Comments on: How to properly switch an adult dogs dry dog food?

By: Angel

Angel — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:57:59 +0000

You can start by putting more of the new food in there food bowl and less of the current food, start with a hand full,and each week put a little more until it is fully switched.
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By: ?

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:12:59 +0000

very carefully!!
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By: Li'l Lily

Li'l Lily — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:29:59 +0000

Hi,

Hi,
To switch your dog over to another food, you must do it slowly. It will normally take 3 weeks by doing the following:

Week 1: feed 3/4 current food + 1/4 new food
Week 2: feed 1/2 current food + 1/2 new food
Week 3: feed 1/4 current food + 3/4 new food
Week 4: feed 100% new food. The switch is now complete.

If your dog experiences any digestive troubles, just slow the process down a little.

Good luck.
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By: nickname

nickname — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:54:59 +0000

Take into consideration how well your dog does with new foods. Does he/she usually get sick or have runny stools for a few days after eating something new? If so then take a little extra time, but if he/she usually has a pretty tough stomach then the formula for switching feed is pretty standard (especially when switching to a higher-quality feed from a lower-quality one.) Most people I know recommend taking 10-14 days to switch brands of food.

Basic formula I’ve always used:

Days 1-3: 3/4 amount old food mixed with 1/4 new
Days 4-6: 1/2 and 1/2
Days 7-9: 1/4 old and 3/4 new
Day 10: all new food

Please keep in mind that my dog’s stomach is not easily upset and I only ever switch from one brand of high-quality food to another brand of high-quality food (for nutritional rotation.) If your dog has any trouble digesting the new food then feel free to lengthen the stages as needed.
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By: Liv

Liv — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:33:59 +0000

I would some a little neutral yoghurt.
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By: Maddy

Maddy — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:11:59 +0000

Depends on the sensitivity of your dog’s stomach, but you can generally follow this routine:

DAY 1:
Mix in one quarter of the new food with three quarters of the old.

DAY 2:
Half of the new food, half of the old food.

DAY 3:
Three quarters of the new food, half of the old food.

DAY 4:
Only new food.

Of course, you can slow it down so you spend two days or so on each step, so that it takes roughly a day over a week, but four days should work unless your dog is sensitive to change.
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By: Brenna

Brenna — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:03:59 +0000

You have to do this very gradually. If you simply feed the new food, the dog’s digestive system will be shocked and it will give the dog horrible diarrhea.

Start with adding just a little bit of the new food in with the old food - if the dog gets two cups a day, only give a quarter of the new food. Gradually, move up to half a cup of the new food, three quarters of the new food, full cup of new food, etc. This should be done slowly, in the beginning you might want to stay on the same amount of new food until the poop seems okay, then continue to move up. It could take about two weeks until the dog is really settled.

A good link:
http://dogs.about.com/cs/dietandnutrition/qt/switch_foods.htm
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By: What

What — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:22:59 +0000

I switched my Lab from purina One to Blue Buffalo Wild duck and chicken (I switch every other bag) based feed and just did it in one complete step…I read stuff about mixing it half and half, etc and thought that sounded stupid for a big dog, so i just switched and he loved his new food and never skipped a beat.
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a guy on his third male Lab gun dog (Duck mostly)

By: Bozak

Bozak — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:13:59 +0000

Try mixing a little of the new into the old. Gradually increase the proportion of new until you are switched over. Keep an eye on your pets reaction, but typically figure on something like a week or so. And best of luck
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