Blog How to Switch Dog Food
Did you know that abruptly switch dog food can lead to an upset stomach, bloating, and diarrhea? To avoid this, there is a step-by-step process for food transitioning that you should learn to prevent your dog from getting an upset tummy. This process applies to all breeds, genders, and ages, considering it’s a general consensus for all dogs regardless of the reason for the diet change.
There are often many reasons for a change in your dog’s food, changing a dog’s food an diet is nothing to fear as long as you follow these simple steps and ensure the new dietary supplement doesn’t have any unnecessary additives which you may want to avoid in your dog’s diet. Changing the food (switch dog food) slow and steady, typically over a 4 to 5 day period is the best approach.
How to Switch Dog Food step by step
Day 1 – 75% old food / 25% new food
It is recommended to use a majority of the old food with a small portion of the new food. This will help the dog’s stomach register the new food while still digesting the old. If you feed one cup per meal, consider ¾ cup old & ¼ cup new.
Day 2 – 50% old food / 50% new food
It is an even split. If your dog gets a cup of food in the morning and a cup in the evening then its best to give half of the old and half of the new for both morning and evening feeding.
Day 3 – 75% new food / 25% old food
You probably know where this is going by now. On day 3 you would give your dog more of the new food and less of the old food for both the morning and evening feedings. This will help adapt to what’s in store for tomorrow.
Day 4 – 100% new food
If everything goes as planned then today should be a full serving of the new food for both the morning and evening.
If your dog isn’t responsive to the new food and is only eating the old food then it is very likely they are trying to tell you that they do not approve of the new cuisine choice. If this happens you can try to mix in a bit of wet food to help encourage them during the process.
Sources:
http://www.petcarerx.com/article/how-to-change-dog-food/1233