Switching Dog Food? Here's How to Do It Safely

Every dog will need to go through a dietary transition at some point in life, whether that’s switching from puppy food to adult food or starting a prescription diet. If you make the switch too suddenly, your dog may experience gastrointestinal upset, which is unpleasant for both of you.

This dog food transition guide will cover the reasons for switching dog food, provide a step-by-step guide for how to switch dog food, and discuss special considerations to keep in mind for your dog’s individual situation.

When and Why You Might Switch Your Dog’s Food

Your dog may go through a dietary transition for any of the following reasons:

Life stage changes: Puppies need to eat food that meets their requirements for growth and development. After puppyhood, you’ll transition puppy to adult food to help your dog maintain a healthy adult weight while meeting their nutritional requirements. Some dogs are also transitioned to a senior food in their golden years.
New health conditions: Many health conditions are managed in part by diet. For example, if your pet develops allergies, kidney disease, gastrointestinal issues, or diabetes, they’re likely to need a special diet.
Behavioral or taste preference: Perhaps your dog got a taste of a salmon-flavored food and now they’re disinterested in their old chicken-flavored food, or maybe they’ve started to refuse dry food. If there’s a sudden refusal to eat dry or wet food, make sure to get medical issues, particularly dental disease, ruled out before assuming it’s a behavioral or taste preference.
Brand availability or cost: If your dog’s usual food is unavailable or you have to make a change for financial reasons, you’ll still want to safely transition dog foods.
Vet recommendation: If your veterinarian is concerned that your dog’s diet isn’t meeting their nutritional needs or is contributing to obesity, they may recommend a change. Of course, veterinary recommendations also come into play when your pet undergoes a life stage change or develops a new health condition. If you’re switching to a new dog food due to a medical reason, it’s extremely important that you consult with a veterinarian.

How to Switch Dog Food: A Safe Step-by-Step Guide

Generally, you should switch your dog’s diet over the course of a week, though you can drag the transition out longer if your dog has a particularly sensitive stomach.

Switching dog food timeline:

Days 1–2: 75% old food/25% new food
Days 3–4: 50% old food/50% new food
Days 5–6: 25% old food/75% new food
Day 7: Your dog should only eat the new food

In some cases, such as gastrointestinal distress, your veterinarian may recommend a sudden switch. In these cases, you should follow your veterinarian’s recommendation. If your veterinarian is recommending that you make the transition over longer than seven days, it’s best to adhere to the schedule provided by your pet’s doctor.

Later, we’ll cover tips to help make this transition smooth and safe.

Symptoms of Changing Dog Food Too Quickly

If your dog’s food is changed too quickly, they may experience a variety of symptoms. Gastrointestinal signs they may experience include:

Diarrhea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite or disinterest in food
Excessive salivation
Abdominal pain (hunched posture, reactive to pressure on abdomen)
Bloating
Gassiness

If symptoms are mild, you may simply need to slow down the transition. However, there are cases when you should contact a veterinarian.

When to Contact Your Veterinarian

You should contact a veterinarian if:

Gastrointestinal symptoms are severe, such as repetitive diarrhea and/or vomiting
Gastrointestinal symptoms last more than 2 days
Your dog won’t eat anything for more than a day
Your dog is lethargic or in pain
Your dog develops symptoms of a food allergy, such as itchiness, ear infections, or hives
The diet was a veterinary recommendation, but your pet won’t eat it
You need guidance on picking an appropriate diet and changing dog food safely

Transitioning Between Life Stages (Puppy, Adult, Senior)

You may have heard that puppies switch to adult food at one year of age, but this one-size-fits-all approach may not be what’s best for your pup. Your puppy should eat puppy food until they’ve reached skeletal maturity, which depends on their expected adult size and breed.

Small-to-medium dogs should usually eat their puppy food until they’re around 10–12 months old. For large-to-giant breed dogs, it may be more appropriate to keep them on their puppy food until they’re closer to 15–18 months old. Your veterinarian is your best resource for when you should make the change for your dog.

