Contributed by Jeff Coltenback, Holistic Pet Health Consultant

The last couple of articles talked about commercial pet food, what not to feed and what to feed.? So, it only makes sense to offer some suggestions on how to switch from one food to another.? Before I begin, let me just stress that many of the suggestions I am offering and under the premise that we are dealing with healthy animals.? Sick, stressed, geriatric or health-compromised animals may have different needs and/or limitations when it comes to nutrition.? Please consult your pet professional or Veterinarian when dealing with health or other issues.

So, now let?s get back to making the switch.? I?m going to jump around a bit.? Since, most people feed kibble, I will start there.? My weaning approach to kibble is much more conservative than the normal 5-7 day switch that is usually recommended.? I opted for the slower, conservative switch because when pets come to me, they usually have some issues that require a slower approach (when it comes to kibble anyway).? My experience shows that dogs, cats and ferrets adjust better and often on their own when transitioned slower.? Many clients report that their pet just started picking out the new food on their own after about a week.? So, my weaning schedule from one kibble to another is about 2 weeks.?? I will use round numbers to make it easier to follow the math.? I recommend breaking down weaning into three 4-day segments at 25% intervals.? The first set of 4 days you would mix 75% of the old dog food with 25% of the new dog food.? So, if the recommended feeding of the old food was 4 cups and the recommended feeding of the new food was 2 cups, you would mix 3 cups (75%) of the old food in with ? cup (25%) of the new food.? Do that for 4 days.? Next you would mix 2 cups of the old food (50%) with 1 cup (50%) of the new food.? Finally, the last set of 4 days you would mix 1 cup of old food to 1 ? cups of the new food.? Then, on day 13 you would offer 100% of the new food.? The reason weaning from one kibble to another is recommended is primarily to avoid digestive upset, specifically diarrhea.? This weaning schedule is pretty solid ? no pun intended.? But, if an animal is going to have an upset, it usually occurs in the middle segment ? the 50-50% portion.? If this happens, just pull back a little maybe to a 60/40 ratio.? Make sense?? During transition and for several weeks after, I do recommend adding some digestive enzymes and probiotics to the food to help balance out the digestive tract.?? Your local pet store can help with this.? A couple of brands to inquire about are Florazyme LP by My Pet?s Friend,? Prozyme, Digest All Plus by Wholistic Pet or Enzymes and Probiotics by Naturapet.? No, I am not getting and $$ from mentioning names.? These are just some I have used that are commercially available.

What about switching from kibble to cans?? This process can be followed similarly as described above.? Just start adding in canned food to the desired ration little by little.? Some people opt to have a 50-50 mix of kibble and cans.? This is fine and far better than a kibble-only diet, provided you are feeding good food.? If you want to continue to an all canned diet just wean as slowly as you want.? Many folks often have a big bag of food left and don?t want to waste it.? So, finish it off or donate it to your local shelter!? If you are moving to a home prepared diet, again, wean as slowly as you want.? Home-cooked meats and veggies usually do not cause digestive upset when weaned slowly with kibble.

Finally, let?s talk about switching from processed food (kibble or grain-based cans) to a raw diet.? I saved the best for last.? I?ll get right to it.? For healthy pets, I do NOT recommended weaning over a period of time.? I recommend a 24-36 hour fast period.? This means no food or treats, just water be available.? The exception to this rule is puppies and kittens.? Puppies and kittens should be fasted no longer than 12 hours.? After the fast, their next meal is the raw meal of your choice.? You?d be surprised at how easily dogs and cats adjust.? Pets that balk at the new foods may require you to slightly cook the food for about 20-30 seconds on a frying pan, just to get the juices flowing and brown the meat.? The quick switch is the best way to go for the pet.? Fasting allows the animal to ?cleanse? their system and prepare it for the new food.? The quick switch is less stressful to the carnivore?s digestive system as well.? I have clients who go to a famous Vet in the NY area who has had clients weaning to Raw of home prepared diets for months at a time, with no progress being made.? After recommending the quick switch to RAW, their pets do great immediately.? I am not saying this to make myself sound ?better than?.? I am saying this because I have been recommending this approach for years and it has always worked.? My point is that I am not this lucky.? It works.? Once again, however, I must reiterate, compromised pets may require a different approach.? I have had success with the fast/quick switch approach with healthy dogs, cancer pets, Cushing?s dog, arthritic pets, Colitis and IBD pets (especially), dogs with kidney or liver issues and even diabetic dogs ? although diabetic pets may not be able to fast in which case consulting your pet professional or veterinarian is recommended.? ?And, yes, dogs with kidney issues can be fed a raw meat diet.? Feeding low protein diets to dogs with kidney issues is VERY OLD information.? High meat-based protein does not ?burn out? the kidneys.? We?ll talk about this in future articles.? So, if you are feeding a low-quality kibble and you are advised to add raw meat into the diet slowly over time, find yourself someone else who can offer better advice.? I don?t want to get too technical.? But, the acidity in the dog?s stomach and 1.8 PH level in the gut is thrown off.? If the digestive processed begins skewed, it will certainly end abnormally.??? This is an in-depth discussion.? For the sake of this article, just be careful if given such advice.

After switching your pet?s s food, many changes take place in the body, especially if you switch from kibble to Raw.? You may notice things like excessive dandruff, runny eyes, oozing ears and of, course the obvious, vomiting and diarrhea.? These ?side effects? are normal.?? But, if vomiting and diarrhea are constant, you need to be careful that your pet is not dehydrating.? If this happens, consult your Vet.? Why does this happen?? Your pet is detoxifying its body.? This could take several weeks and even months as your pet recuperates from being fed poor quality diets its whole life.? Younger pets usually don?t take as long or show extreme symptoms of detoxification.? Older pets or pets with issues often detoxify longer.? We will discuss detoxification in length in a future article.? Another major symptom you may notice when switching to raw, home-prepared or all cans is reduced water consumption.? Don?t be alarmed.? Your pet is just not dehydrated anymore from eating cereal.? They are getting some of their hydration naturally through the food.? This is one of the good symptoms.? Other good symptoms are reduced stool volume (less crap in, less crap out), more balanced energy (hyper dogs not so hyper, lazy dogs, not so lazy), better movement for senior dogs, healthier skin and coat and brighter teeth!? Finally, when switching to RAW diet, stay away from starches.? No dog biscuits, breads, pastas, etc.? Offer only meat-based treats.? We?ll discuss appropriate treats in the next article.? So, for now, you have a good starting point of how to switch from one food to another and what to expect.? Of course, I merely highlighted the switch.? As always, consult with your pet professional for assistance with switching.? And, I will be setting up a link to one of my pages that will have this information available to you as well.? Once again, thank you for supporting Paws for Peace.?? I wish you and your pet health and happiness.

Holistically yours,

Jeff Coltenback

www.njpetshop.com
www.paradisepet.net