Top 10 FAQs About Volhard's Rescue Diet (What Every Dog Parent Needs to Know)

If your dog has a sensitive stomach or is recovering from illness, you’ve probably heard a dozen conflicting opinions about what to feed them. Grain-free? Limited ingredients? Home-cooked? Vet-approved? Holistic? It gets confusing. 

Our Volhard team created the Rescue Diet, a carefully designed grain-free, gluten-free base mix formulated to nourish dogs who need a gentler, more supportive approach to nutrition. 

Formulated with guidance from a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist to ensure proper nutrient balance and AAFCO compliance, Rescue is made with whole-food ingredients and offers a simple, customizable foundation that may support the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and digestive tract.

Whether you’re new to Volhard or simply want to deepen your understanding of how Rescue works, we break down the top 10 most important things every dog parent should know. 

1. The Volhard Rescue Diet Is a Dehydrated Base Mix, Gentle on Sensitive Systems

Volhard’s Rescue Diet is built as a foundation mix; a nutrient-dense blend of vegetables, herbs, organ meat, and functional foods that have been cold-dehydrated once to preserve maximum nutritional value. Because the mix contains no grains, gluten, or common inflammatory triggers, it’s gentle on even the most sensitive digestive systems.

Unlike traditional commercial foods, Rescue is designed to give dog parents complete control over the primary protein source, allowing you to choose raw or lightly cooked meats that best fit your dog’s needs. This makes the diet incredibly flexible for dogs with rotating protein requirements, allergies, or chronic sensitivities.

2. Rescue Is Formulated for Dogs With Food Intolerances, GI Issues, and Inflammation

Every ingredient in Rescue has a purpose: to soothe, support, and restore the digestive and immune systems. This diet shines for dogs dealing with chronic diarrhea, gas, vomiting, itchy skin, inflammation, or poor nutrient absorption. 

Its low-glycemic ingredients helps stabilize blood sugar, making it ideal for dogs recovering from illness, injury, or those with conditions that benefit from steady energy release.

Because it’s free from grains and unnecessary fillers, Rescue reduces the load on an already stressed digestive tract. The vegetables and herbs promote gut healing, and the freeze-dried organ meat provides easily absorbed vitamins and minerals, crucial for dogs who struggle to tolerate richer, more complex foods.

3. The Recipe Includes Organ Meat, a Rainbow of Vegetables, Herbs, and Functional Foods

The inclusion of USDA-inspected freeze-dried liver provides a highly bioavailable source of essential nutrients, nature’s multivitamin for dogs. This is paired with a diverse spectrum of vegetables, offering antioxidants, fiber, phytonutrients, and digestive support that kibble simply can’t match due to heat processing.

Supportive herbs are blended in to nourish vital organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and lungs, making Rescue particularly valuable for dogs who need metabolic support or have been compromised by medication, stress, or illness.

Functional foods complete the mix, each chosen for targeted benefits such as reducing inflammation, stabilizing digestion, or improving nutrient uptake. 

When rehydrated, the mix returns to a fresh, aromatic state that dogs instinctively enjoy, making mealtimes easier for even the pickiest eaters.

4. Pet Parents Add the Protein, Allowing Complete Customization

Because Rescue is a base mix, it gives dog parents the flexibility to choose the exact protein that suits their dog’s health status, sensitivities, or preferences. This is especially helpful for dogs with complex dietary histories, rotating allergies, or those undergoing elimination trials.

Whether you choose raw or cooked, lean or fatty, single-source or rotating proteins, Rescue adapts seamlessly. This level of customization means dogs can enjoy balanced nutrition while you fine-tune the type and preparation style of protein for optimal digestibility and long-term tolerance. For multi-dog households, each dog can have the same base mix but a personalized protein addition.

5. Protein Rotation Helps Support Variety and Reduces Sensitivity Risk

Rescue base pairs well with a variety of animal proteins, including beef, turkey, white fish, or low-fat options for dogs with pancreatitis tendencies. Protein rotation is one of the easiest ways to support a healthier gut microbiome while reducing the chance of developing food intolerances over time.

The digestive system thrives on diversity, and rotating proteins provides a broader nutrient spectrum while preventing overexposure to a single protein source. 

For dogs with chronic inflammation or poor absorption, this flexibility can be transformational, giving the body a chance to recover while still receiving nutrient-dense meals.

6. Rescue Is Balanced and Complete When Prepared With the Correct Protein

Rescue was formulated under the guidance of a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, which ensures that when paired with the appropriate protein portion, it meets the nutritional requirements for adult dogs of all breeds and activity levels. 

The mix itself delivers essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omegas, and organ-supportive phytonutrients.

