Tips to Transition Your Dog to a New Food

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Iams for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

My regular readers know that while we have four people in our family, we really are a family of five — thanks to our Boston Terrier Lucy. Make no bones about it, she is a bonafide family member as far as we’re concerned. So we want only the best for her.

Lucy is a playful girl. But don’t let her fool you, she’s a cuddle monster, too.

When Iams quality dog food approached me about switching from our current mainstream pet food, I had to think about it… mess around with my dog’s food? But Iams has such a great reputation so I did my homework, which made saying yes all the more easy.

Iams Visible Differences is backed by years of research about the best kind of nutrition for dogs. You see, when your dog eats better food, they feel better! Our dogs are just like us in that way — we feel better when we eat better, too. 

Dogs who have switched to Iams have shown signs of improved health in their coats and skin, healthy digestion and overall energy levels. And just an interesting tidbit — Iams has been providing nutritional excellence for more than 60 years now!

We’re making the switch to Iams and I encourage you to keep track of us over the next several weeks to see the differences we notice in our little Lucy.

I encourage you to join us in our future doggy adventures and see how Iams is playing a part in that. But before you switch your dog’s food cold turkey, remember that switching your dog to a new food takes some planning.

Tips to Transition Your Dog to a New Food

Dogs are creature of habit… just like us, they become accustomed to a food and might not be thrilled about a new routine.

Introduce the new food gradually. 

Start by mixing 25% new food with 75% current food. Slowly change the proportions over the next three days or so by gradually increasing the new food and lessening the amount of the current food. 

Watch your body language. 

This is not the time to show who’s boss. It’s better to introduce the new food by using a pleasant tone of voice and gently encouraging him to try the new food.

Don’t give in to demands. 

Don’t give up too soon! Dogs train us as much as we train them. Giving in to their demands only reinforces refusal behavior and makes it more difficult to make a nutritious dietary change. And missing a meal or two is perfectly fine for your dog.

The biggest challenge. 

Switching diets may be more challenging when changing from a moist food to a dry food. If your dog continues to resist eating dry food, mix in a little warm water. You might even want to put the moistened food in the microwave for a few seconds. (If you mix the food with water, be sure to throw away the uneaten portion after 20 minutes, before the food spoils.)