Switching your pet's diet: steps to a successful transition

You would like to change the food your dog or cat eats but you’re not sure how to go about it?

In this article, you’ll find some helpful tips to better understand the reasons for altering your pet’s diet and facilitate the change of food.

Under what circumstances should you change your pet’s diet?

It is recommended to change your pet’s diet when:

• Your animal transitions to another life stage (from puppy or kitten to adult, or from adult to senior).
• You want to improve the quality of its food.
• Your pet has developed health issues, i.e. its current food is causing problems for your cat or dog (poor digestion, excessive hair loss, dull coat, etc.).

It is important to phase in the new food over a period of 7 to 10 days. Start with a mix consisting of 75% of the previous food and 25% of the new food, and gradually decrease the amount of the previous food, while increasing the amount of the new food, until the transition is complete.

Why is it critical to measure food?

Malnutrition and becoming overweight are the main risks involved in miscalculating your pet’s daily food intake.

At the time of transition, it is important to follow the daily feeding guide, taking into account the previous food AND the new food intakes based on the transition chart below:

Let’s take the example of a cat that, until this point, ate 2 cups of food per day. The new food’s packaging shows that, based on your cat’s weight, the daily intake should be 1 cup per day. You must proceed this way for the following days:

• 1^st and 2^nd days: 1 ½ cups (173 g) of the previous food and ¼ cup (29 g) of the new food.
• 3^rd and 4^th days: 1 cup (115 g) of the previous food and ½ cup (58 g) of the new food.
• 5^th and 6^th days: ½ cup (58 g) of the previous food and ¾ cup (86 g) of new the food.
• 7^th day: 1 cup (115 g) of new the food.

Why you shouldn’t unnecessarily change your pet’s food

Your pet’s digestive system gets used to the food it is being fed, which enables it to properly assimilate all of the essential nutrients from its diet. Changing the type of dry food too often will decrease the amount of nutrients absorbed.

Your cat or dog could also become picky. It will learn that, by frowning upon what you feed it, you will serve up a new menu, and is likely to repeat this behavior at will.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to change your pet’s food, ask your veterinarian or our store employees for advice.

Finally, know that each animal is different and unique with different needs. It is therefore important to find the right food that is adapted to your pet.

To allow a good transition: