How to transition to a healthy diet for dogs

It’s not unusual for a dog who is used to eating kibble or cooked food to be circumspect of their new raw food. After all, the temperature, smell, and texture are all much different than what they’re used to. It’s like a human switching from a junk food diet to a healthy one—it’s a big adjustment! 

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help encourage your pup to try the new food. The key is to be patient and realize that even the pickiest pooch won’t starve themselves.

Here are my favorite ways to help your dog get used to their new food.

Change the Temperature

Many dogs new to raw food are put off by the cold, straight-from-the-fridge temperature, so warming up the food is often enough to encourage pups to try it. You can warm it up by adding warm bone broth or warm water.

Add a Topper

Sometimes adding something interesting or enticing on top of or mixed in with the raw food will encourage picky pups to eat.

• Coconut yoghurt 

• Dry liver 

• Goat milk

• Sardines

• Chopped boiled egg

• Cooked favourite meat 

• Or any treat you know your dog likes.

Pretend the Food Is a Treat

Many dogs want to eat “forbidden foods” or treats, so giving your dog some raw food on a spoon like it’s a treat may make the food seem even more enticing. After a few spoonfed bites, your pup may be more willing to eat from the bowl.

Similarly, you can sit down at your table and pretend to eat the food yourself. If your dog always wants to eat what you’re having, this method could make the raw food suddenly seem much more appealing!

Feed With Confidence

You probably don’t start staring at your dog after putting down a bowl of kibble, so it’s natural that you changing your behavior when you start feeding a new food could make your dog hesitant to eat. Once you put the meal down, walk away and give your pup about 20 minutes. Then, if your dog doesn’t eat, simply pick up the food without emotion and put it back in the fridge. Repeat the process at the next regular mealtime.

Use a Bit of Tough Love

During this time, DO NOT feed any other food or treats in between meals—you would simply reinforce the idea that they don’t have to eat the raw food because you’ll give them something else eventually. You should neither try to offer your dog extra love and attention because you feel bad they aren’t eating, nor punish your dog for not eating. This whole process should be very neutral.

You should not withhold food from these dogs for more than 24 hours:

• Puppies
• Dogs at risk of developing low blood sugar
• Dogs with serious pre-existing health conditions

Otherwise, you can wait several days for your dog to realize that the junk food they are used to isn’t coming back and the healthy food is what they’re getting from now on.