Gradually Changing Food

[Christine + Ellie]

Hi all - now that Ellie is better I want to gradually switch her food. I can't remember this from her puppy days so could someone remind me how I should gradually switch her food? If she's on 1 cup her meal (2x a day) what's the ratio of old to new?

 

Thanks!

[F, Calla & Luca]

The easiest way would be to substitute 1/4 cup each time of the new, increasing every few days till she's on all new food.

[Sandy]

I think it's 3/4 old to 1/4 new for a week, then half and half for a week, then 1/4 old to 3/4 new for a week, then all new.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This can be complicated if you're switching to something with either a lot more or a lot less calories. If they're similar, you do start by substituting a quarter of the old food with the new, and then increasing the new while decreasing the old over several days to a week.

However, if the dog is an adult and has no digestive issues, there's really no harm in switching cold turkey. Some dogs will prefer the new (or the old) food so much, they'll pick out what they like and leave the rest anyway.And if you're going from a food with grains to a grain-free food, it's probably better to just switch.

Either way, you can expect a few days of loose stools. Hopefully not, but don't freak out if it happens. JD was loose for 4 days when I first switched him, and then he was better than ever.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I have not had to switch Peri from from so not sure.  But with Tacky, I always switch cold turkey. He picks out the old food and puts it on the floor and refuses to eat it.  And he has a sensitive stomach usually, but ends up okay (aside from some runny poos for a few days - be prepared for that).

 

Peri says hello to her sister Ellie.  We wish we could meet you one day in the city!!!  I have told people that Peri's sister is a diva living the good life in the Big Apple.  Ha