Imagine this scenario.  Every day, three meals a day, you have a healthy, balanced lunch of baked chicken breast, brown rice, and steamed carrots/broccoli/cauliflower. Every day, three times a day, for one full year. Then, you suddenly decide to switch it up and have roast beef, baked potato, and steamed green beans. How do you think your body will react? My guess is that you will become close friends with the bathroom for a while. But why? Both meals are filled with healthy foods, why would a digestive system rebel? When we eat a varied diet, like most of us do, we keep our body accustomed to digesting all different types of food and reaping the benefits of each one of the different foods. 

  

Our pets' bodies are similar. The more you rotate your pet’s diet, the more they reap the health benefits of each different food and the less chance they are going to develop an allergy to a food they are getting every day for a lifetime. They also build a more cast-iron stomach so that if they do sneak a bite of something else, they are less likely to develop digestive upset. Their bodies get used to working with a variety of foods, so something different isn't so shocking to their system. If for some reason their ‘normal’ food isn’t available (supply shortages, recall, discontinued, formula change, etc) it won’t matter because they are used to changing things up. 

  

One common concern we address with customers is the gradual weaning from one food to another. If your pet has been on the same food for a while, we typically recommend a gradual transition from the old food to the new. For each meal, feed ¾ of a serving of the old food and ¼ of the new food for 2-3 days, if they tolerate it ok and their stool is fine, then go to ½ and ½ for 2-3 days, then ¼ of the old to ¾ of the old until the old is gone. This is just a general recommendation, some pets are more sensitive and need to go slower, especially at first! I’ve found the more I rotate, the less time it takes me to switch between foods. My household can switch from one food to another cold turkey at this point, but each pet is different! Take it slow until you learn what your pet needs. 

  

How often should I change my pet’s food is another common question we hear. Holistic vets recommend at least three or four times a year. I personally rotate every bag I buy. When I fed kibble, that was about monthly. Now that I’m feeding raw, I have two bags in the freezer at once and I alternate between them each meal. I’m feeding multiple dogs, so I’m opening a new bag every week. One tip I’ve learned from customers is that they rotate to whatever is on sale that month! This gives them the opportunity to save a few dollars while keeping their pet’s diet fresh and enticing. You need to find a balance that works best for you and your pet. Feel free to stop in and chat with one of our staff about your individual situation and what options might work best for you!