How To Transition Dog Food
Nicole Groshek Read Time: 3 minWhether you’ve just adopted a new furry member of the family or you are looking to incorporate more premium ingredients into your dog’s diet, there are so many reasons to choose Stella & Chewy’s for your dog. With best-in-class nutrition and a variety of food options, including Raw Coated Baked Kibble, human-grade wet food, and raw diets, we’re happy to offer premium food where meat is always the number one ingredient.
When it comes to transitioning to any food, a slow transition over 7-10 days is recommended; it is the same case when transitioning to our food too. To start, we recommend mixing the new food in with what you’re currently feeding and slowly building up until the new food is the sole food that you’re feeding/that your dog is enjoying. Even if your dog isn’t eating their current diet, it’s important to start off small with new food and introduce it slowly, as sudden changes to diet can cause digestive issues. So, how exactly can you do this?
On days 1-3, it’s recommended to feed 25% new food and 75% old food. This percentage is based off feeding guidelines. For example, if your 15 lb. dog is transitioning from another brand of kibble (with the feeding guideline of one cup per day) to our Freeze Dried Raw patties (with the feeding guideline of 5 patties per day), this would break down to ¾ cups kibble (75%) and 1.25 patties (25%). Of course, the exact amounts will vary based on the weight of your dog. On days 4-6, the feeding ratio would bump up to 50% new food and 50% old food. Following the example above, this would mean 2.5 patties and ½ cup kibble. On days 7-9, the ratio would again increase to 75% new food and 25% old food, and finally on day 10, your dog would be fully transitioned to the new food and there would be no need to mix in the old food diet.
Transitioning with the timeline above helps to limit digestive issues that can occur when feeding a new food. It also allows for your dog to become accustomed to the taste and texture of the new food.
Frequently Asked Questions About Transitioning Dog Food
Do you need to transition when using Meal Mixers?
When fed as a topper, we do still recommend introducing the meal mixers to your dog’s diet slowly, working your way up to the feeding guidelines/full serving that’s shared on the back of the packaging. Whenever adding a topper, it’s also important to decrease whatever you are currently feeding in order to not overfeed your dog when adding meal mixers in with the meal. If you need further help with calculating how much you should be reducing, please reach out to us at info@stellaandchewys.com. If you will be feeding the meal mixer as a complete and balanced meal (all recipes can be fed as complete and balanced meals with the only exception being the Savory Salmon and Cod recipe), it will be necessary to transition slowly using the timeline shared above.
I just transitioned my dog to your kibble and have been feeding the Whitefish recipe. I’d like to start feeding the duck recipe. Do I need to transition between recipes?
If your dog is fully transitioned to a food type, it should not be necessary to transition them to a different recipe. That said, if your dog is a bit more sensitive with changes in their diet, you certainly can introduce it more slowly, but it typically isn’t necessary.
Should I switch up recipes? If so, how often?
If your dog doesn’t have any food allergies or sensitivities, switching the proteins/recipes can be a really good idea; it can actually help prevent intolerances and allergies from developing. We suggest feeding 1 flavor for 2-6 weeks, then switching to a different flavor for 2-6 weeks, etc. No transition is needed between flavors for an average dog.
