NEW DOG FOOD, NEW LUCK? COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN SWITCHING FOOD!
The current dog food is not well tolerated, no longer liked, or another product convinces you more - the reasons for offering your four-legged friend a new food can be diverse.
Why is the – possibly long-proven – dog food suddenly no longer tolerated or liked?
It may well happen that your dog suddenly eats his beloved food only half-heartedly and reluctantly from one day to the next, or doesn't touch it at all. Just like us humans, dogs can also lose their appetite and get bored with the monotonous food. Offer your beloved pet a change and try a new flavor, for example a different type of meat, mix your PUR cans with different supplements, and add a different oil to the wet food.
Your furry friend rejecting its food could also be due to an intolerance. It is possible that an intolerance develops after some time or shows up with a delay.
The cause is a hypersensitive reaction to certain food components. Just like in humans, dogs can also have a gluten and lactose intolerance. If the dog food you feed contains a lot of grains (such as wheat or spelt), this can be the trigger for an intolerance. However, it is also possible that your four-legged friend reacts strongly to certain proteins found in meat. In particular, beef and chicken are the types of meat that trigger reactions in allergic dogs.
How to approach the topic of changing pet food correctly
If a change in diet is an option for you and your beloved pet, it can vary greatly how quickly your dog adapts to its new food. While some dogs tolerate a sudden change in diet without any issues, others may react with gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea. In such cases, a gradual transition is recommended.
Especially if the new food differs significantly in composition from the old one, your dog's gut microbiome needs some time to adjust to the new nutrient profile. Ideally, you should give the new food as a treat alongside the old one for the first one to two days, and gradually incorporate it into the daily ration starting from the third day.
This schema can help you:
| Tag | Share of new feed | Share of old feed |
| 1 and 2 | as a treat in small quantities (max. 10%) | as before |
| 3 | 25 % | 75 % |
| 4 | 50 % | 50 % |
| 5 | 75 % | 25 % |
| 6 | 100 % | 0 % |
If your dog experiences sudden diarrhea or stomach pain after any of these steps, you can go back one step and extend the transition phase. For very sensitive dogs, you can extend the period of food transition to two weeks.
The extension of the transition phase is primarily useful when not only the type of food (i.e. from dry food A to dry food B) is changed, but also when the composition of the food changes. This means switching from dry to wet food or vice versa. If this is the case, you can initially set a period of two weeks. Most dogs tolerate it well when both types of food are mixed.
The myth of "different digestion times"
Now you might be thinking of the myth of "different digestion times". It states that either Nass- or Dry food should be fed, but not both together. It is important to know that the nutrients contained in dog food have different digestion times. This applies not only to different feeding methods (e.g. dry and wet food), but also to the individual components. within of a feed.
The duration of the digestion process is determined by the crude fiber content in the feed. If the dog food you are feeding contains a high fiber content, your dog's elimination rate will be accelerated. This means that the food pulp will be passed through the gastrointestinal tract more quickly.
If the feed, however, has a high fat content, the digestion speed is slowed down. You probably know the feeling too, when you have eaten something fatty and this meal lies heavy and long in your stomach. If the fat content is excessively high, it can lead to diarrhea - and thus an accelerated excretion time.
Therefore, it makes little sense to think in "black and white" when it comes to digestion time, as it depends on the overall nutrient profile of a feed and not on individual components.
When your dog's food has a moderate content of crude fiber and fat, the first undigested components will be excreted after about 12 hours. The complete elimination of a single meal, however, takes place only after approximately 40 - 60 hours. A precise schedule cannot be determined for the entire digestion process, as there are many factors that can alter your dog's rhythm.
Most dogs do not have this "problem" of different digestion times, so it is not relevant.
At what signs can you tell that your favorite no longer tolerates the current dog food?
There are many symptoms that can indicate that your dog has developed an intolerance. If these signs occur frequently, a change in diet may be the solution.
