Laughter at Dog's Unexpected Reaction to Bland Diet: 'Hilarious'

A dog has left people in stitches after his owner filmed his hilarious reaction to his "bland" dinner.

When six-year-old Australian Shepherd Apollo got a bad stomach bug, his vet recommended his owner Ally Fuhs, a dog trainer from Michigan, put him on a bland diet. What she wasn't expecting was his reaction.

"We had previously gotten the recommendation from a vet to do a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice to help cure upset stomach," Fuhs told Newsweek. "Apollo usually loves food but had little interest in his regular food or treats at the time."

After making the plain chicken and rice meal, Fuhs offered it to the dog, and he was seriously excited.

"His eyes lit up," she said. "He makes the same face anytime he gets something extra special—like the turkey leg he had at the Michigan Renaissance Festival last week."

Luckily, Apollo's owner captured the moment on camera in a video first shared on her TikTok @allyandthedogs in September 2022. The video received over 700,000 views and was recently reposted on Instagram where it has been viewed thousands more times.

In the video Apollo is very keen to eat his "bland" vet-approved meal, with huge wide eyes signaling his excitement.

"He's gonna be having a lot of 'upset tummy days' from now on, lol," said one TikToker after watching the video.

While another said: "This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

"I thought those were googly eyes stuck to him at first," said one TikToker.

One joked: "He's thinking 'Oh my god I'm in heaven'."

Feeding dogs a simple diet when they have an upset stomach is common practice. Helping to ease digestive discomfort and promote recovery, bland foods are easier on the stomach and less likely to irritate the digestive system.

Veterinarians may recommend foods like boiled chicken or plain boiled rice to prevent irritating a sensitive stomach while also giving your pet the essential nutrients they need.

Bland food can also be mixed with extra water which can help increase a pet's fluid intake and prevent dehydration, which is another concern when a dog is experiencing stomach issues.

"When he had that reaction to the plate of chicken, I was mostly stifling giggles behind my phone," said Fuhs. "I knew friends and family would find it cute and hilarious too, but I had no idea the video would be circulated so widely. I'm just glad my good boy has brought smiles to so many faces."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.