Rotational Diets

Rotating Your Pet's Food: Why It Matters

No one likes eating the same food for every single meal. Varying your pet's diet exposes them to a range of proteins, flavors. Regularly switching your pet's diet may also help prevent them from developing sensitivities to specific proteins. Plus, it's tasty for them to try new things!

There are also practical reasons for switching foods regularly. If you move, or if the prices change dramatically on your pet's food source, it might be time to shop around for something new. As your pet ages, your vet may recommend switching to age-specific or prescription foods to deal with any medical issues that arise. 

Mix It Up!

 

Stella and Chewy's Mixer

 

Luckily, rotating your pet's diet is simple. When you're ready to switch foods, purchase your new food well before you run out of the old food. You could try different proteins or different flavors in your food choice.  Changing only one aspect at a time, e.g., change your protein source from chicken to fish, and then change from dry food to wet food, might help your pet through the process of switching foods. 

One of our favorite brands to recommend for rotational feeding is Fromm! Each of their recipes are created with a similar blend of nutrients making it easier to give your pet a variety of flavors for each meal. You can learn more about Fromm here.

Add any of our cat or dog meal toppers to help enhance your pet's diet.

Avoid digestive upset by introducing new foods slowly. If you switch an animal immediately to a new food, they may suffer from digestive upset, diarrhea, constipation or worse. Instead, start the food switching process by replacing just a quarter of their old food with the new food. After a few days, you can start increasing the ratio of new food to old food, until you have completely replaced the old food. You can continue feeding the old food in small quantities until you run out, to avoid wasting food. Or, you can donate the leftovers to a local rescue or shelter.
Open Farm Turkey Bone Broth

If you have an animal prone to indigestion try adding probiotics to the food to help the digestion process. Pumpkin and sweet potato are also proven to help slow the digestion process. They help to ensure that your pet is getting all possible nutrients from their food.

Offering goat's milk to your cat or dog is another great option to help soothe upset stomachs. Goat's milk is packed full of healthy digestive enzymes. 

The Benefits Of Switching Food

Large Dog Hiding Nose from Food

Digesting only one kind of food will eventually deplete your pet's digestive system and slow their metabolism. Your pet might be less able to digest new foods when it does eat them. In contrast, when you regularly switch your pet's food, you challenge their digestive system and keep it healthy.

While food is produced to provide your pet with the proper vitamins and minerals, some animals digest certain proteins better than others. For example, some cats might do well on fish, but chicken just gives them gas. By switching their food you will be giving them access to a broader spectrum of nutrition.

Fresh is Best

By refreshing your pet's food, you will help their body get used to recognizing and digesting different proteins. Rotational diets can be especially beneficial for younger animals in order to introduce as many protein sources as possible to strengthen immunity and gut health.

Do not be afraid to try new foods! Even the finickiest cat or dog has their second favorite flavor.

Keep your options fresh and watch their anticipation for meal time grow!