Monday, April 18, 2011

How To Transition Your Dog's Diet

Cosmo indulged during his birthday celebration
at BlogPaws last September 
Unlike humans, who typically can indulge in new foods with few consequences, changing your dogs' diet too quickly can make his tummy very unhappy. And the "backend result" can cause not only an unhappy dog, but also an unhappy owner, who may be dealing with some messy clean-up.

The experts at Pedigree say the transition period may take about a week, and offer these tips to make the process a pleasant one.*

* If your dog is on a special diet, please consult with your veterinarian before switching to a different type of dog food.

Days 1 to 2 (25% new, 50% old)
WHAT TO DO
Introduce your dog to the new food gradually. For the first two days or so, your dog's meals should be about 75% old food and 25% new food. Mix the two foods together, don't keep them separated.
FEEDING TIP
The percentages of food and the number of days suggested are a general guide for a smooth transition. Your dog's specific "transition rate" may be different if he or she has a sensitive tummy. If you notice that your dog has an upset stomach or loose stool, feed less of the new food for a day or two more, before upping the percentage of new food.

Days 3 to 4 (50% new, 50% old)
WHAT TO DO
If the first couple of days of the transition have gone smoothly, you can now mix 50% of your dog's old food with 50% of the new food.
FEEDING TIP
Always make sure you're feeding your dog the right amount for his or her size and weight. You can find this information on every bag of PEDIGREE Food for Dogs. Overfeeding is the No.1 reason dogs become overweight, so follow the guidelines and keep track of your dog's weight to make sure the right amount of calories are being fed -- and no more.

Days 5 to 6 (75% new, 25% old)
WHAT TO DO
At this stage, your dog's meals should be about 75% new food and only 25% of the old food. Always look for signs that your dog is making the transition smoothly and without any sign of an upset tummy
FEEDING TIP
If you have more than one dog in your home and are only transitioning one of them to the new food, it's best to feed the dogs in separate rooms. And, when they are finished with their individual meals, remove any uneaten food. That way you can be sure your dogs are eating the correct foods.

Day 7 and beyond (100% new)
WHAT TO DO
At this stage, your dog's meals should consist of 100% of the new food. Which means your dog's old food is officially the "old" food.


Pedigree sponsored our trip to BlogPaws last year
as well as our trip to the Canine Nutrition Summit
We recently had the opportunity to attend a Canine Nutrition Summit at Pedigree headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., where we learned about the new PEDIGREE® Dry Food recipes as well as lots of other interesting information about canine nutrition.

Thanks to Pedigree, we had a terrific time catching up with a group of our pet blogger buddies, learning a ton about Mars Petcare US -- the makers of Pedigree Food for Dogs -- and the WALTHAM® Center for Pet Nutrition.

Check back Thursday for our behind-the-scenes look at our trip to Mars Petcare US!




17 comments:

  1. Hi there you have a great website here containing certain health related issues. When I read this article I am very happy. I really want this information. Thanks for this great information! Very informative, and I think you have answered the question I was looking for. Thanks for this great information! Very informative, and I think you have answered the question I was looking for. It’s very useful information for whom who loves their dogs. Thanks for sharing..

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  2. I agree...great information here. So many pet guardians just aren't aware of these ideas for making the food change easier on their dogs and cat. So good to share. More tips on transitioning here: http://bit.ly/axETdc

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  3. Very good tips! People do forget that you have to transition them slowly.

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  4. Great tips on introducing a new food to a dog's diet. We are in the process of transitioning Gus to a more travel friendly food. Gus is pretty stubborn about new food so hopefully trying the new to old food percentages will help.

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  5. You have provided great tips in helping our pet dogs' diet transition. A lot of dog owners will surely find these insights useful. Thanks for sharing a very helpful article.

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