grub. Still, they give us solid evidence that grub ingredients can work well in highly digestible dog food.
For a dog with a sensitive stomach, that’s a useful starting point: a protein source they can digest well, in a recipe that agrees with them.
There’s another component worth talking about. Insects naturally contain chitin, a type of fiber in their exoskeletons. Researchers have explored how the undigested portions of insect ingredients interact with canine gut microbes, including their potential for fermentation.
That’s where the interest in chitin’s potential prebiotic role comes from. But the amount fermented varies, and chitin isn’t the reason the protein is highly digestible. Protein digestion and microbial fermentation of fiber are different processes.
I know. More detail than you probably wanted while holding a poop bag. The distinction matters when we explain why an ingredient might help.
We’ve written more about the feeding research in The Digestibility of Insect Protein for Dogs: What the Science Actually Says.
ITCHY SKIN NEEDS HELP HOLDING ON TO MOISTURE
This is the study that made me especially excited about Good Grub’s protein source.
In a peer-reviewed study of eight healthy Beagles, researchers compared a diet containing 29.5% black soldier fly larvae meal with a poultry by-product meal diet. They measured skin hydration and transepidermal water loss, or TEWL: water escaping through the skin.
The grub-based diet improved skin hydration and reduced water loss through belly skin compared with the poultry diet. Their skin held on to moisture better.
For dogs with dry, sensitive skin, that’s a meaningful benefit to investigate. The authors suggested fatty acids and skin lipids could explain the effect, without establishing a single cause. This was research on skin-barrier function, rather than a trial of itch relief from finished Good Grub.
You can see the explanation and graphs in Improve Your Dog’s Skin Through Their Diet.
THE IMMUNE RESEARCH ADDS ANOTHER REASON TO PAY ATTENTION
When allergies are involved, “boosting immunity” is a bit too blunt a description of what we want. The immune system is already reacting. Healthy regulation of that response is the more useful goal.
In 2026, Innovafeed and Ambiotis reported laboratory research using a canine whole-blood model. A water-soluble fraction of their BSFL ingredient reduced TNF-alpha, a signal involved in promoting inflammation, and increased IL-10, a signal involved in controlling it.
I find that interesting because it gives researchers a specific immune response to investigate alongside the feeding studies.
But it’s early evidence, reported in a company whitepaper. We still need feeding trials to find out how those laboratory results translate to dogs eating the food.
There’s a longer explanation in Insect Protein and Immune Health.
HOW TO TRY A NEW FOOD WITHOUT MAKING THE STOMACH SITUATION WORSE
If your dog is otherwise well and you’re choosing a new everyday food, make the change gradually. Mix a little into their current food and increase it over roughly a week, slowing down if your vet recommends it for your dog.
Keep the extras steady while you assess the change. Adding a new food, a new supplement and whatever fell off your dinner plate makes it damn hard to tell what’s helping.
Take a few notes about stool consistency and scratching. Photos can help you compare skin changes over time. You don’t need a spreadsheet. I say this as someone fully capable of making a spreadsheet where none was required.
If your vet suspects a food allergy, follow their elimination-diet plan instead. That may involve a prescription hydrolyzed diet or a carefully selected novel-protein diet, with strict rules about treats and other foods. An ordinary food switch doesn’t establish a diagnosis.
Persistent symptoms deserve an examination. Bloody diarrhea, repeated vomiting or a dog who seems weak or unwell calls for prompt veterinary attention. Don’t wait for a new bag of food to sort that out.
For everyday feeding, Jiminy’s Good Grub is complete and balanced for adult dogs. It brings a novel protein option together with an ingredient supported by digestibility and skin-barrier research.
That’s why it’s a food I’d put on the list when an owner asks about an itchy dog with a sensitive stomach.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What dog food helps with itchy skin and digestive issues at the same time?
Look for a complete and balanced food your dog tolerates, with digestible protein and nutrients that support skin health. Jiminy’s Good Grub is one option for adult dogs because it uses black soldier fly larvae protein, which has been studied for digestibility and skin moisture retention.
Can a food allergy cause both itching and loose stools?
Yes. An adverse food reaction can involve the skin and digestive tract. Your vet can help determine whether an elimination diet is appropriate. Improvement after switching foods alone doesn’t confirm a food allergy.
How does grub protein support skin moisture?
A feeding study found that dogs eating a BSFL-meal diet had improved skin hydration and reduced water loss compared with a poultry-based diet. The authors suggested fatty acids and skin lipids could be involved.
Does chitin make insect protein easier to digest?
No. Chitin is a fiber component, while protein digestibility describes how well protein is digested. Chitin and other insect residues are being studied for their effects on gut microbes, but fermentation varies. Good protein digestibility and potential fiber benefits should be considered separately.
How long should I give a diet change to help?
Skin changes take time, so don’t judge a food after a few meals. If you’re investigating a food allergy, your vet may recommend a strict trial lasting up to three months. Worsening symptoms warrant a call sooner.
Is Good Grub a replacement for allergy medication?
No. Diet can be part of your dog’s care, but don’t stop prescribed treatment without your vet’s guidance. Environmental allergies and secondary skin infections can need treatment even when the food is a good fit.
