S To Successfully Switch Your Dogs Pet Food
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Whether your dog needs a therapeutic food or theyre just entering a new stage of life, there are several reasons you may need to transition them to a different pet food. When the time comes to make the switch, youll want to do it in a way that doesnt cause stomach upset. Here are three tips that can help.
How Quickly Do Dogs Adapt To New Pet Food
By Tim Falk
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Changing your dogs food is a big step to take. The food you choose needs to provide a complete and balanced diet for your pooch, so its not a decision you should make lightly.
But if youve found a better diet for your dog, youll also need to take special care to help them adjust to their new food.
But how long does it take dogs to adjust to a new food? And what can you do to make the transition easier? Keep reading to find out.
About Switching Dog Food
If your not careful when switching dog food, you could have quite a mess on your hands. It might seam that dog’s have an iron gut, but their digestive tracts can actually be quite sensitive.
Changing dog food should be done gradually over at least a 2 week period. Puppies are usually the most susceptible to stomach upset when a dog food switch is made.
The reason is because puppies already have rather sensitive stomachs because they’re still developing. When a puppy comes home to her new family, she goes through many, many changes all at once.
Usually one of the first things new puppy parents do is switch dog food. Along with all the other changes and stress , a new puppy food tends to really upset their tummy’s.
So, regardless of whether your dealing with a puppy or an adult, a dog food switch should be done gradually over time. There are also a few things you can add to your dog’s diet to help the transition to a new food.
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Why Should I Change My Pets Food
You may need to change foods for several reasons during your pets life. First, when your dog or cat passes the age of one year, it will be considered an adult. This is usually when you will switch from kitten or puppy food. For adult food. Other reasons also exist, such as any health problem. Also, quite simply if you want to offer him a better quality of food.
Here is a list of popular brands: Royal canin Science diet Oven baked Acana Orijen Hurraw
Why You May Want To Transition Your Pet To A New Food
Just like you may have to make some adjustments to your own diet to keep yourself at your healthiest, you may similarly have to change your pets diet to keep them in tip-top shape.
Has your picky eater suddenly decided that they dont like their kibble? Has your kitten grown up into an adult feline? Consult your vetthey may recommend that its time to transition your pet to a new food. In addition to an unexpected dislike of their old food or transitioning into a new life stage, other reasons why your veterinarian may recommend changing your dog or cats food can include:
- Your pets current food causes gastrointestinal upset, like gas or diarrhea
- Your pet is overweight and needs a weight-loss food
- Your pet has allergies that may be alleviated through a specialized diet
- Theyre suffering from aliments like dull haircoat or poor energy that can be alleviated through additional nutrients in their diet
- Your pet has been diagnosed with a health condition that requires a specific diet to help treat
- Its otherwise been determined that their nutritional needs arent being
You may also find yourself considering a diet change-up if you want to purchase a food made and sourced in the United States, or be forced to find a new food if your pets old grub has been recalled or discounted. Just be sure to keep your vet in the loop: You should always consult them before making changes to your pets diet.
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Why Introduce New Food
When changing your dog food, first you need to think carefully about why you need to switch. If your dog seems bored with his food or flavor, then you can change to a different taste of the same brand, and it will not cause much trouble.
However, if your dog has other health issues or allergies then you can go to the veterinarian, your vet can recommend the best food diet for your dog.
If you are changing to a new flavor of the same brand then switching is pretty easy. As food within the same product has almost equal vitamin quantities and nutrients. It means secondary ingredients remain the same and thats why you can switch your dog food within 2 or 3 days without any many problems.
However, when doing more significant changes in your dog food, you will need more time to make a difference in your dog diet. It is because it is not a small shift, but a massive change for your dog body and your dog digestive system can be disturbing if the switch is not done with care and patience. The dog owners have to switch dog food gradually because it keeps your dog digestive system healthy
Another reason why you need to change your dog food is age. There are foods which are given to dog according to their age stages such as puppy, adult, and senior. If you dont give your dog a diet according to its age, then your dog will not receive essential nutrients that he requires to stay fit and healthy. It is the general case when dog owners need to make a transition in their dog food.
Switching Dog Food: Should You Do It
There are a few situations in a dogs life that may justify a food change.
