Why not to switch dog food brands
How to Switch Your Dog's Food
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Dietary changes are an unavoidable part of a dogs life. Maybe the switch is expectedlike changing from puppy food to an adult foodor maybe something unanticipated happened, like an illness or food recall.
In either case, knowing how to switch your dogs food properly can make the transition easier for you and your canine friend.
Reasons for Changing Dog Foods
There are many reasons why you might find yourself having to change your dogs food. Lets divide them into two categoriesthose that need a quick switch and those where you can take your time.
You may need to quickly switch your dogs food if:
Your dogs current food has been recalled, discontinued, or is simply not available.
Your dog wont eat their current food.
Your veterinarian recommends an immediate change to a new diet. This occurs most frequently if a dog has developed food allergies or other adverse reactions to food. It may also be beneficial to make a quick switch if a dog has gastroenteritis or another health problem that needs to be treated quickly.
You can switch your dogs food gradually if:
Youve decided to change your dogs food to one that better fits your budget.
You want to feed your dog a different type of food (dry versus wet, or one with grains instead of grain-free, or rotational diets, for example).
Its time to switch to a different life-stage food (puppy to adult, for example).
Your veterinarian prescribed a new diet and recommends that you make the change gradually. This can be appropriate if a dog is being transitioned to a diet to help manage chronic diseases like obesity, canine cognitive dysfunction, or osteoarthritis.
What Are Rotational Diets for Dogs?
Some pet parents routinely switch their dogs food, using a practice called rotational feeding. The thought process behind rotational feeding goes something like this: Since its impossible to have 100% confidence in any one diet, routinely rotating through several different foods limits the chances that a dog could become sick due to nutrient deficiencies, nutrient excesses, or contaminants.
As long as all of the diets being fed are high-quality and nutritionally complete and balanced, rotational feeding may be beneficial and shouldnt do any harm. However, rotational feeding isnt appropriate if a dog develops an upset tummy from all the dietary changes or needs to be on a specific type of food for health reasons.
People approach this in many different ways. Some buy a few different bags of kibble and feed one type of food per week. Others make more dramatic changeskibble until the bag is empty, then wet food for a couple of weeks, followed by a couple of days of home cooking. Still others focus on purchasing products made from different protein and carbohydrate sourcesbeef and barley for a month followed by a month of chicken and rice, for example.
Steps for Switching Dog Foods
Some dogs seem to have an iron stomach. They can eat almost anything and do just fine. But others have a more delicate constitution.
Its best to err on the side of caution, since the potential downside of making a diet change too quickly is unpleasant for everyone.
Here are two good ways to switch your dogs diet that reduce the chances of food refusal, diarrhea, vomiting, and gassiness.
Gradual Dog Food Switch
Whenever possible, take at least a week to switch your dog to a new diet. Mix the new and old foods in these ratios:
Day 1 10% new food / 90% old food
Day 2 20% new food / 80% old food
Day 3 30% new food / 70% old food
Day 4 40% new food / 60% old food
Day 5 60% new food / 40% old food
Day 6 80% new food / 20% old food
Day 7 100% new food
You can take it even more slowly if your dog has a history of problems with dietary changes or if the new food is very different from the old (switching from a dry salmon-based food to a wet chicken-based food, for example).
If at any point during this process your dog stops eating or has vomiting or diarrhea, switch back to the old food and make the transition even more slowly. Call your veterinarian for advice if your dogs symptoms continue after switching back to their old diet.
Quick Dog Food Switch
Sometimes you have to change your dogs food without a transition period. Healthy adult dogs can safely miss a few meals if they refuse a serving or two of the new food using this method. If your dog is still refusing to eat after two days or theyve developed vomiting or diarrhea at any point, try a different food or call your veterinarian for advice.
Do NOT use this method for puppies or dogs with health problems. It can be dangerous for them to go without food.
- Day 1, Meal 1:
- Offer just a small amount of the new foodabout a quarter of what theyd normally eat in a meal.
- If your dog doesnt eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
- Day 1, Meal 2:
- If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
- If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
- If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
- Day 1, Meal 3:
- If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
- If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
- If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
- Day 2, Meal 1:
- If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
- If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
- If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
- Day 2, Meal 2:
- If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
- If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
- If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
- Day 2, Meal 3:
- If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a normal meal size of the new food.
How to Find a Similar Formula When Changing a Dogs Food
Another trick to making a diet change go smoothly is to make the change as small as possible. If your dog likes eating wet food, pick a new wet food; dont try switching to dry.
If beef is their favorite flavor, stick to beef-based diets. Look at the old foods ingredient list and guaranteed analysis and try to find a new food that is a close match in as many ways as possible. Staying with the same manufacturer can help as well.
Troubleshooting When Switching Dog Foods
Some problems that are commonly seen when switching dog foods can be handled at home:
Your dog refuses the new diet As long as its safe for your dog to miss a few meals, let them get hungry, but do not try this with puppies or dogs with underlying health problems, including dogs that have diabetes and are on insulin. You can also try a meal topper to entice them to eat, but if your dog is changing diets for medical reasons, ask your veterinarian if a meal topper is appropriate based on the specifics of their case.
Your dog develops mild diarrhea If you can, go back to your dogs old diet for a few days until their stool returns to normal, and then try to make the transition to the new food more slowly. Mixing some plain pumpkin into the food or giving your dog a probiotic can also help.
Your dog becomes gassy Gassiness will usually improve after a dog has eaten a new diet for a few days. A nutritional supplement designed to help with gas may speed the process along. (Example: Vets Best Gas Busters)
Talk to your veterinarian if your dog develops severe diarrhea, starts vomiting, or their milder symptoms dont clear up in a couple of days.
