It’s important to slowly transition your pet to a new food so their system has a chance to adapt to the change. The transition period should be at minimum, ten days and could take upwards of two weeks, depending on your pet’s sensitivity to change:
- Day 1 & 2: Feed 80% of your pet’s old food with 20% of the new food
- Day 3 & 4: Feed 60% of your pet’s old food with 40% of the new food
- Day 5 & 6: Feed 40% of your pet’s old food with 60% of the new food
- Day 7, 8 & 9: Feed 20% of your pet’s old food with 80% of the new food
- Day 10 & Forever: Feed 100% new food
If your pet experiences any kind of digestive upset during this time, try slowing down the process to let his/her digestive tract adjust to the new food. Some vomiting and/or diarrhea can be normal when introducing new foods as the digestive process and the naturally occurring bacteria your pet’s body requires is a complex and delicate system. If you experience any vomiting and/or diarrhea, be sure to reduce the amount of new food the next time you feed and overall, slow the whole transition period down even more.
Source: Michele Dixon – Health and Nutrition Specialist for Petcurean