Back in November, my cousin who owns a pet store gave all the dogs in the family a can of premium dog food. Appropriately enough, the flavor was “Thanksgiving Dinner” and included things like turkey, rice, dried fruit, and other holiday treats.
A family member who shall remain nameless split one large can between her three dogs. The next day, she was dismayed to report that all three dogs had suffered what we like to call “pudding butt” — otherwise known as diarrhea. She tried to warn me against giving the Thanksgiving Dinner to my own dogs, because she thought they would get sick, too.
I don’t think the food itself was the problem. If you have a dog or cat who is used to particular diet, suddenly introducing a new food can cause digestive distress! A third of a can of Thanksgiving Dinner — instead of the dogs’ usual diet of kibbles with rice and a splash of soup — is kind of like a person eating an extremely rich meal and having indigestion afterwards.
So how do you help your pet make the transition from one kind of food to another? You need to take your time and let your pet’s digestive system have a chance to adjust.
When my dog Lally was put on a special diet for her allergies, this is how I made the transition:
- For the first few days, her meals were three-quarters old food and one quarter new food.
- For the next few days, her meals were half old food and half new food.
- For the next few days, her meals were one-quarter old food and three-quarters new food.
- After ten days or so, she was eating only the new food and the old food had been phased out.
If your pet is a picky eater or is especially sensitive to the change, you can take even more time! A week at each food proportion means you’ve made the transition last over a month.