2007-04-17 08:46:28 · 10 answers · asked by allison_sdlr 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
do it slowly, by mixing a little of the new food with the old. Keep doing this by adding more of the new each time. He will adjust and you'll both be happy
2007-04-17 08:55:14 · answer #1 · answered by TD R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Change over gradually if your pup has a sensitive stomach. Start with just a bit of the new food mixed with the old, and increase the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old food over a period of a few weeks.
Personally, I've never had a problem just switching foods from one day to the next. No digestive upset, no loose stools, etc. This really comes in handy when traveling if you run out of the current food and need to feed something else. Others need to change VERY gradually or they have problems. I've also found that you will have more digestive upset when changing to a food containing corn if the dog was on a no-corn diet. A corn-based diet needs different digestive enzymes in the dogs' digestive tract than does a meat-based diet. Most dogs readily accept a change from a poor food to a good one. If your pup is eating Purina and you're switching him to Eagle Pack Holistics, you most likely wouldn't have near the trouble you'd have if changing the other way around. Good luck!
2007-04-17 15:55:21 · answer #2 · answered by Beth K 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had to do this myself so I will tell you what I did...
Get the new food before he is out of the old food.
Start mixing the two different kinds of food together.
Say you feed him a cup of food at a time. I would mix 3/4 cup of old food to 1/4 cup of new food for the first week. The 2nd week I would then change to 1/2 and 1/2. The 3rd week I would change to 1/4 of the old food to 3/4 of the new food. Then by the 4th week you can just switch him over to the new stuff. You just slowly switch them over and should not have a problem. Take a good month to slowly switch him over.
2007-04-17 16:04:29 · answer #3 · answered by HMMMM 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't change it all at once. The first few days, just mix 1/4 or so in with 3/4 of the old. A few days later, make it 1/2 and 1/2, then go to 3/4 to 1/4. It should give him time to become accustomed to it gradually.
2007-04-17 15:55:14 · answer #4 · answered by cross-stitch kelly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You make a very slow transition, feeding him part old food and part new food and very gradually increasing the proportion of the new food. I just did this with my dogs and did it over about a three week period.
Even with a slow transition, we still ended up with a little diarrhea and gas, but not nearly as much as we would have had with an abrupt change.
Obviously if you are changing due to a recalled food, you'll need to do an abrupt change and deal with the consequences.
2007-04-17 15:52:39 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wean him on to it gradually. Start with a spoon of the new food mixed with the old, and gradually increase with each meal. Should take about 3-5 days. This also the method for introducing new food to a fussy animal.
Chalice
2007-04-17 15:51:44 · answer #6 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do it over a week or so. give him 75% of his regular food and 25% of his new food for two days... then mix it 60%/40% for a day... the 50%/50%... then 25%/75%... and so on untill he's off the old and on the new
2007-04-17 16:04:38 · answer #7 · answered by timesdragonfly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Change it slowly, only a little bit of the new food each night.
2007-04-17 21:57:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can change it slowly. Add a little of the new food to the old, day by day put more of the new food into his/her bowl. Good luck.
2007-04-17 15:50:24 · answer #9 · answered by Cresha B 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Start mixing it a little at a time with what he eats now. Just be sure it is a good nutritious dog food.
2007-04-17 15:51:17 · answer #10 · answered by Bev 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