Introduce Variety Into Your Dog’s Diet

  Posted on April 1, 2013  by Joy of Living  No comments

We get tired of eating the same foods after a few days, so doesn’t it make sense our dogs would get tired of the same food every day, for every meal?  Yes, they eat it because there isn’t much choice, but introducing some new foods into their diet will have them really looking forward to meals again.

When adding new foods into the diet, it’s very important to do it gradually to prevent digestive upset. Here are some things to keep in mind when making changes in your dog’s diet:

• Make changes regularly.  Some pet experts recommend changing diets as frequently as every three months.  Try adding different flavors of the same line, or consider switching to a different brand.
• Choose different proteins.  It’s important to change the protein source regularly.  If your dog has been eating a food with chicken as the main protein, trying switching to beef or fish.  Changing the protein source often will prevent your dog from developing an allergy to specific proteins.
• Switch slowly.  As I mentioned above, it’s important that you not make a “flash cut” to a new food.  Doing this will cause digestive upset (gas, diarrhea or constipation) and not be fun for you or your dog.
• Check the portion size and calorie count on new food.  Not all foods have the same calorie count or nutritional content, so the portion size per meal may change with a new food.  Be sure to check the new food container for appropriate portion sizes for your dog.