Today I will share my experience and talk about how to switch a dog to natural food. I hope that this information will be useful for dog breeders whose pets, for one reason or another, refuse to consume dry food.
I would like to note right away that this is not a matter of one day, and this process will take you some time and effort, because switching a dog from dry to natural feeding is much more difficult than vice versa.
The difficulty is that when feeding dry food, the usual activity of the pancreas decreases, since the food has already been sufficiently processed. The pancreas does not need to activate all its processes and secrete pancreatic juice to break down, for example, meat protein.
After switching to natural food, your pet’s body needs some more time for all the functions of the pancreas to acquire their natural properties. Therefore, you should be patient so as not to harm the tail.
Pros and cons of a natural diet
The natural diet menu is quite similar, so you don’t need to be a culinary genius to prepare it. This type of feeding has the following advantages:
- prevention of dental and oral diseases, based on a constant combination of soft and hard foods;
- absence of dangerous ingredients, because it is you who control the quality of products and the composition of dishes;
- easy digestion due to the natural origin of food;
- the ability to adjust the menu to suit any therapeutic diet.
There are also disadvantages. These include the need for daily food preparation and the difficulty of complying with the norms of KBZHU (calories-proteins-fats-carbohydrates). This forces you to spend a considerable part of your personal time and buy additional vitamin complexes.
In what situations should you switch your dog to natural?
Dry feeding is convenient and safe, so a return to natural feeding is usually explained by a sudden refusal of food or health problems. The latter include:
- apathetic and lethargic state;
- various digestive disorders (diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting);
- deterioration in coat quality (dullness, loss);
- deficiency or surplus of body weight.
If you notice any of the above symptoms, be sure to take your pet to the vet. If he does not have concomitant diseases, then the problem of his malaise lies in the food. In this case, they either change the manufacturer or return to the “natural” one.
Foods that are prohibited for dogs
There are a number of foods that should not be included in the diet, because... they cause obesity or provoke gastrointestinal problems. Let's look at them:
Fried foods with lots of spices irritate the stomach
Some owners wonder: is it possible to feed a dog soups? In fact, soups will not bring your pet much benefit, nor, by the way, harm.
Berries and fruits are natural vitamins
How to switch a dog from food to natural food
There are only two transition options: sharp and smooth. Their advantages and disadvantages will be discussed below.
REFERENCE!
The percentage ratio between meat, dairy products, cereals and fruits and vegetables should be 55:30:10:5.
Selecting the right products
To switch to natural nutrition, it is recommended to choose foods that are easily digestible. These include:
- low-fat kefir, natural yogurt without additives;
- boiled vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, carrots) and fresh cucumbers;
- lean beef, chicken and turkey;
- rice and oatmeal.
Introduce the above gradually and be sure to monitor the body’s reaction. If itching, hair loss, redness of the skin and other alarming symptoms appear, the allergen will have to be urgently excluded.
Abrupt transition: pros and cons
Suitable for animals who are already familiar with “natural” in the past. There is one plus here - speed, but there are many more minuses. These include:
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract due to the lack of an adaptation period;
- refusal of food, provided that the dog sees the offered food for the first time;
- apathy or aggression due to stress.
Veterinarians do not recommend this method, because after it the animal often has to be urgently taken to the veterinary clinic. For this reason, it is better to choose a long but safer smooth transition.
Smooth transition: pros and cons
Despite the duration, a smooth transition has one big advantage - easier adaptation to the new diet. This method does not involve replacing the usual food one day, so it is much easier for the pet to get used to the new conditions. In this case, the diagram looks like this:
- the first 4 days – 75% “drying” and 25% “natural”;
- Days 5-9 – 50% of each type;
- Days 9-14 – 25% dry and 75% natural.
After 2 weeks, the pet is fed only “natural” food. During the transition, it is recommended to increase the frequency and duration of walks so that the pet does not go crazy right at home.
Possible difficulties
When switching a dog from dry food to natural food, many breeders encounter certain difficulties. The following tips will help you deal with them.
- The dog refuses to eat. In this case, you need to show patience and care. Try mixing dry food with natural food, gradually removing factory-made granules from your pet’s diet.
- The dog began to drink less. The body uses much more moisture to process dry food than natural food. No worries. With a change in diet, more moisture enters the dog’s body. This does not mean that the water needs to be removed completely! Liquid activates all body processes. The dog should always have access to fresh water.
- Difficulty going to the toilet, diarrhea, vomiting or indigestion. This happens to some dogs that are not used to eating natural food. After some time, this condition should pass when the animal’s stomach adapts to the new food. If no improvement is observed, and the dog begins to refuse food and is in a depressed state, you should immediately consult a doctor.
