The Rotation Diet for Dogs

A rotation diet for dogs can be used with kibble or raw feeding. A rotation diet simply rotates the dogs' foods, either daily, semiweekly or weekly, so that he becomes used to different foods. By doing this, you should have fewer problems if you need to change his diet at some point.

  1. Types

    • For a rotating kibble diet, choose three to five different types of kibble. You can use the same brand or different brands, but make sure each type offers something different. The main ingredient should be some type of meat, not corn or wheat. You can rotate a lamb-based, chicken-based and beef-based kibbles.

      For a home-cooked diet, use plenty of different types of meat, such as chicken, turkey, beef, pork and rabbit. You can also add vegetables to your dog's diet, but they are not necessary.

      A raw diet consists of whole or ground raw meat. You can also include vegetables and table scraps, if you like, but they are not necessary. There are different types of raw diets--prey model, biologically appropriate raw food model, among others--but meat is rotated in all of them.

    Function

    • The rotation diet will help prevent your dog from suffering constipation, diarrhea or vomiting if he is fed something that he is not used to.

    Features

    • A rotation diet rotates food types, but also provides your dog with a broader variety of vitamins and nutrients. Some kibble foods labeled "balanced" might still not contain some beneficial vitamins and nutrients, so rotating between them helps ensure your dog gets everything he needs. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, emu and other meats all have different amounts of fat, protein and vitamins.

    Liver

    • Add liver to your dog's diet to make sure he gets vitamins A and B12. It doesn't matter where the liver comes from, but it is important to have some liver in your dog's diet.

    Calcium

    • Bones and egg shells provide calcium, an important part of a dog's diet. Too little can cause loose stools and too much can cause constipation. With a rotation diet, you can feed your dog bones with one meal, but not with the next. In this way, he will get the correct amount of calcium.