The Guru guide to changing dog food
Would you like to change your dogs’ food? Is this something you should do? If so, where do you start?
If you find yourself asking similar questions, then this is the blog for you!
Changing your dogs’ food isn’t always a necessity, however circumstances sometimes mean you need to find a new food that suits both you and your dog.
So let’s start from the beginning. There are specific foods available just for pups, but is this always necessary? Many breeders have weaned their litters onto Guru. The pups thrived through their first months of life and onwards as they grew into adolescents and onto fully grown adults.
Guru is a healthy cold pressed dog food, it’s suitable for all breeds of all ages, meaning it’s super simple to feed, as Geeksters don’t have to change dog food throughout their life stages. The only thing that differs is the amount you feed, as puppies require more food during their early development and gradually require less as they become adults. We have two handy calculators on the feeding guide page of our website to help you work out exactly how much your furiend needs to eat. You just pop their weight in and it’ll tell you how much to feed: Go to Calculators
There may be times when changing your dog’s food is a necessity…
Some brands of regular dog food require you to change because of your dogs age, condition or breed. It can get quite confusing, so much so that it’s sometimes hard to know which food is the best for you and your furiend.
You may also find that you have to change your dog’s food if your dog becomes ill. Perhaps they’ve developed an allergy to an ingredient in the food, or maybe they’ve just become super fussy and refuse to eat? This may lead you to try a different brand of dog food and if this is the case (and you’re not already) you might just become Cold Pressed Obsessed! We’ve had so many fussy eaters who have transitioned onto Guru and they love it!
Don’t take our word for it, check out some of the blogs on our Buzz page as we have Geeksters young and old; big and small; short and long, all thriving on Guru!
Feel free to give the Geeks a call for a chat about our super tasty varieties.
You’ve decided to make the leap and change your dog’s diet, but you find yourself asking… how do I introduce a new dog food?
Well do not fear, the Geeks are here! You might just be looking to switch dog food brands. Maybe you’re just changing a dog food within the same brand or need advice about switching foods for either a puppy or adult dog. Whatever the case may be, we’re going to do our best to cover any questions you may have.
Are you ready? Let the eating commence… (oops sorry, we mean reading)
Introducing a new dog food requires a transitioning process. This is a period of time where you’ll gradually reduce the amount of old food, whilst simultaneously increasing the amount of new food.
If you decide to change dog food, it’s important not to transition too quickly, however each dog is unique and therefore transitioning time periods can differ. Also, it depends on the difference between the food your dog was previously on to the one you’re wanting to switch them onto.
It can seem complicated, but don’t panic! We’re about to break it all down for you and make it as simple as we can. So, if you’re looking to change dog food, keep reading and find the sections that are relevant to you and your furiend…
Tips on Changing Dog Food
- How to switch Dog food brands
How to change dog food brands really starts with finding a dog food company you’re happy with. Here at Guru we want the best for all dog’s and welcome new Geeksters with open arms and paws!
If you’ve made your decision about what new brand of dog food you’d like to change to, you now need to see if and how the type of food may differ from your previous food. This means, even though you’re changing dog food brands, are you sticking with the same type of food, for example are you changing from a regular dried kibble to a regular dried kibble? Or maybe you want to change to a different type of dog food, like Cold Pressed, as well as changing the brand. Or a wet dog food to a raw diet?
There are so many options out there, you’ll need to make sure you’re choosing the right brand and type of dog food for you.
If the type of food is the same (e.g. Cold Pressed to Cold Pressed) it’s easy peasy! Your dog will already be used to the Cold pressed diet and is just simply trying a different recipe.
On the other hand, if your dog is changing between different types of food (e.g. Kibble to Cold Pressed or wet to kibble) we would recommend a gradual transition. Just start with 25% of their new food and 75% of their current food. As long as their stools are formed you can gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the old food until you’re on 100% of their new diet, yay! Just remember that wet food can contain about 70% moisture (water) so the calculation between wet and dry is a little different.
Oh, just for your info… Guru Cold Pressed can be fed alongside a raw diet, as they break down the same in the stomach (we know, awesome right?) so you can go straight for 50/50!
- Changing dog food within the same brand
Changing food within a brand can be super simple, as long as the food is made using the same technique or process.