- Frequent urination. This problem is encountered quite often when converting to natural language. The fact is that the animal’s body is not yet accustomed to a large amount of moisture, so the owners need to show patience and understanding to the pet’s temporary difficulties.
Possible consequences and problems
Replacing your usual dishes is always a big stress for the body. Most often it is expressed either through digestive disorders or through a four-legged hunger strike.
Stool upset or nausea
The need to reconstruct the pancreas has already been mentioned above. In addition, a lower level of stomach acidity, i.e. pH, is required for easy digestion. Changes take about 7-10 days, and until then, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting are completely normal.
It is worth sounding the alarm only in 2 cases: when symptoms persist for more than 10-14 days or when the frequency of their occurrence increases. Remember that frequent bouts of vomiting and uncontrolled diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and even death.
Refusal of new products
Getting used to it takes time, so don’t be afraid of refusing food offered in the first days. The most effective way to fight is an instructive hunger strike. The recommended limit for adult animals is 2-3 days, and for puppies - only 1 day.
REFERENCE!
The most important picky animals are representatives of small breeds. Finding dishes that suit them can only be done through trial and error.
The second recommendation is mandatory soaking of dry granules. This not only accustoms the dog to softer food, but also to new tastes, and also eliminates tricky food selection.
Additional recommendations
If you decide to switch your pet to natural dog food, check out the useful information:
- The dog will consume much less water, since natural food contains it in excess, unlike dehydrated pads.
- Also, you should not be afraid that your dog will ask for a walk more often, because his body now accumulates much more moisture.
- Natural food should be introduced gradually, observing how the pet’s stomach and intestines react to new foods. Perhaps it is better to exclude something from the diet.
- The transfer will occur much faster if you previously fed the dog with natural products. In the case where the food was completely mixed, the pet will very quickly stop consuming dry food.
- Refrain from the idea of adding seasonings, hot and spicy spices to food, treating your pet with sweet or fatty foods, giving sweets, chocolate, etc. Some common human foods are poisonous to dogs.
- Monitor the temperature. If the food was in the refrigerator before feeding, it must to room temperature But you shouldn’t get carried away: dogs often eat very greedily, and hot food can burn the esophagus.
The subtleties of switching to a raw diet
When switching to “natural” you must follow several important rules. These include:
- Gradual introduction of new products. To avoid allergies, add them no more than once every 2-3 days.
- Serve as one dish. It should be distinguished from mixed nutrition on an ongoing basis. After cooking, mix everything thoroughly so that the dry granules and regular food take on the same consistency and temperature. This makes the final dish easier to digest.
- Smooth refusal of mixing. From the 9th day, it is better to serve “drying” separately in the morning, and divide the portion of “natural” into daytime and evening meals.
- Thoroughly boil the meat before serving. You can proceed to simple scalding with boiling water only if there is no negative reaction from the body.
- Mandatory throwing away uneaten food. Otherwise, the leftover food will simply spoil.
If you have any doubts or questions, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian. Animals with chronic illnesses may require slightly different conditions.
Natural Products for Yorkies
You need to feed the animal on a schedule, this will contribute to normal intestinal function. Water is also important; it must be freely available and in sufficient quantity. The water is changed daily before each feeding.
When compiling your Yorkie's daily diet:
- animal proteins - ½ part;
- vegetable and fruit dishes (raw or boiled) - ¼ part;
- boiled cereals in the form of porridge - ¼ part.
All components are prepared separately and mixed in a container when feeding. It is recommended to chop all pet foods and give them in small pieces. It is advisable that the food be prepared before serving. If food has been prepared in advance, it must be heated. Natural products should be mixed with the necessary microelements and additives.
Meat and fish
What this animal cannot live without is meat. It is given both raw and boiled. It is important that there are no fatty layers in the meat pieces; they should be trimmed.
What kind of meat is it permissible to give to a dog? Beef, turkey, chicken trimmings, and rabbit meat are acceptable in any version. The menu can be diluted with offal, but not instead of meat products. In boiled form, the Yorkshire Terrier should be given internal offal - heart, liver, ventricles - in its food. By-products should not be given to your dog too often, once a week is enough.
Sea fish is given to the dog only in boiled form, and it is thoroughly cleaned of entrails and scales, and checked to ensure that there are no bones. In its raw form, fish is poorly digestible. It is not recommended to include pollock and whiting in the diet. Give fish products to your pet once a week.
Vegetables and greens
When preparing a diet for your Yorkie, you must not forget about fresh herbs and vegetable products - sources of microelements. Your Yorkie will happily eat boiled vegetables, such as grated beets, pumpkin or zucchini.