There are no specific nutritional guidelines set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for senior dogs. If an older dog is doing well with their usual adult food, it’s fine not to transition to a senior diet. However, some senior dogs may need lower-calorie food to prevent obesity, or they may need a special diet, such as a joint-supportive or renal diet. Again, it’s best to consult with your veterinarian if you think your senior dog may need a dietary change.

Regardless of your pet’s age, the transition should be gradual as described above. Switch your dog’s food over at least 7 days unless your veterinarian is recommending a more rapid change.

Special Considerations: Sensitive Stomachs, Allergies, and Prescription Diets

Of course, there are special circumstances in which the transition isn’t as simple as slowly introducing new food and reducing old food.

Keep these tips in mind:

If your dog has a food sensitivity or sensitive stomach, they may need a slower transition, potentially over a couple weeks.
If your dog is eating hypoallergenic or limited-ingredient diets due to food allergies, there are strict feeding protocols. Make sure to consult with your veterinarian.
Prescription diets should be fed with veterinary supervision. Make sure to ask your veterinarian how to transition to your dog’s new prescription diet.
Don’t fall for fads. At this time, there is no evidence that a grain-free diet or raw diet is beneficial for your dog. In fact, some of these diets could cause your dog harm. Make sure to consult with your veterinarian before switching to a specialty or boutique diet.
If your dog is experiencing gastrointestinal distress due to something like eating spoiled trash or parvovirus, your veterinarian may recommend a rapid switch to a bland or gastrointestinal-supportive diet. Follow their instructions precisely.
If your dog has diabetes, you should always ask your veterinarian how to transition dog foods before making any changes.

Dry vs Wet Dog Food: Is the Transition Different?

When switching between dry and wet food, the basic idea is the same as switching between two diets of the same form. You’ll slowly add more of the new food while reducing the amount of the old food over at least a week, unless your veterinarian instructs differently.

However, there are certainly considerations to keep in mind:

Palatability: Some dogs find one form (kibble vs. canned) more palatable than the other. It may take some experimenting to find a food that is enjoyable to them. You could add a small amount of low-sodium chicken broth (with veterinary approval) to increase palatability. Make sure anything you add does not include ingredients which are toxic to dogs, such as garlic or onion.
Textural change: If your dog is balking at the textural change, you may need to drag the transition out even longer than a week.
Hydration: Keep in mind that your dog will need more water if you move away from wet food, which provides more moisture than dry food.
Calories: Caloric content will be significantly different between dry food and canned food. You’ll want to find out how much of the new food they should end up with and use that to determine portion sizes during the transition. Make sure you’re cutting the old food by the appropriate amount each time. It is very easy to overfeed during a transition between kibble and canned foods if you don’t pay attention to calories.
Refrigeration: If you’re switching to canned food, opened cans will need to be refrigerated and used within two to three days. Check the cans or packaging for specific guidelines.
Dental Health: You should always be monitoring your dog’s dental health, but it’s possible that dental tartar will build up more quickly with canned foods since they don’t have the abrasive texture of kibble. If you’re not already doing so, consider adding dental treats after the transition is complete.

Tips for a Successful Dog Food Transition

Regardless of the foods you’re transitioning between, these tips for how to change dog food will help make the switch less stressful:

Stick to the same feeding schedule so that the only thing changing is the food.
Avoid giving table scraps or adding too many new treats at the same time.
Do not force feed your dog. This can create food aversions or result in injury.
Remain calm. Don’t stand and stare at your dog while they’re eating the new food, which may make them uncomfortable, particularly if they have food aggression.
Monitor your dog’s stool quality during and after the transition.
Ensure your dog has access to water throughout the transition.
If you’re switching between two foods of the same form (kibble vs. canned), you can worry more about ensuring their caloric intake is appropriate once the transition is complete. Keep in mind that your dog may need more or less of their new food to maintain their body weight (if that’s the goal). Please note that this does not apply to the change between canned foods and dry foods, which have very significant differences in caloric content.