How long will a dog be sick after switching food

Changing Dog Food for Your New Pup

If you've ever seen a dog chow down on the contents of an overturned trash can, you might be tempted to think all dogs have iron stomachs. The reality, however, is that dogs can be sensitive to what they eat and changing dog food abruptly can cause nausea, soft stool and loss of appetite.

Whether you just brought home a new pup or you need to switch your existing dog's food, here's how to do it without causing them discomfort.

Keeping Your New Dog on Their Current Food

If you just adopted a new dog, remember that this can be a stressful time. To minimize the number of changes they'll need to adjust to, for the first week or so, stick with the same food they were eating before you adopted them. This may help them feel more at home in their new digs which is just as good for their emotional health as it is for their digestion.

Find out as much information about your dog's meals as you can from the shelter or previous pet parent, including the brand and type of food and how much and how often they were fed. Ideally, the shelter will provide you with enough food for your pup's first week. If not, pick up a small bag before bringing your dog home. Once they seem comfortable in their new environment, you can gradually transition their food to your preferred option.

Switching Your Dog's Food Gradually

While especially important for new dogs, any transition between dog foods should be handled gradually. Abrupt changes may result in gastrointestinal disturbances, which can compromise your dog's health and comfort. To avoid this, slowly transition your dog to any new food over a period of several days. A good rule of thumb is to add a little more of the new food while reducing the old food over the course of a week. Follow this general guideline when changing dog food:

• Days 1-2: Mix 25% of the new food with 75% of the old.

• Days 3-4: Mix 50% of the new food with 50% of the old.

• Days 5-6: Mix 75% of the new food with 25% of the old.

• Day 7 and onward: Feed your dog 100% new food.

Monitoring Your Dog During the Transition

Keep a close eye on your dog's response to their new food during the transition period. In addition to signs of stomach upset, such as vomiting or rejecting the new food, monitor their stool. If it appears runny or abnormally soft, return to a recent old-to-new ratio that did not upset their stomach and make smaller incremental changes, extending the transition period to two weeks. If their signs still don't resolve, contact your veterinarian.

What to Do if Your Dog Doesn't Tolerate a New Food

In some cases, a dog may not tolerate a new food no matter how slowly you go, and that's OK. They may not like the taste or texture of their new dog food, or they might have an allergy or intolerance to one of the formula's ingredients. Your vet can help you determine whether this might be the case and recommend a solution. In the meantime, stop feeding your dog the new food entirely and shift them back to what they were eating before the transition.

In these situations, it's always best to reach out to your vet for advice. They may recommend bringing your dog in for a checkup to rule out any underlying health concerns.

Plan B: Transitioning Dog Food Quickly

What if your new dog's previous food is unknown to you, it's on recall or you simply can't get your hands on it? In these cases, introduce your dog to their new food slowly by feeding them small meals every four to six hours, keeping an eye out for signs of trouble in between meals.

Making Food Changes Easy

Your dog's nutritional requirements will change over time, and you shouldn't be afraid to update their formula to ensure they're getting what they need. By slowly transitioning your dog to new foods, you can avoid stomach issues commonly associated with abrupt food changes and make the change easier on you and your canine companion. Always make sure to provide access to fresh, clean water as well, and don't hesitate to contact your vet for additional guidance.

Contributor Bio

Dr. Sarah Wooten

A 2002 graduate of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and certified veterinary journalist, Dr. Sarah Wooten has 16 years experience in small animal veterinary practice, is a well known international speaker and writer in the veterinary and animal health care spaces, and is passionate about helping pet parents learn how to care better for their fur friends.

Why does my dog get diarrhea after changing his diet?

Choosing the Right Diet for Your Dog

Nutrition is arguably the most important component in maintaining your dogs health. The health and optimal function of almost all organs in the body will ultimately depend on the diet your dog is eating, from puppyhood until they are adults. Its therefore very important to choose the best and appropriate diet for your dog.

There is no one perfect diet for a dog. Their nutritional needs change as they go through different changes in their lives. Nutritional requirements are also dependent on the type and breed of the dog and the environment theyre in. Components in a dogs diet such as protein and fat content should be carefully considered in choosing a diet for your dog, as these can greatly affect the dogs health in the long run.

The requirements for these nutrients will change as the animal gets older. As such, there will be instances where youll need to change from one type of diet to another. However, changing a dogs diet is not as simple as it seems. If not done correctly, a dog may develop adverse food reactions that lead to gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea.

Symptoms of Adverse Food Reactions in Dogs

Adverse food reaction is a blanket term used to describe any detrimental health reactions a dog gets from food, from food poisoning, food allergies, or any food-borne gastrointestinal problem. It is often confused with food allergy, and although quite similar in presentation and manifestation, these are two entirely different things.

