When transitioning your canine from kibble to raw, is it best to do a slow transition by mixing the old food with the new for several days? Or is it best to just switch over best away?
You can do either.
There are pros and cons to both.
You’ll have to decide what’s best for your own dog.
How to switch a canine From Kibble to Raw
My recommendation is to do a slow transition when switching to a commercial raw canine food brand like Darwin’s. Do a fast transition when switching to a homemade raw diet using grocery store meat such as chicken quarters.
Let me explain.
Option #1: slow transition to Raw
Best when switching from kibble to a commercial raw diet because commercial raw canine food brands tend to have less bacteria than grocery store meat.
The slow transition is what many vets seem to recommend in my experience. It’s also what many commercial raw canine food brands recommend.
If you purchase a frozen, pre-made raw canine food brand, the back of the bag will many likely have a recommendation for a slow transition like:
feed 75% old food and 25% new for 5 days,
then 50/50 for 5 much more days,
then 75/25 for a few days and eventually 100% raw
The slow transition seems to work well, especially when feeding a commercial raw brand.
Option #2: fast transition to Raw
Best when switching from kibble to a homemade raw diet.
This is a good option if you are concerned about your canine running into digestive troubles from trying to digest the two types of food – kibble and raw canine food.
Dogs typically digest raw food faster than kibble and some end up getting sick when the two are mixed.
If you do the quick transition, I recommend you fast your canine for about 18 hours. This is to make sure the kibble is out of his system. Then, give him a small raw meal.
If all goes well, feed him another raw meal in about 12 hours. After that, continue to feed 100% raw but stick to the same protein for at least a week.
You don’t want to introduce too numerous new foods at once.
Why is the fast transition best when switching to homemade raw?
Grocery store meat tends to have much more bacteria on it than commercial raw canine food because raw canine food companies have to go through some strict policies for controlling bacteria.
Grocery store meat, on the other hand, is certainly intended for cooking so there’s less issue about bacteria.
When the raw grocery store meat (and extra bacteria) is mixed with kibble in some cases it makes the canine sick because the kibble causes everything to sit in the gut longer, giving the bacteria much more time to grow.
The bacteria on the meat is typically no big deal for dogs, but in some cases problems occur when the food is mixed with kibble.
I tend to feed homemade raw myself because it’s much more affordable.
Should you feed your canine pre-made raw or homemade raw?
I recommend you start with a commercial raw brand like Darwin’s for a month or two and then tackle the homemade option if you’re up for it.
Darwin’s even provides a trial option for new customers. You can get 10 pounds of raw food for just $14.95. That’s up to 75% off! learn much more here.
I know store-bought raw canine food is expensive, but it’s just so much simpler and less tension for beginners than trying to make the food yourself.
That’s just my opinion. You can certainly do whatever you want!
What if my canine gets sick from raw food?
When a canine gets sick after switching to raw food it’s typically because:
the change was too fast or
the dog’s stomach is upset from the combination of the two types of foods
Dogs rarely get sick from the actual raw meat unless their immune systems are already weakened or they have other health problems.
See my post, will my canine get sick from raw meat?
So, to summarize:
When switching your canine to a raw diet, I recommend you slowly transition them by mixing kibble with a frozen raw brand.
Then, if you choose you want to make the food yourself, switch from commercial raw to homemade raw after a month or two.
My raw canine food ebook
I wrote a guide on how to feed homemade raw canine food, and it includes 10 easy recipes. purchase it below, and I hope it helps!
ORDER MY RAW FOOD GUIDE
How did you switch your canine to raw?
Let me know in the comments!
Related posts:
Five real health issues when feeding raw
Five easy suggestions for feeding raw canine food