These include:
- A transition from puppy food to dog food
- A transition from dog food to a senior dog food
- A transition from kibble to a canned version
- A transition to a veterinary-recommended prescription diet
Many pet owners will switch from a puppy-specific formula to an adult dog food formula as their puppies grow up. A food change may also be recommended when dogs enter the senior phase of their lives as nutrient and calorie needs change.
If your dog was born with a medical condition, or develops one during their life, a change in diet prescribed to address the condition may help your pet to feel better and even live longer. For instance, if your dog has digestive problems, your veterinarian may recommend switching to a dog food for sensitive stomachs.
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A Guide To Changing Your Dog’s Food
Changing your dogs diet is not something you can do overnight. The shift to a new food should be made slowly to avoid stomach upsets. Here’s our guide on how to transition your dog to a new food in a comfortable way for them.
If youve decided to make a change to your dogs diet, whether its a different brand, a new balance between wet and dry food, or even shifting from puppy food to adult, or adult to senior pet food, its really important that you do so slowly. While we can happily eat a variety of foods in one day, our pets have very different digestive systems – where an abrupt change in diet can lead to digestive upsets. Therefore, gradually introducing the new food is the best way to avoid some of the issues that can occur with a change in diet.
Why Does My Dog Throw Up Hours After Eating
Dogs mostly regurgitate soon after eating, and its a mostly passive process the dog simply lowers their head and food comes up, without active abdominal contractions like in vomiting. The food expelled during regurgitation is usually undigested and without bile.
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Problems When Switching Dog Food
No matter how gradually you switch your dog’s food over, sometimes they still get stomach upset. The most common problem when switching food is loose stool, and sometimes diarrhea.
Hardening your dog’s stool back up is pretty easy — there are two things you can do and one or the other may work better for your dog.
- Cook up some plain rice, , and even brown up some plain hamburger and mix the two together. Give this mixture with a little kibble mixed in with it for a day or two until your dogs stool starts to harden back up, then gradually over a couple of meals feed more kibble than rice and hamburger mixture.
- Another option for stool hardening is adding some canned pumpkin to your dogs food. It’s the same principal as the rice & hamburger mixture. Just add a generous amount to each meal and as your dog’s stool starts to harden, back the pumpkin off over a few meals.
Some thoughts to ponder. . . .
Hopefully your food transition goes smoothly, and hopefully you’re switching dog food because you want your best friend to be eating high quality food. High price does not necessarily mean high quality by the way.
One the most important things to remember is that not all foods work for all dogs — even quality foods. If your dog’s food is not agreeing with his stomach, then you should consider a switch.
A couple of ingredients that dog’s can be sensitive to are grains and protein content. For dogs with highly sensitive stomachs, lamb is usually the best protein source.
Best Probiotic With Fiber
Eliminate the fear of switching dog food by keeping a can of Fruitables Switch on hand. Touted as the just-right balance of soluble to insoluble fiber, Switch supports a healthy gut to ensure a smooth transition to your dogs new food. We love the transparency of this products, as its one and only ingredient is pumpkin. Pumpkin is safe for humans and dogs, and the pure pumpkin in Switch contains no additives or preservatives.
Highlights
- Tasty pumpkin base is a flavor most dogs love
- Helps decrease the risk of loose stool or digestive issues when changing foods
- Made in the USA and developed by a veterinarian
- Easily replace 30 percent of your dogs current food with Switch when transitioning
- Can be used after transitioning for a daily fiber addition
Things to Consider
- Unused portion must be refrigerated after opening and remains fresh up to seven days
- Contains 4 calories per tablespoon
- Consult with your dogs veterinarian first if your pet has a medical condition or takes medication
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What To Do When You Need To Switch Your Dogs Diet
If you are uncomfortable or unable to locate dog food that is safe in the same variety, you may want to cook a meal for your pet to substitute as your regular dog diet until you can. At this time, you simply may just have to switch varieties or brands of dog food.
As mentioned before, a sudden switch in your dogs diet is not typically recommended. But in the interest of your dogs health, it may be necessary. Should this be the case, try to locate another type of dog food that is similar to your dogs diet in quality. This will help to reduce any digestive issues.
