Can I feed my dog different brands of food? Find Out Here

How To Mix Dog Food Brands

In this section, I will cover the best practices of mixing dog food brands in chronological order so it forms a guide you can follow. These draw from my experience and my vet’s advice.

Should you rotate dog food to give your dog more variety?

Most dogs are happy eating the same food regularly. If you wish to add some canned food or a little homemade stew to their food to make it tastier, that’s fine, but dogs usually don’t like a lot of change. Changes in your dog’s food often lead to an upset gastrointestinal tract with diarrhea or vomiting. If you change foods often you can keep your dog’s GI tract upset on an ongoing basis which will lead to other health problems. Of course, it is possible that if you change your dog’s food continually he may get used to the changes and adapt to them, but only after a lot of upset stomachs. Some dogs will continue to have gastrointestinal problems when you change foods.

Are table scraps and other “people foods” bad for your dog and cat?

Most holistically trained veterinarians encourage the practice of feeding “people food” to our pets. Healthy leftovers are an excellent supplement to your companions regular fare. There are only two rules with people food for pets:

It must be healthy for them: meat, steamed and finely chopped veggies & fruits, baked sweet potato, rice, oatmeal; no junk food; and

If you give them some of what you are eating, remember to feed less of their own food so that they dont put on extra pounds.

Its important to note that not all healthy foods for us are healthy for our pets: onions, grapes and raisins can all be toxic to dogs and cats. If youre not positive its safe, dont feed it.

If you want to feed meat from the grocery store, there are a number of homemade pre-mixes available where you just need to add is meat and an appropriate oil for healthy fat content.

Pre-mixes contain vegetables, vitamins and minerals, and sometimes grains to make the meal complete. You dont have to cook every meal for your companion to benefit from fresher food: even the occasional homemade dinner is a wonderful healthy treat!

Pet Nutritionist Ranks Dog Foods | Tier List

Different brands of kibble feature different nutrients, and your dog may be deficient if he’s eating the same food every day. … By switching it up, your dog is more likely to get all of the nutrients he needs.