How to transition your dog onto a new diet
Written by Zoe Russell, BSc (Hons), ANutr,
Nutrition Officer, Naturediet
Whether you are new to Naturediet, or you are moving between our products, it’s important to make the change correctly. Changing diet too often or too abruptly can contribute towards digestive upset, which is the last thing we want for our faithful friends.
Making the change
When moving your dog onto a new diet, we recommend that the transition is done gradually over 7-10 days. This allows the digestive system to adapt to the new food and perhaps new ingredients and can help to minimise digestive upset. It is however normal during that time, for your dog to experience some flatulence and loose stools as the digestive system adapts. Our suggested transition over ten days;
| Day of transition period | Amount of new food (%) | Amount of existing food (%) |
| 1 | 10 | 90 |
| 2 | 20 | 80 |
| 3 | 30 | 70 |
| 4 | 40 | 60 |
| 5 | 50 | 50 |
| 6 | 60 | 40 |
| 7 | 70 | 30 |
| 8 | 80 | 20 |
| 9 | 90 | 10 |
| 10 | 100 | 0 |
Why should I gradually change my dog’s diet?
Firstly, dogs have a complex network of microorganisms that make up the gut microbiome. These “bugs” have a very important role in supporting the overall health of the host. However if the balance of the gut microbiome is disrupted- often called dysbiosis- it may adversely impact the host’s health. As diet can influence the gut health, it’s important to make any dietary changes slow and gradual, to help minimise the likelihood of digestive upset.
Secondly, if you dog is a fussy pup, changing diet slowly can minimise the likelihood of them refusing the food. By slowly mixing it in, they can gradually get used to the new tastes, textures and smells of the diet. This is particularly important if you are changing the type of food- for example if you are moving from a dry diet to our Naturediet wet food, as these diets will have very different sensory properties.
In addition, there are some health conditions which can be antagonised by making dietary changes too often, or too quickly. For example, if your dog has been diagnosed with conditions such as diabetes mellitus or Addison’s disease, then it’s important to speak with your vet to determine the right diet and the right way to change, where appropriate.
When should I NOT change diet?
There are some situations where changing diet is not recommended. This is particularly important if you have bought a new puppy home for the first time or have adopted an older dog and bought them into your life. This can be quite a stressful process for many dogs, therefore it’s important we limit the amount of change in their lives. A good breeder, or helpful previous owner should have given you some of the dog’s original food. Therefore where possible, we do suggest keeping them on this for at least two weeks while they settle into their new home.
Contact us
Looking for more information about your dog’s diet? Please give our nutrition team a call on 01362 822 320 or email us at nutrition@naturediet.co.uk and we would be happy to help.