Your vet can prescribe appropriate treatment or perhaps recommend a different diet that will be better a better match for your pup.
Featured Image: iStock/Chalabala
Changing Dog Food Within The Same Brand The Why, When, And How
Last Updated on November 2, 2021 by Marco
While dogs arent as picky as cats, its not uncommon for them to sometimes refuse to eat a certain food. And, yet sometimes it just has to be done. So, here well talk about changing dog food within the same brand the why, when, and how of it all. Additionally, well go over the differences between that and moving to another brand, some of the problems that may arise, and other additional tips and tricks you can employ.
When Should You Change Your Dogs Diet?
There are many different reasons to change your dogs diet. Some are serious and urgent, others are less major but still valid. Here are the main reasons you may want to consider:
- Your pup is simply growing either into an adult or into a senior dog and its time to move on to a new type of food
- Youve discovered a certain health issue such as diabetes, kidney disease, or a certain gastrointestinal issue that necessitates a diet change
- Youve discovered that your previous dog food wasnt of a high enough quality
- You want to diversify your dogs diet
- Youre looking to reduce your dogs weight
- Youd like to save money with a lower cost (but still good!) dog food
Either of those is a good reason to switch to a different food. Fortunately, your dog will take on the change well enough. If it doesnt, read on to see a few solutions.
Why Consider Changing Dog Food Within The Same Brand?
Generally speaking, it wouldnt matter much whether you switch to a different brand or just to a different flavor/type within the same brand. Either way, the ingredients will likely be quite different.
The first and foremost rule, in either case, should be the actual quality of the food. If you believe your current brand offers high enough quality across all its different types of food stick with it. However, if the very reason for the switch is the low quality of the food then obviously, changing dog food within the same brand is a bad idea.
How Long Does Changing Dog Food Take and How To Go About It?
That will depend on the dogs preferences and tendencies for stubbornness. Many dogs will happily switch to a new food whenever given the chance. However, in some cases, a dog can be obstinate for a few days or even a couple of weeks.
The most sure-fire way to deal with such a stubborn dog is to change its food gradually. This usually means mixing 75% of the old food with 25% at first. If the dog refuses that ratio, try 80/20 or even 90/10 if you have to. Whatever ratio is finally deemed Acceptable by your dog, stay on it for a few days.
Then, slowly start reducing the amount of old food and adding more of the new food. After about a week or so you can transition into a 50/50. After another few days to a week 25/75. From there, the jump to 100% new food should be a matter of no more than a couple more days.
In total, even the most stubborn dogs should be ok with a full transition after 14 days if youve made the transition smooth enough.
Learn more about:Can Dogs Eat Maraschino Cherries Or Are The Drawbacks Too High?
Are There Possible Problems When Transitioning Dog Food?
While diet transitioning is often done to avoid certain health issues, it can also cause them, albeit rarely. Most notably, a sudden diet switch can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, gas, and overall an upset stomach. This doesnt mean that theres something wrong with your pet or with the dog food, however. Most of the time, the issue was just in the sudden switch.
So, if youve had to go through a slow and transitional switch, you most likely wont face these issues. In fact, this is another way to avoid the stomach upset from a sudden switch do it gradually as outlined above.
Naturally, you should still consult with your vet if youve noticed even a slight problem. Even though its probably nothing major, its good to be careful.
My Dog Doesnt Want To Eat At All What To Do and Should I Wait?
On rare occasions, a dog may refuse to touch its new food even if its mixed in a 10/90 ratio with the dogs old food. Canines do have strong noses, after all. In such a situation, waiting a bit can work as your dog may surrender after a couple of meals without eating.
This leads to another question how long should you wait if your dog is extra stubborn? How long can dogs go without eating? Hypothetically, a dog can go without food for 3 to 5 days without any major health problems. However, thats generally too risky. Going over 48 hours without food can rarely lead to some health issues. So, waiting 48 hours or 4 meals is generally acceptable.
Do keep in mind, however, that your dog may start looking for food elsewhere. Usually, this means going through the trash can or trying to open the fridge.
How To Switch Dog Food If Your Dog Is Free Feeding?
If youre free-feeding your dog you can still try both a sudden and a gradual food switch. That being said, its a good idea to use the occasion to switch to a strict feeding schedule of 2 or 3 separate meals a day. The wait between meals will further incentivize your dog to eat when its given food.
Additional Tips and Tricks For When You Are Changing Your Dogs Diet
Here are a few more tips that may help you:
- Remove the bowl after 20 to 30 minutes if your dog has refused to eat
- Mix some of your dogs favorite food with the food
- Add another delicacy such as fish sauce or something else your dog likes
- If nothing helps, talk with your vet
So, Changing Dog Food Its Sometimes Difficult But Never Impossible
Even if your dog is extra stubborn about it, dont despair. Just take things slow, make the switch gradual, and make sure your dog is eating at least once every 48 hours (or 24 hours to be extra safe). Sooner or later, with enough patience and persistence, your dog will get used to and accept the new food.
Read more about:Best Dog Food For Miniature Dachshund Dogs To Keep Them Healthy
Jordan is an animallover who specializes in dachshunds. He has owned and cared for dachshunds since he was a child, and his passion for these unique dogs has only grown with time. Jordan is an avid researcher and learner, and spends a large portion of his free time studying the history, behaviour, and health of dachshunds. He has a knack for training and socializing his own dogs, and loves introducing them to new experiences. When not caring for his own pets, Jordan likes to volunteer at local animal rescue shelters, helping to find homes for abandoned dachshunds. He is a true animal advocate, and dedicates his time to ensure that all animals receive the love, respect, and care they deserve.
