How to transition a dog from ultra-processed food to natural food?

 

When transitioning your dog from ultra-processed food to fresh dog food, a 9–10 day transition period must be given so that your dog’s stomach can adjust to the change in diet. Ultra-processed dog food is usually made of feed-grade ingredients that have been rendered and cooked using the high-temperature extrusion method. They also contain preservatives for shelf life and starch to help them keep their pellet-like shape. Fresh dog food is made of high-quality, wholefood ingredients and doesn’t contain preservatives, chemicals, or starches. So the change is significant. For the first 3–4 days, mix a small amount of natural food with the current diet of ultra-processed food. Then, over the next 5–6 days, increase the amount of natural food and decrease the amount of ultra-processed food in the mixture. In 9–10 days, your dog should be able to switch completely to natural food without any issues.


Why does this matter?

  • A sudden change in diet can cause digestive issues in dogs because their stomach is sensitive. That's why any kind of change in food should be done gradually to avoid problems like gas, bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea.

  • The change from ultra-processed food to natural food is quite big, because the quality, composition and even the form of the food will change. Therefore, a diet adoption strategy is not only necessary for health reasons, but also so that your dog doesn’t reject the change because of a change in what they’re used to. 

What do vets generally agree on?

Transitioning from one food to another suddenly can cause issues with digestion. Therefore, a period of diet adoption is required. The overarching idea is to slowly start mixing the new diet with the current diet. Over a week or so, decrease the amount of current diet and increase the amount of new diet before completely switching to the new diet. The same process should be followed for transitioning from ultra-processed dog food to fresh dog food.

When to be careful?

Even in the middle of diet adoption, some dogs may still get digestive issues. If that happens, you can pause for a couple of days so their stomach can settle, then restart the transition again. If the stomach issues continue, it is possible that they may have sensitivities to some ingredient that is in the food. In such cases, it is best to consult a vet. For a step-by-step guide to change from any diet to BLEP dog food, check out our Feeding Guidelines page. 

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