Your vet will best be able to advise you, but expect some digestive trouble such as gas or diarrhea during a sudden diet change. Of course, you will want to keep an eye on this situation, but it is not necessarily a sign of poor quality food. Your dogs digestive tract is not used to significant changes, so it will take a period of time to adjust to the new diet.
A sudden switch or cease of your dogs diet is not typically recommended as the way to go. But in some instances, it is for the best. Always talk to your vet about any change to your dogs diet and follow the advice. Your dogs safety is the utmost concern.
Your Dog’s Digestive Health
Throughout the 7-day period, you should keep a close eye on your dogs digestive health. If you notice any minor upsets, including diarrhoea or vomiting, you should stop the transition until this has settled. Contact your local Animates Vetcare clinic if you continue to see these symptoms.
You also need to make sure that you are not underfeeding or overfeeding you dog during the transition process. Ensure that you are paying close attention to the recommended quantities for your pets weight and size, as feeding too much can also lead to your pet gaining weight.
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What Are The Tips For Switching Dog Food Quickly
The best way to make a change in your dog food is to mix new food with your dogs current food. After a few days, you can then minimize the quantity of old food and increasing the amount of new food.
Lets discuss tips that every dog owner need to remember while making a switch to dog food.
If you have a puppy, then you should change your puppy food to an adult dog food so that your pet receives nutrients correctly as an adult dogs reverie.
When it comes to change food in puppies of the large and small breed, they should be a switch to lager and small breed adult dog food respectively.
If you have medium or small size dogs , they should be changed to mature adult dog food. It will ensure that they are getting the proper nutrients level.
If you have a large breed , then you should change to senior large dog food or mature adult dog food.
Large breed dog during nursing or pregnancy should be changed to puppy food, but remember not to a large breed puppy.
If your dog digestive system caused a problem when you switched his food to new, then it is better to talk with your vet to take proper action immediately.
Dull And Lethargic: Recovery From Illness
If your dog is recovering from a recent illness, surgery or a stressful event, he may be feeling a little run down and duller than normal. Can his normal diet support him through times of illness or recovery? In these times, he might benefit from a diet that has a high energy content and is enriched with immune-boosting antioxidants, to boost his recovery. However, if your dog is suddenly acting dull, weak or lethargic then it is important to seek veterinary advice before changing his diet.
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How To Switch Dog Food
You may be anxious to make the switch to a new food, particularly if the new food will help address any issues your dog is having. A gradual transition is the best way to switch to a new food, though.
We recommend making the switch over a 7- to 10-day period. This gives your dog a chance to adjust to the new food.
Heres our 7- to 10-day plan for switching dog food:
- Days 1 to 2: Feed 3/4 of the normal amount of current food and add 1/4 of the new food.
- Days 3 to 4: Serve half the current food and half the new food.
- Days 5 to 7: Feed 3/4 of the new food and 1/4 the previous food.
- Days 8 to 10: Serve only the new food.
If your dog doesnt seem to like the new food or if he experiences digestive upset, extend the transition over a few more days. You can also ask your veterinarian for advice.
Remember, you can use this transition process any time you need to change your dogs food.
Visit our Pet Expertise page for more nutrition and feeding tips from our experts.
Different Life Stages = Different Food
During different stages of your dogs life, he will have different dietary needs. There is no one food that can achieve everything your dog needs for his entire life- it just doesnt exist- no matter what the advertising on the packet says!
For example, a growing puppy needs much more energy and nutrients than a senior dog. And if an adult dog is fed a puppy formulated diet, it will likely pile on the pounds quite quickly and become fat. Veterinary nutritionists now recommend that you should feed your dog according to his life stage to keep your dog healthy and improve his quality of life.
So, what are the different life stages?
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How Long Will It Last
Generally speaking, the diarrhea from switching foods should not last longer than 3 or 4 days at the very most. In some cases it may take up a full week for some dogs to adjust to the new food, but that is really pushing it. For the most part, dogs will adjust to their new food in 2 or 3 days.
If you are switching foods because your dog was always sick on the old food, and it still does not change with new food, you should take your dog to the vet to get examined.
In any case, if the diarrhea lasts for more than a week in any case, go see a vet, as your dog may have a food sensitivity, the new dog food may not be ideal, or your dog may have some other illness which is causing the upset stomach.