How do I gradually introduce new dry dog food to my dog's diet?

If you are wanting to switch Kiko to a new food the best way to do it is to transition him slowly from the old food to the new food over about a period of one week. I usually recommend doing about 25% of new food to 75% of old food for 2 to 3 days then increasing that to 50-50, then increasing it 2 to 3 days later 75% new to 25% old and so on. By the end of 7-10 days you should be able to successfully start them on the new food without any problems. Signs to watch out for that can indicate a food intolerance to the new food include vomiting and diarrhea/soft stools. Good luck.

Rather than using a 50/50 mixture for a diet transition, I would instead ideally recommend starting 75/25 old/new food for 2 days, 50/50 for another 2-3 days, then 25/75 old/new food for another 2 days. Chloe is more likely to experience gastrointestinal upset without the more gradual transition. That said, it is possible that she could be perfectly fine with a more consistent 50/50 transition over 7 days. If she does not normally have a sensitive GI tract, you can try a 50/50 mix for 7 days, but if she does develop signs of a GI upset (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), a more gradual transition will be necessary. I hope this helps clear up any confusion!

Ideally anytime there is a diet change you want to do it over a week. You gradual mix the two foods and add kore and note if the new food each day until at 7 days you are 100% in the new food. Grain free is not really a problem for dogs... good for you!

Hi there. In general, if you're making a change, it's best to gradually start mixing in the new food over the course of at least 2-3 days rather than switching all at once - this helps to avoid GI upset related to a sudden diet change. As long as you do this, it's fine to switch to a different flavor or brand if you want to.

Hi there! You can transition her like you would normally with other diets. The key is going to be to do it slowly which is always true for dogs. What I typically recommend is to do it over 4 days as follows. Feed 25% of new diet and 75% of the old diet on day 1. Feed 50% of each on day 2. Feed 75% of new diet and 25% of the old diet on day 3. You can start feeding the new diet entirely assuming that the transition has been well-tolerated and has not resulted in any gastrointestinal signs such as diarrhea, nausea (manifests as drooling, lip smacking and/or decreased appetite), vomiting or anorexia. This approach usually works very well. Good luck with Chloe! I bet she is super cute!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If you still have any of the previous cat's food, you can try gradually introducing the new food. For example, start by feeding 25% new food and 75% old food for a few days. Then 50%/50% for a few days. Then feed 75% new food and 25% old food for a few days. Then feed just 100% of the new food. This will help to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal upset as a result of a diet change. If you do not have any more of the previous diet, that is OK. Just be aware that your cat may have some soft stools for several days during the initial diet change. I hope this is helpful!

Yes this is fine to do. Slowly replace some of the dry food with wet food, starting with just a teaspoon and working up to however much Duncan needs over 3-5 days. Make sure you're not increasing Duncan's total calories overall when you make the switch. Thanks for using Pet Coach. Let me know if this was helpful information.