For example, many of you may be feeding Guru Cold pressed dog food, but you’re thinking about switching your dog’s meals up and having a change of flavour. At the moment, we have two recipes… Surf & Turf (Beef, Sea fish & Vegetables) and our Grain Free Full on Feast (Duck, Sea fish & Vegetables). If you’re going to switch between recipes, this won’t be an issue and your dog should be fine without a transition period.
Now, if you feed a brand of dog food that sells different types of food, then a transitioning process would be needed. You can always check out how we recommend to transition on our ‘How To Switch’ section on the Feeding Guide Page HERE.
- I have a pregnant/lactating bitch, do I need to change her dog food?
First of all, congratulations! It’s such an exciting time… we just adore puppies! Well, who doesn’t?
Something that’s super important for pregnant bitches is their nutrition, in order to ensure good health and growth of the newborn pups. This is another reason why Guru is so great. Expectant mums can be fed Guru during their pregnancy and her puppies can be weaned straight onto our Cold Pressed food as it’s suitable for all ages and all breeds throughout their life stages. We recommend using our puppy calculator to work out the correct amount of Guru to feed from around the third/fourth week of pregnancy. You may need to feed her little and often, as the pups take up more room! She’ll still need more food throughout lactation, so keep using the puppy calculator until around the fifth to eighth week of lactation. You can also start to wean the pups onto Guru at this time… Woohoo – mini Geeksters! xx
Pups can eat Guru dry straight from the bag, but you can also mix Guru with water. There’s a video showing you how to do this on the Feeding Guide page of our website, check it out HERE.
Again, if you have any questions, you can always call the Geeks in the office.
- Can changing dog food cause problems or side effects?
Many people wonder if changing their dog’s food is going to cause their furiend any issues?
1. Does changing dog food cause shedding?
Every dog is different, but if your dog moves onto another food too quickly, they may shed some fur. To avoid this just take your time and transition gradually over a week or two. If you’re transitioning onto Guru, you should notice a big difference in the health of your dog’s skin and coat. This is because we add Cold Pressed oils to our recipes, which helps Geeksters get the Guru Glow!
2. Can changing dog food cause vomiting?
Switching between foods too quickly can cause vomiting. Make sure you take it easy when transitioning, as this will help to avoid problems such as this. However, vomiting may not always be due to the fact you haven’t transitioned properly… it could be caused by other factors, so we would always recommend consulting a vet.
3. Will changing dog food cause diarrhoea?
Poo… something us dog lovers find ourselves talking about all the time, haha!
We’ve had many dog’s transition onto Guru because their dog’s been suffering from loose stools and/or diarrhoea. Our Geeksters tell us they’ve actually seen a huge improvement in the firmness of their dogs stools in a very short space of time.
Sometimes, you may notice loose stools when you begin transitioning from one diet to another. This can be due to the fact their new diet is richer than the one they’re used to, or they may have a particularly sensitive stomach. In this case, we’d recommend to take your time transitioning and if needs be, take a step back. Don’t forget, every dog is different.
For all those sensitive tums out there, both of our GURUlicious recipes are hypoallergenic!
4. Can changing dog food cause skin irritation?
Skin irritation is the main reason a lot of people think about changing their dog’s diet. The Cold Pressed Oils in Guru can help to keep your dogs skin and coat healthy and most importantly, very happy!
There are many factors that can cause skin irritation, but changing your dog’s diet isn’t usually one of them, unless they have a specific allergy to something in the food. If you notice skin irritation you may want to visit your vet.
5. Can changing dog food change behaviour?
Dog food can affect your dog’s behaviour, a bit like us humans… if we have lots of sugary sweets and soft drinks (although they’re super tasty) we can become hyper!
This is why we find ourselves wanting to know exactly what goes into our furiends food.
We’ve had many people contact us after transitioning onto Guru, saying they’ve seen a huge improvement in their dog’s behaviour. Many have seen their dogs become calmer, as we don’t have any nasty additives in our food. Also, some senior dog’s pawrents have thanked us as they’ve seen a positive improvement in their dogs behaviour and a new found energy.
Check out our Buzz page to see blogs from our Geeksters and their experiences with changing to Guru!
We hope this blog has helped to clear up a few questions you may have had about changing dog food. If you’re thinking about switching to Guru and joining our Geekster squad, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Thanks for reading.
Lots of love,
The Guru Geeks xox
