Transitioning to a raw diet:

Transitioning to a raw diet can either be done quickly or slowly, whichever works best for you and your dog. Most dogs and puppies do well with a “cold-turkey” transition straight into a raw diet. Healthy, adult dogs can typically be switched to raw over night, cold-turkey style. We recommend feeding your dog her normal dinner, then skip breakfast and then begin feeding Hound House Raw Dog Food with her next dinner meal.

When you offer your dog her first raw meal, offer her an amount smaller than is recommended. For example, if it’s recommended to feed .5lb (8oz) per meal, try feeding 4- 6 oz and see how your dog handles the meal. At each feeding, increase the amount you feed until you are feeding the recommended amount for your dog’s size per day.

The 12 - 24 hr fasting period allows your dog to clear out her digestive tract completely and allows for stomach acids to increase in acidity to the level needed to properly break down and assimilate the nutrients within raw food. Most healthy adult dogs switch over just fine within 2-7 days.

Puppies should not fast. They typically can easily switch over to raw food without skipping a meal. Depending on the age of your puppy, they may require 2-4 feedings per day. Feeding raw is perfectly safe for weaning puppies. For more specific feeding guidelines, click here.

Dogs eating lightly cooked diets generally don’t need to fast and can easily switch over to a raw diet.

For dogs that may require a slower transition:

Dogs and puppies who are particularly sensitive to diet changes can benefit from a slower, more gradual transition. This can be accomplished by replacing 1/4 of their usual kibble with roughly the same amount in raw food for 3-5 days. As long as stools remain firm throughout this time period, the amount of raw food can be increased to replace half of the diet for the next 3-5 days. As long as your dog continues to have smooth digestion and eliminations, continue to increase the amount of raw food every 3-5 days and decrease the amount of kibble until you are feeding a completely raw diet.

Once fully transitioned, expect to see your dog take in less water from the water bowl since most of their moisture will now be in their food. You’ll also see smaller, less frequent eliminations. Additionally, you may see your dog return to a leaner, more youthful weight after a few weeks on a raw diet.

Need help?

Overwhelmed by the idea of transitioning your dog? Let us help you! Consider boarding your dog with us at Hound House Dog Club for a few days and let our canine nutritionist transition your dog personally and we can send your dog home fully transitioned and with a box of food. Also feel free to reach out to our nutritionist with any questions, nutrition@houndhousedogclub.com.