The question of how to transition a dog's diet to cold-pressed food is a hotly debated topic. And beware: dogs can react sensitively to such a change in their diet, experiencing flatulence or diarrhea.
In this blog, we'd like to explain the background, highlight possible reasons for changing your dog's food, and inform you how you can switch your pet's food to cold-pressed dog food . Everything is summarized in Lea's Dog Facts video.
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Contents
Changing your dog's diet: Reasons for changing your dog's diet: How do I approach the transition to cold-pressed dog food? Why a gradual transition is important: Changing your dog's diet for fussy and food-rejecting dogs: Changing your dog 's diet from BARF to cold-pressed dog food: Changing your dog's diet from wet food to cold-pressed dog food : What to look out for after changing your dog's diet
Video summary:
Changing your dog's food
Lea's Dog Facts video contribution summarizes this article briefly and concisely on the audio track.
Reasons for changing feed
- Illnesses: Overweight or underweight, intolerances, allergies, or more serious illnesses like cancer can make a change in diet necessary. If you're changing food due to illness, please consult your veterinarian and don't rely solely on online sources.
- Health support: Some foods contain ingredients that contribute to the health of our four-legged friends. One example is superfoods, which work various "miracles" as natural supportive and vitamin-rich foods. You can find out more about the effects of various superfoods in the explanation of our ingredients . Nutritional supplements or foods formulated for specific illnesses can also be chosen as health support.
- Variety for picky dogs and those who refuse to eat : Just as we humans have different tastes, some dogs don't like certain ingredients. This manifests itself in refusal or bored chewing and then spitting out the food. If there is no consistently acceptable food, variety is often the solution.
- Age-related changes: The classic food changes occur during the age transitions from puppy to junior to adult to senior. But be careful: The gradations into numerous age categories only make limited sense and are often a marketing tool for larger corporations. Our Alpenwuff Cold-Pressed, for example, is suitable for puppies from 10 weeks old and adult dogs—of course, with a different dosage.
- Quality-related changes: Another common reason for switching is dissatisfaction with the quality of the food. If you want to do something good for your four-legged friend in the long term, it's advisable to carefully examine the ingredients, avoid artificial preservatives and animal waste products, and dig a little deeper into your pockets.
Regardless of the reason for changing your dog's food, one thing is very important when changing his diet: approach the change gradually and do not overtax your furry friend's digestive tract!
How do I go about switching to cold-pressed dog food?
If you've found a food that your dog likes the first time or that appeals to you, start the transition gradually. This means mixing both foods over a period of 7-10 days and gradually increasing the proportion of the new food. Make sure you still have some of the "old" food on hand for a food transition. For adult, healthy dogs, the food transition can be completed within 7 days. For seniors, puppies, and young dogs, a period of approximately 10 days should be chosen. We generally recommend a transition within 10 days:
Why a gradual change in feed is important
The need for a slow transition to cold-pressed dog food can be explained in the same way as with humans: When we eat unfamiliar or more spicy food, we often notice a change in digestion. This is because the enzyme production for digestion adjusts to our typical diet.
Just to recap: Enzymes are the small "biocatalyst proteins" that process nutrients. They are the driving forces of metabolism, as they either break down nutrients from food or combine them into substances that are important for the body. But why are enzymes relevant for a switch to cold-pressed dog food?
The dog's body has been building up the exact enzymes needed to convert nutrients from the "old" food over a longer period of time. However, if the "new" food is higher in protein, fiber, or carbohydrates, the dog's body must first adjust and provide the appropriate enzymes in increased quantities. This takes a few days, so a change in food may initially result in digestive upset, diarrhea, flatulence , excessive stools , vomiting, or even itching.
It's important to remember: Don't jump to conclusions if your pet experiences diarrhea, flatulence, or similar symptoms during the transition period. These symptoms don't necessarily mean that your pet isn't tolerating the food. Rather, the body needs time to adjust to the change and develop the appropriate enzymes in sufficient quantities.
If your four-legged friend experiences symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, please monitor them closely and, if necessary, extend the transition period slightly. If there is no improvement after two weeks , you may consider returning to the "old" food. Please consult your veterinarian at the same time to rule out possible physical causes or intolerances.
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