Transitioning Your Pet to Raw

Switching your pet to a species-appropriate raw food diet is one of the best decisions you can make for their health. But how to make the transition from processed kibble as smooth as possible? And what to do if your pet turns up its nose at raw meat?

Choosing the Right Transition Method

There are two ways to transition your pet to a raw diet: the immediate switch and the gradual transition. 

The Immediate Switch

This method involves an immediate change to raw food. It works best for:

• Puppies and kittens: Young animals adapt quickly to dietary changes and haven't become accustomed to processed foods.
• Pets with food allergies or sensitivities: Animals suffering from kibble-related allergies often benefit from a clean break from the offending ingredients.

To ensure that your pet receives all the essential nutrients while at the same time minimizing the likelihood of digestive upset, we recommend using a complete balanced raw mix suited for pets with sensitivities.

Some pets may experience temporary digestive adjustments including looser stools for 4-5 days. This is normal as their digestive system adapts to processing raw foods.

The Gradual Transition

For most adult dogs and cats without urgent health concerns, a gradual transition offers a more cautious approach, allowing their digestive systems to adjust slowly. This method involves a 7-day transition:

1. Days 1-2: Replace 25% of kibble with raw food
2. Days 3-4: Increase to 50% raw food, 50% kibble
3. Days 5-6: Move to 75% raw food, 25% kibble
4. Day 7: Complete the transition to 100% raw food

This reduces the likelihood of digestive upset and provides a more comfortable psychological transition for picky eaters.

For the sake of convenience and to ensure that your pet receives all the essential nutrients in the transition, we recommend using a pre-prepared complete balanced raw mixes for dogs and cats. 

What if your pet refuses to eat raw food?

It could be that your pet is reluctant to eat raw food. This is especially common with older dogs, who have become used to kibble. In this case, the advice is to stretch the transition process out to 3 weeks with the help of meat-only canned food and broth. The transition would then be as follows:

1. Week 1: Gradually replace kibble with meat-only canned food
2. Week 2: Gradually replace canned food with broth and raw food
3. Week 3: Gradually lessen the amount of broth until you get 100% raw food

What if your pet is experiencing digestive issues?

Though digestive issues are normal in the transition process, if they persist for longer than 5 days or are severe, then the same advice applies as to picky eaters. Extend the transition process to 3 weeks with the help of meat-only canned food and broth. This will allow pets with sensitive digestive systems to smoothly adjust to a raw diet.

Check out our range of complete balanced raw food mixes for dogs and cats that are ideal for transitioning sensitive pets to a fully raw diet.