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How to transition your dog to dried dog food

Have you ever thought about switching from wet to dry dog food? Perhaps becoming aware of the numerous benefits will help you make your decision. If you’re new to dry dog food, it can really help to know why it may be a better choice for some dog owners.Below, I’ll discuss some of the main benefits and also how you can make the transition as seamlessly as possible.

Keep in mind that switching from wet food to dry kibble is not an overnight process. For the best results, you should not rush the transition period between the old and new food.At first, your dog may be resistant to the change but over time, they will become used to the dry food. The way in which you present their food can actually have a major influence on their acceptance of switching so be sure to keep that in mind.

Benefits of Dry Dog Food
The Main Issues With Switching
How to Gradually Switch Your Dog to Dried Food
Other Tips

Benefits of Dry Dog Food

  1. No mess – Feeding your dog dry kibble is remarkably easy and creates little to no mess. Since the food is dry, any spillage can be cleaned up effortlessly and efficiently. Also, it’s much nicer to handle than sloppy wet dog food which can create a terrible mess and has a very strong smell which some people may find quite unpleasant.
  2. Easy to measure – Dry dog food is easy to measure which means you’ll be sure that you’re giving your dog the correct amount of food.
  3. Easy to transport – Most dry dog food usually comes packaged in bags that are simple to transport from one place to another. If you’re gonna be away from home for a few days, you can easily measure the exact amount of food to bring.
  4. Long-lasting – Unlike wet dog food, dry kibble doesn’t go bad when left out which means you can leave it exposed without any worries.
  5. Nutritious – The hard texture of dry food can help your dog maintain healthy dental hygiene, while also being far less messy. Most dry dog food is packed with carbohydrates and protein and is also much more energy-dense than wet dog food.

 

The Main Issues With Switching

There are two primary reasons why some dogs prefer to wet to dry food. Understanding these reasons can help arm you with the knowledge to tackle these issues, and thus encourages your dog to eat dried food.

The first problem that you’ll run into is that dogs don’t like change. Once they become used to something, they’ll not want to change their routine. Unexpected changes are not welcome, which means you’ll need to gradually introduce things giving your dog plenty of time to adapt and become familiar with it.

The second issue is that wet dog food producers purposely make their products as appealing as possible to your pet, even if it means adding ingredients like sugar and fat.Since dried foods are much healthier, they probably won’t taste as good to your dog at first which is completely fine.

How to Gradually Switch Your Dog to Dried Food

Changing your dog’s diet is no easy task. In fact, switching too quickly can lead to your dog having an upset stomach as well as digestive problems. This is why it’s important that you slowly switch over many days or weeks to avoid an upset stomach and an unhappy dog.

  1. Transition slowly – As described above, if you start dried food immediately your dog will likely experience an upset stomach. This process should take around one to two weeks. However, depending on your dog, it may take even longer. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, expect it to take up to six weeks.
  2. Mix both foods – To make the transition as seamless as possible, mix both foods together, while gradually increasing the amount of dried food and decreasing the amount of wet food. It’s important that you thoroughly mix both together so your dog can’t choose which type of food they want to eat. Start by giving your dog 75%wet food and 25% dry food.
  3. Move to half and half – Once your dog is ready to continue transitioning, give your dog 50% wet food and 50% dry food. By this point, you should be mixing together half of their wet food and half of their dry food.
  4. Move to 75% dry food and 25% wet food – If you’ve made it this far, you’re doing great! Once again, do the percentages this time using 75% of the dry food and 25%of their old food. Since this is the last time your dog will be eating dry food, let them enjoy it.
  5. Use only dry food – By this point, you’ve accomplished your goal and should be feeding them 100% dry food. Be proud of your dog, take them on a long walk, or play their favorite game.

 

Other Tips

When introducing your dog to dried food, you could try adding hot water since it doesn’t necessarily have to be served dry. This can make dry food easier for your dog to consume. Another benefit of hot water is that it makes the food smell much tastier to your dog. You can gradually decrease the amount of water added until they are eating dry kibble completely on their own.

An alternative to using hot water is placing their dry food in the microwave for a few seconds just before you feed it to them. Doing this helps increase the smell and also brings the fat molecules right to the surface of the kibble.

Feed your dog in the same place each day. While giving them dry food, speak in an enthusiastic encouraging manner. They will be much more likely to give the new food a try if you’re speaking to them in a positive tone.

Never try and speed up the transition. In fact, it should never be fewer than seven days.Attempting to quicken the process will just cause unpleasant symptoms like an upset stomach, diarrhea, and a diminished appetite.

Author: Amena Juli

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