Carotene in the form of carrots, flavored with vegetable oil, is best served raw. The vegetable is also finely grated beforehand. Potatoes are strictly not recommended for consumption - they contain a large amount of carbohydrates, which are poorly absorbed by the weak stomach of this delicate breed.
Fresh greens, such as lettuce and spinach leaves, and green onions, can be a good addition to a Yorkie’s diet. The greens are finely chopped and sprinkled on top of the prepared main food.
Eggs, cereals, dairy products
Dairy products are a source of supply of calcium, a valuable microelement, to a living organism. Therefore, you need to add fermented milk products (low-fat kefir, fermented baked milk, curd products) to the food two to three times a week.
Yorkie puppies are given low-fat kefir or yogurt in their diet more often than adults. These products are necessary during the formation of the skeletal system and teeth in animals. Only puppies drink the dairy product; it is better not to give it to adult dogs of this breed.
The dog menu should include boiled cereals in the form of porridges. The Yorkshire Terrier's body needs microelements, and porridge is a supplier of potassium and magnesium. Your Yorkie can be given any type of porridge: buckwheat, rice or oatmeal.
Twice a week, you should add a hard-boiled yolk to your dog’s food, after crushing it. Protein must be avoided, as it is harmful to a dog of this breed. In addition, protein compounds are a source of allergies.
Daily portion volume
The serving size depends on the weight and age of the animal. It can be calculated in grams and calories. The norm for children is 6-7% of body weight, and for adults – 3-5%. To calculate calories, you need to know your age or breed:
- less than 2 months – 220 calories per 1 kg, 2-3 months – 265, 3-4 months – 201, 4-8 months – 136, 8-12 months – 100;
- giant - 53 calories per 1 kg, large - 60, medium - 69, small - 84, dwarf - 110.
Based on averages, you can calculate the norms for a Pembroke Welsh Corgi: a 4-month-old puppy weighing 7 kg and an adult dog weighing 12 kg. They will be 420-490 g of food, or 952 calories, and 360-600 g of food, or 828 calories, respectively.
IMPORTANT!
Avoid feeding only meat. Wild wolves are indeed carnivorous, but 70% of their diet consists of small rodents. Along with them, processed grains and spikelets enter their body. At home, they are replaced by cereals.
The presented formulas are quite easy to use and do not require any additional knowledge. It is only important to note that the obtained values serve as a guide. In addition to age and body weight, it is recommended to consider your pet's activity level and health.
If the calorie content calculated by the formula is not enough for him, which will be noticeable by sudden weight loss, do not be afraid to increase it. To be more reliable, consult your veterinarian and ask him to choose an individual menu for your dog.
Do you need vitamins and supplements?
It is impossible to get everything you need from regular food, therefore, in addition to standard foods, you should add the following main sources of natural vitamins to your diet:
- raw seaweed;
- wheat germ flour;
- fish fat;
- ground egg shells;
- Brewer's yeast.
To avoid vitamin deficiency, all animals eating natural foods should be tested for essential vitamins. If deficiencies are identified, the veterinarian may recommend ready-made vitamin and mineral complexes in tablet form.
Transferring a puppy from dry food to natural food
The transfer scheme for a puppy and an adult is identical. The only difference is the time it takes to get used to it. Instead of 14 days, it is recommended to choose a longer interval, increasing the duration of each stage to 7 days.
Regardless of the age of your pet, be sure to be patient and do not scold him if he refuses the food offered. Be a little chef and try to come up with more appetizing alternative combinations. Over time, you will definitely find something that your four-legged one will approve of.
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Translation scheme
When thinking about how to switch a dog from food to natural food, owners are looking for the optimal solution. Each animal is unique, so it is quite difficult to adapt a general method to a specific pet.
The most suitable scheme for switching dogs to natural food is considered to be:
- It is recommended to start the first week with cottage cheese, rice, chicken, beef, buckwheat, boiled fish peeled from scales and bones, rolled oats and carrots. In the evening you can give dry food.
Important! If one of the foods is poorly digested or the dog does not like it, you should temporarily exclude it from the diet.
- From the second week, the proportion of natural food increases, and the amount of dry food gradually decreases. It is recommended to give more dairy products (yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir). You should not give too many vegetables, otherwise vomiting or diarrhea may occur.
Important! Dogs that were previously pampered with natural food adapt much more easily to the new diet.
It is quite difficult to switch your pet to natural food, because the owner will have to independently control the amount of vitamins and nutrients the pet receives. However, for the dog itself, natural food is much better, healthier and more enjoyable.
