How To Help Your Pet Adjust to New Diet?
With dogs that have been fed regularly on commercial foods it can be a challenge (but rewarding one) to switch them over to a raw food diet and you may have to be creative here. Some dogs need time to adjust so you will need to be patient. Here we have some excellent tips that will help you help your dog adjust to this new healthier lifestyle and diet.
A Novice’s Guide to Raw Feeding for Dogs, a book by Kimberly Gauthierbook has helped us help our own pets to stop been picky eaters and encouraged them on to the raw food diet, this is 7 of our favorite tips from a ton of information from this valuable book, enjoy!
1. Control how much food your dog is getting.
Take notes on how much food you are feeding your pet. If they are taking too long or cannot finish the meal then you may be feeding your pet too much food.
An excellent way of training your pet to finish the food quickly is to set a certain amount of time for the dog to eat such as 15 to 20 minutes, then take away the bowl which in time will encourage your pet to eat the food at a certain pace.
Encouraging this is also important because you do not want any raw food been left lying around simply because it can go off and allow bacteria to flourish which can cause stomach upsets and other illnesses.
Now if you are confused about switching your dog to raw food in general, we created a comprehensive guide to raw food which covers:
- The best method to switch depending on your dog’s age, health and prior exposure to raw food
- The best methods to switch your dog to raw food
- Example recipes and preparation instructions
You can access the Complete Guide To Switch Your Dog To A Raw Diet eBook here or click on the image below:
2. Make it fun for your pet.
Dogs can really be like big kids and can do with encouragement to try get them to eat the food. Some toy dispensers are a great idea to experiment with, or a clicker is a great tool and really helps control and encourage. Dangling the food in front of the pet is a fun way of attracting attention and will get them to taste and try the new food.
3. Change up your feeding schedule.
Dogs can get use to a feeding schedule and know when it is feeding time so you can be certain that they will be hungry at that time. So, by knowing when they are hungry you can guarantee they will start to eat this food.
Another great way is to feed your dog after a good walk or run when you know they will have built up an appetite and will be hungry and start eating the raw food you are providing for them.
4 Start with the slow switch method.
Every dog is different and some need more time than others to adjust to this new diet especially after been use to commercial foods. If this is the case you have an option of a slow method which incorporates mixing in some of the new foods diet with the old foods diet, and each time you will increase the amount of the new foods diet until a time comes when it is just raw food. This gives plenty of time to adjust to the new taste minus the stress.
5. Planning a varied meal doesn’t have to be complicated.
Like us adults, dogs can easily get bored with eating the same types of food over and over again so be sure to change things up regularly which is actually not that hard with the raw food diet since there is a huge selection to choose from.
Change it up every 3-4 days with different meats, fruits or vegetable. This will keep your dog interested and excited at meal time and give them all the nutritional value they need..
6. Becareful of the treats you give.
There are times when your dog will have no interest in the food you are providing and this could be down to the treats you give outside of mealtime such as food fed to it during family meal times or little snacks you give when preparing food.
So if your dog seems to be full during meal times, check what snacks or treats you are feeding your pet during the day that could be spoiling the appetite. Treats should be giving to your pet as a reward for good behavior and not part of a routine.
7. Lack of appetite or general lack of interest.
If you are trying a lot of methods to get your dog to eat and they are still not feeding, it could be that your pet is sick or not feeling well and it would be a good idea to get the pet checked out by the vet.
For some dogs, it is never as simple as just introducing your pet to raw food or meaty bones to chew on for them to make the switch. There are a lot of situations to consider, especially if your dog is a fussy picky eater and is causing problems.One of the best books out there is A Novice’s Guide to Raw Feeding for Dogs by Kimberly Gauthier which is a fantastic resource especially if you have a new puppy or dog of any age and you want to find the best expert tips, guidance, step by step plans on all things about the raw food diet, this site will help you make this transition and keep it pleasant for both you and your dog.