Because the diet uses a single-step cold dehydration process, Rescue retains far more nutrients than foods exposed to multiple rounds of heating. This preserves vitamin integrity, mineral availability, and even natural aroma, making the diet not only complete but also highly bioavailable.

The combination of veterinary-formulated ratios, functional whole foods, and customizable protein makes Rescue a reliable long-term feeding solution for dogs that simply cannot tolerate grain-based or commercial kibble diets.

7. The Diet Is Safe for Puppies, Including Large Breeds

While Rescue was originally formulated with adult dogs in mind, its nutrient profile and digestibility make it an excellent option for puppies, even large-breed puppies, who typically require more careful nutritional management. 

When prepared with the correct protein and portion sizes, Rescue provides balanced, whole-food nutrition that supports healthy growth without overloading the developing digestive system.

The formula’s gentle, low-glycemic ingredients are especially helpful for puppies recovering from early GI issues or those showing sensitivity to commercial kibble. 

Volhard’s dedicated puppy feeding guidelines ensure that the rapid growth phases are supported with the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, controlled energy release, and organ-supportive nutrients essential for developing joints, bones, and muscles.

8. Rescue Supports Dogs Needing Low-Glycemic, Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition

Many dogs today struggle with chronic inflammation, whether from environmental allergies, poor-quality kibble diets, or underlying metabolic issues. Rescue is intentionally crafted to reduce that internal inflammation. Its grain-free, gluten-free formulation removes common triggers, while its low-glycemic carbohydrate sources provide steady energy without spiking blood sugar.

The vegetables and herbs in Rescue deliver natural anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, helping soothe the digestive tract and support healthier immune responses. 

For dogs dealing with conditions like IBD, pancreatitis-prone tendencies, or chronic skin flare-ups, this low-glycemic, anti-inflammatory foundation can make a significant difference in overall comfort and nutrient absorption.

9. Rescue Can Be Used Short-Term for Recovery or Long-Term for Daily Feeding

One of Rescue’s biggest strengths is its versatility. Dogs recovering from surgery, infections, digestive upset, or periods of poor appetite benefit from its gentle, nourishing profile. During recovery, the diet is easy to digest, easy to prepare, and easy to tolerate, ideal for getting the gut back on track.

But Rescue isn’t just a temporary solution. For dogs who simply cannot tolerate grains, high-starch kibble, or repeated dietary upheaval, Rescue works beautifully as a long-term feeding option, maintaining healthy stools, stable energy levels, and improved coat quality.

10. Rescue Uses Single-Step Cold Dehydration to Preserve Nutrients

Rescue stands apart from typical dehydrated diets because it’s processed using a single-step cold dehydration method. This technique gently removes moisture without exposing ingredients to repeated heat cycles, which often degrade nutrients in conventional pet foods.

The diet maintains the integrity of its freeze-dried organ meat, vegetables, herbs, and functional foods. Essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients remain fully available, while the natural aroma and flavor dogs love stay locked in.

This nutrient-preserving method is also why Rescue looks and smells like real food when the bag is opened. Every ingredient rehydrates back to a fresh, vibrant state, giving your dog a meal that’s genuinely nourishing, clean, and biologically supportive.

Bonus: Dogs Love the Taste and Owners Love the Visible Quality

Perhaps the most powerful testament to Rescue’s impact comes directly from dog parents whose dogs have struggled for months, or even years, with sensitivities, itching, digestive issues, or food intolerance.

One review beautifully captures what Rescue is designed to do:

Rescue is a solution for dogs who need thoughtful, healing-centered nutrition.

Try the Volhard Rescue Diet!

For more advice on dog nutrition, health, and training, contact us and check out our other blogs, too!

Volhard Dog Nutrition and its expert canine nutrition coaches offer online consultations to help more dog parents discover why and how to feed their dogs the healthiest foods!

Speaking to a Volhard canine nutrition coach will help you understand the inseparable relationship between healthy food, a healthy body, and a healthy mind.

If you want to contact one of our Volhard canine nutrition coaches, you can do so by utilizing our Live Chat feature or scheduling a consultation.

Reference List:

1. Morrison, Barri J., D.V.M. “How a Bland Diet for Dogs Helps With Stomach Upset.” PetMD, 18 Nov. 2024.
2. Pilla, Rachel, and Jan S. Suchodolski. “The Role of the Canine Gut Microbiome and Metabolome in Health and Gastrointestinal Disease.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, vol. 6, 14 Jan. 2020, doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00498.
3. Pucheu-Haston, Cherie M., D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVD. “Cutaneous Food Allergy in Animals (Adverse Food Reactions).” MSD Veterinary Manual, Aug. 2025.