No stomach upset, no diarrhea and no vomiting are the goals when switching a puppy to a different dog food. Whether your pup is ready for adult food or you want to change his kibble to a better quality food, the process is the same -- do it slowly.
Step 1
Measure out 75 percent of your pup's old food in a measuring cup and place it in his dish. If he is used to having one cup of food, measure out 3/4 cup of food. Add 25 percent of the new food and mix the two foods together. Feed him this mixture for two to three days.
Step 2
Increase the new food ratio to the old food ratio. Combine equal amounts of each food, or 50 percent of each type. Mix them together and feed him this blend for another two to three days.
Step 3
Increase the new food to 75 percent and decrease the old food to 25 percent. Mix the two foods together and -- you can probably guess -- feed him this mixture for another two to three days.
Step 4
Switch to the new food. Your pup should be able to handle 100 percent of the new food. If he has indigestion or diarrhea, mix in some of the old food for a few more days.
References
Tips
- When switching foods, switch to a quality food that has meat listed as its first three ingredients. Avoid kibbles that list meat byproducts. Meat byproducts are the parts other than meat such as brains, blood and even bones.
Warnings
- Avoid feeding a lot of snacks during the switching process. Give his system time to adjust to the new food.
Writer Bio
Pauline Gill is a retired teacher with more than 25 years of experience teaching English to high school students. She holds a bachelor's degree in language arts and a Master of Education degree. Gill is also an award-winning fiction author.