How Do You Transition From Kibble to the BARF Diet?

If you're interested in the BARF diet for your dog, you may be wondering how to switch from dry food or kibble to the BARF diet as effectively as possible. Moving over to the BARF diet is a process that can be quick or gradual, and it takes patience, attention and planning to make sure your dog has a smooth, safe transition.

In this SoyunPerro article, we give you some useful tips and guidelines for making the switch correctly, so your dog can enjoy all the benefits of BARF natural food.

Abrupt or Gradual Diet Change?

We need to assess each dog individually to work out the best way to introduce natural food into its daily diet.

Puppies

If our puppy has no gastrointestinal problems or food-related conditions, we can make an "abrupt" or quick change of diet — in other words, start giving it natural food from one day to the next (dropping the kibble entirely).

If, on the other hand, our puppy has a sensitive stomach, gastrointestinal problems or food-related conditions, we need to make a gradual transition.

Adults

Adult dogs that have been eating dry food (kibble) for a long stretch of time need a gradual change to bring natural food into their diet, because their gut microbiota has to adapt.

How to Make a Quick Transition to Natural Food

We simply start the day by giving our dog natural food, keeping to the number of meals and the amount of food it needs daily. Dropping the dry food completely — we mustn't make the mistake of mixing the two or alternating meals (wet food/dry food).

Remember that natural food contains a lot of water, since it isn't dehydrated the way dry food is. What we mean is that if your dog eats 300 grams of dry food a day, it will most likely need around 600 to 900 grams of wet food a day (you need to work out the right amount or ask for advice).

How to Make a Gradual Transition to Natural Food

Dogs used to dry food, with sensitive digestion or with conditions related to diet or the digestive system, need a gradual transition to avoid gastrointestinal upsets.

To do this we start by replacing the first meal of the day with natural food and keeping the rest of the meals as dry food. This natural food should be a "bland diet", so that the dog absorbs it well. We'll keep to this pattern for between two and four days.

Then we'll switch the second meal of the day to wet food as well, leaving only the last meal or the last two (depending on whether it has 3 or 4 meals) as dry food. We'll keep to this pattern for another two or three days, before finally moving every meal over to natural food.

Once we've completed the transition, we can leave the bland diet behind and start using different natural food recipes made with quality animal protein such as chicken, turkey, salmon or beef (if you want ready-made recipes, you can find them on natural food sites such as Dogfy Diet).

Probiotics Can Help You With the Transition

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and can help a dog adapt better to natural food. There are completely natural probiotic foods that are suitable for dogs, and we can add them to its diet even a few weeks before starting with natural food.

Some of these foods are:

• Plain yoghurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Microalgae

A teaspoon a day will be enough for medium-sized dogs.

Watch How Your Dog Reacts

During the transition, it's important to keep a close eye on our dog and watch for any sign of digestive problems or changes in its behaviour. If you notice any problem, you should cut back the amount of fresh food you're giving your dog and increase the amount of dry food until its digestive system adapts.

Some signs of digestive problems can include diarrhoea, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite or changes in behaviour.

Make Sure Your Dog Gets Balanced Nutrition

It's important to remember that the BARF diet isn't just about feeding your dog natural foods, but about providing complete, balanced nutrition. Make sure the foods you're giving your dog contain all the nutrients it needs, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

You can talk to a vet or a canine nutritionist to make sure you're providing your dog with a balanced, suitable diet. You can also choose to buy ready-prepared BARF food and that way be sure it's getting all the nutrients it needs.