Some examples are:
- Very frequent defecation
Most adult dogs defecate twice a day, but once or three times a day is also completely normal. If feces are passed more than four times a day, it may indicate that the food is not being digested and utilized well. However, stress and intense physical activity of your dog or a high fiber content in the food can increase the frequency of defecation.
- Soft stool or diarrhea
This could be a sign that the current food is not suitable for your dog or that the change of food was made too quickly. It takes some time for your furry friend's gut microbiome to adjust to the new composition of the food. Other influencing factors such as stress (physical and psychological), infectious diseases, or other gastrointestinal disorders can also lead to diarrhea. Therefore, you should always have prolonged or acutely severe diarrhea clarified by a veterinarian.
- Very firm stool
The mentioned symptom can quickly lead to constipation, which means that the stool collects in the colon and thickens there. The consequence is that your dog will defecate less frequently and visibly strain. Without treatment or delayed treatment, constipation can in the worst case lead to a rectal prolapse. So if your dog suddenly passes unusually firm stool, you should act quickly and search for the cause. Triggers can include your four-legged friend not consuming enough fluids, the current food no longer being tolerated, or your dog eating too many bones, resulting in the so-called "bone stool".
- Bloating and stomach pain
These signs may indicate that your dog is struggling with a food intolerance. For example, flatulence and stomach pain can be caused by a gluten intolerance. Another cause may be a too rapid change in diet. If you are currently in the process of transitioning your dog to a new food, you should take a step back and give your furry friend more time to adjust.
- Discoloration in stool
The excretions of your dog are as individual as he is, which is why the appearance, color, and consistency cannot simply be labeled as "normal" or "healthy". You know your four-legged friend best, so you will quickly notice any changes. There are many possible causes for discoloration. Below are some signs of diseases or intolerances to watch out for.
-
- Yellow/orange: If the entire stool has a yellowish-orange hue, it may be caused by a digestive disorder, intolerance, or pancreatic disease.
- white: By consuming chew items with bones, there can be an excess of calcium. Your dog's stool may appear very light or even almost white. If you notice individual, small white spots, the cause could be a worm infestation.
- Black: If your dog's feces appear very dark, almost black, it may indicate that blood has mixed with the digested food. This sign can have various causes, such as an injury in the gastrointestinal tract. A visit to the vet is essential.
- Itching and skin inflammation
These symptoms often occur with a food allergy. In this case, food proteins are recognized as foreign to the body, triggering an immune reaction against them, which can manifest in skin symptoms such as flaking. It is advisable to avoid certain protein sources (mainly types of meat) and additives such as preservatives or flavor enhancers. You have several options to respond to such an allergy: 1. You can introduce your four-legged friend to a different type of meat. Dogs often react to specific proteins found in a type of meat. If your dog does not tolerate the beef you have been feeding it, switch the food to a different meat component such as buffalo or duck. 2. Make sure there are no additives such as preservatives or flavor enhancers. The quality of the product plays a crucial role here. 3. If, after considering the first two steps, there is no improvement, you can switch to a special food with hypoallergenic components. These contain types of meat that are less commonly processed in pet food and therefore less likely to trigger allergies. An example of this is a wet food that contains kangaroo or buffalo meat as the main component.
If your dog is showing one or more of these symptoms in an acutely severe form, you should not hesitate to consult a veterinarian. Together, you can determine the cause of your four-legged friend's discomfort and discuss a suitable therapy.
Here you will find - briefly summarized - all the characteristics you should pay attention to before, during, or after a feed change.
Pay attention to your furry friend's bowel movements and behavioral abnormalities to quickly detect possible intolerances or illnesses.
- Are the symptoms tormenting your dog actually due to a food intolerance? If yes, which components is your beloved reacting to?
- In the new food, avoid all ingredients that are not good for your dog and make sure to focus on good quality.
- Approach the change of food slowly and give your dog enough time to get used to the new food. Plan enough time for the transition so that you can extend the adaptation phase if necessary.
