Ask Dr Claire

I feed my dogs raw meat but I want to change to cooked or canned since one of them no longer seems to enjoy plus I’m just learning of health risks, how should I introduce the diet change?

The most important part of planning your pets diet is to make sure that it’s fully balanced for your pets life stage and suitable for their body weight, and any medical conditions they may have as well. 

In terms of changing a dogs diet, it needs to be done really slowly over a week, to allow their gut to adjust to the new diet.

Here’s a schedule to follow:

Day 1 and 2: feed 25% new diet, 75% old diet

Day 3 and 4: feed 50% new diet, 50% old diet

Day 5 and 6: feed 75% new diet and 25% old diet

Day 7: 100% new diet

Monitor your pet very closely for any vomiting, or change in bowel movements and get veterinary advice if you’re having any issues. Sometimes a dietary transition needs to be slower than a week. 

Hope that helps. 

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We’re here to help!

Chat soon, 

Dr Claire