While both are characterized by the dogs immune response towards their food, they differ in the sense that food allergy has a defined and documented cause while a general food adverse reaction can happen even if the dog is not allergic to any components of the food, such as during an abrupt transition from one type of dog food to another.

Digestion and absorption of ingested food highly depends on the enzymes the stomach and the intestines produce as well as the population of microbiome present in the latter part of the intestinal tract. The type of digestive enzymes and microbiome depends on the food being ingested by the dog and will change accordingly during diet changes.

For example, a puppy will have digestive enzymes that are more suited to digest milk proteins and will have indigestion and gastrointestinal issues if given a diet with minimal or no milk components. As they get older, their digestive enzymes change to be able to digest and process more complicated protein sources such as meat and meat-based products.

This is also true in adult dogs used to eating a certain type of diet. Their digestive enzymes and microbiome have adapted to the diet theyre used to eating. An abrupt change in the type of diet (change in brand or protein base) will cause an inflammatory response along the intestinal lining, leading to gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea. This is what happens in cases of adverse food reactions due to sudden diet changes.

My dog has diarrhea after changing her food. How is this treated?

Most cases of diarrhea due to sudden diet changes can easily be corrected by changing back to the diet the dog has been used to. As mentioned above, adverse food reaction during diet change happens when the digestive enzymes in the dogs gastrointestinal system cannot fully process the components in the new diet, resulting in diarrhea and vomiting. Changing back to the old food where innate enzymes can easily digest will help control signs associated with the adverse food reaction.

In cases with severe symptoms, medical management such as antidiarrheals and anti-emetics may be needed to fully control the gastrointestinal disturbance. Severe cases can predispose the intestinal tract to secondary infection and the proliferation of pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria requiring antibacterial therapy to treat.

Most cases respond well to treatment and changing back to the previous diet, with signs resolving in 24-48 hours after the start of treatment. If left untreated, the continuous inflammation along the intestinal lining may lead to more serious health conditions.

How to Prevent Diarrhea When Changing Your Dogs Food

It has been shown that as the dog goes through different changes in their life, diet change is necessary to meet changes in their nutritional requirements. It has also been discussed how diet change opens the risk of a dog getting adverse food reactions causing gastrointestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea. How, then, are we supposed to meet changing nutritional requirements without risking gastrointestinal issues?

Most, if not all, vomiting and diarrhea cases due to diet change happen when the switch is done abruptly. Sudden change in the dogs diet causes improper digestion. However, this can be easily avoided by transitioning from one diet to another gradually. The slow transition allows the gastrointestinal system to adjust and produce necessary enzymes suitable for digesting the newly-introduced diet. Proper change in diet is usually a week-long transition and follows this process:

Days 1-2: 25% new diet and 75% old diet

Days 3-4: 50% new diet and 50% old diet

Days 5-6: 75% new diet and 25% old diet

Day 7: 100% new diet (completely transitioned)

This week-long gradual diet transition is often enough to prevent vomiting and diarrhea from occurring. Some dogs that have a very sensitive stomach may require a longer transition, but the same principle applies. By gradually transitioning diets, especially at times when diet change is needed to make sure nutritional requirements are met, we significantly reduce the risk of adverse food reactions and prevent signs of diarrhea and vomiting in dogs.

Read more:

Gastrointestinal Diets for Dogs and Cats

What You Need to Know About Feeding Your Dog a Raw Diet

Can Dogs Get Sick From Drinking Too Much Water?

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How to Switch Your Dog's Food

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Dietary changes are an unavoidable part of a dogs life. Maybe the switch is expectedlike changing from puppy food to an adult foodor maybe something unanticipated happened, like an illness or food recall.

In either case, knowing how to switch your dogs food properly can make the transition easier for you and your canine friend.

Reasons for Changing Dog Foods

There are many reasons why you might find yourself having to change your dogs food. Lets divide them into two categoriesthose that need a quick switch and those where you can take your time.

You may need to quickly switch your dogs food if:

• Your dogs current food has been recalled, discontinued, or is simply not available.

• Your dog wont eat their current food.

• Your veterinarian recommends an immediate change to a new diet. This occurs most frequently if a dog has developed food allergies or other adverse reactions to food. It may also be beneficial to make a quick switch if a dog has gastroenteritis or another health problem that needs to be treated quickly.

You can switch your dogs food gradually if:

• Youve decided to change your dogs food to one that better fits your budget.

• You want to feed your dog a different type of food (dry versus wet, or one with grains instead of grain-free, or rotational diets, for example).

• Its time to switch to a different life-stage food (puppy to adult, for example).

• Your veterinarian prescribed a new diet and recommends that you make the change gradually. This can be appropriate if a dog is being transitioned to a diet to help manage chronic diseases like obesity, canine cognitive dysfunction, or osteoarthritis.

