How do I Switch From Raw Feeding to Dry Dog Food?

Diet is an important part of a dog's health and some owners opt for a raw food diet made at home, so that they can ensure their pet is getting good nutrition. Sometimes these diets can be time consuming and the owner may need to switch to dry food instead, which can still be beneficial to the dog's health if done right. If you want to switch your canine from a raw food to a dry food diet, learning the right way to do so can help you avoid upsetting your dog's delicate digestive system, while still offering it a healthy diet.

Things You'll Need

  • Pen
  • Paper
  • Raw food
  • Dry food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make a list of the ingredients you use for your dog's typical raw food diet. For example, popular home recipes may be chicken or beef-based, with some of the dog's favorite vegetables or fruits thrown in. This list will help when shopping for a dry food brand.

    • 2

      Purchase a dry food that has similar ingredients to the dog's present raw food diet. Selecting a brand that has similar ingredients with the same protein base, such as chicken or meat, can make the transition a little easier on your canine's stomach and taste buds. Look for a food that has the similar protein base listed as the first ingredient, and not as a byproduct, such as beef byproduct.

    • 3

      Prepare your dog's raw food diet in the proportions you normally do, but take out a third of it and add the dry food to it instead. For example, if you have a small dog that gets a cup of food at each meal, prepare 2/3 cup of its normal raw food diet, and mix in 1/3 cup of its new dry food. Use this formula for five days.

    • 4

      Start preparing meals that are 50 percent of your dog's regular raw diet, with 50 percent of the new dry food and feeding it this for five days. For example, with the small dog that may eat only a cup at a serving, that's 1/2 cup of raw food with 1/2 cup of dry food. If you notice your dog getting sick or having diarrhea, lessen the amount of new dry food by a little bit and gradually increase to 50 percent for a period of a week.

    • 5

      Begin decreasing the amount of raw food in your dog's diet to a third of it in each serving, and feed it this for five days. For example, if you were feeding your dog 1/2 cup of each, switch to a 1/3 cup of raw food, mixed with 2/3 cup of dry food. Again if your dog gets sick, do this slowly over a period of a week.

    • 6

      Feed your dog all dry food at its next meal and monitor for any stomach upset or diarrhea. If there is none then continue with your dry food diet, but if dog does become ill continue adding a little bit of the raw food and slowly tapering it off over one to two weeks.