What Are Rotational Diets for Dogs?

Some pet parents routinely switch their dogs food, using a practice called rotational feeding. The thought process behind rotational feeding goes something like this: Since its impossible to have 100% confidence in any one diet, routinely rotating through several different foods limits the chances that a dog could become sick due to nutrient deficiencies, nutrient excesses, or contaminants.

As long as all of the diets being fed are high-quality and nutritionally complete and balanced, rotational feeding may be beneficial and shouldnt do any harm. However, rotational feeding isnt appropriate if a dog develops an upset tummy from all the dietary changes or needs to be on a specific type of food for health reasons.

People approach this in many different ways. Some buy a few different bags of kibble and feed one type of food per week. Others make more dramatic changeskibble until the bag is empty, then wet food for a couple of weeks, followed by a couple of days of home cooking. Still others focus on purchasing products made from different protein and carbohydrate sourcesbeef and barley for a month followed by a month of chicken and rice, for example.

Steps for Switching Dog Foods

Some dogs seem to have an iron stomach. They can eat almost anything and do just fine. But others have a more delicate constitution.

Its best to err on the side of caution, since the potential downside of making a diet change too quickly is unpleasant for everyone.

Here are two good ways to switch your dogs diet that reduce the chances of food refusal, diarrhea, vomiting, and gassiness.

Gradual Dog Food Switch

Whenever possible, take at least a week to switch your dog to a new diet. Mix the new and old foods in these ratios:

• Day 1 10% new food / 90% old food

• Day 2 20% new food / 80% old food

• Day 3 30% new food / 70% old food

• Day 4 40% new food / 60% old food

• Day 5 60% new food / 40% old food

• Day 6 80% new food / 20% old food

• Day 7 100% new food

You can take it even more slowly if your dog has a history of problems with dietary changes or if the new food is very different from the old (switching from a dry salmon-based food to a wet chicken-based food, for example).

If at any point during this process your dog stops eating or has vomiting or diarrhea, switch back to the old food and make the transition even more slowly. Call your veterinarian for advice if your dogs symptoms continue after switching back to their old diet.

Quick Dog Food Switch

Sometimes you have to change your dogs food without a transition period. Healthy adult dogs can safely miss a few meals if they refuse a serving or two of the new food using this method. If your dog is still refusing to eat after two days or theyve developed vomiting or diarrhea at any point, try a different food or call your veterinarian for advice.

Do NOT use this method for puppies or dogs with health problems. It can be dangerous for them to go without food.

• Day 1, Meal 1:
  • Offer just a small amount of the new foodabout a quarter of what theyd normally eat in a meal.
  • If your dog doesnt eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
• Day 1, Meal 2:
  • If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
  • If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
  • If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
• Day 1, Meal 3:
  • If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
  • If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
  • If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
• Day 2, Meal 1:
  • If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
  • If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
  • If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
• Day 2, Meal 2:
  • If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a bigger portion of the new food.
  • If your dog didnt eat their last meal, offer just a small amount of the new food.
  • If they dont eat it in 30 minutes, pick it up and dont offer more food until their next meal.
• Day 2, Meal 3:
  • If your dog ate their last meal well, offer a normal meal size of the new food.

How to Find a Similar Formula When Changing a Dogs Food

Another trick to making a diet change go smoothly is to make the change as small as possible. If your dog likes eating wet food, pick a new wet food; dont try switching to dry.

If beef is their favorite flavor, stick to beef-based diets. Look at the old foods ingredient list and guaranteed analysis and try to find a new food that is a close match in as many ways as possible. Staying with the same manufacturer can help as well.

Troubleshooting When Switching Dog Foods

Some problems that are commonly seen when switching dog foods can be handled at home:

• Your dog refuses the new diet As long as its safe for your dog to miss a few meals, let them get hungry, but do not try this with puppies or dogs with underlying health problems, including dogs that have diabetes and are on insulin. You can also try a meal topper to entice them to eat, but if your dog is changing diets for medical reasons, ask your veterinarian if a meal topper is appropriate based on the specifics of their case.

• Your dog develops mild diarrhea If you can, go back to your dogs old diet for a few days until their stool returns to normal, and then try to make the transition to the new food more slowly. Mixing some plain pumpkin into the food or giving your dog a probiotic can also help.

• Your dog becomes gassy Gassiness will usually improve after a dog has eaten a new diet for a few days. A nutritional supplement designed to help with gas may speed the process along. (Example: Vets Best Gas Busters)

Talk to your veterinarian if your dog develops severe diarrhea, starts vomiting, or their milder symptoms dont clear up in a couple of days.

Your vet can prescribe appropriate treatment or perhaps recommend a different diet that will be better a better match for your pup.

Featured Image: iStock/Chalabala