One of the most persistent myths about dog nutrition is that you shouldn't change your dog's food or they'll experience various digestive issues. This is especially common when talking about kibble… but why is this myth so widespread?
Given that the foundation of a good diet is variety in quality ingredients, it's difficult to understand where this claim comes from…
My message is to vary your pet's diet as much as possible, whether you're feeding kibble or raw food. Every food has its strengths and weaknesses, but if you always stick to the same food, its weaknesses can lead to nutritional deficiencies of varying severity! Each protein source contains different amino acids, and if you only ever give the same type of protein, for example, just chicken, you'll end up with deficiencies in essential amino acids!
Of course, we need to qualify everything, we need to vary in the right ingredients and the right foods.
In the case of kibble, here are a few tips:
- Choose 2-3 pet food companies that meet your quality criteria.
- Calculate the carbohydrate content of the kibble (see the training on choosing the right kibble for your dog) and try to maintain the same nutrient levels when switching bags. Aim for similar levels of protein and fat.
- Don’t buy excessively large quantities; limit yourself to quantities that allow you to change your bag every month.
- If your dog tends to have loose stools during food changes, adding probiotics to their diet will help.
In the case of raw food, here are some tips:
- Try to have 4-5 different proteins per month. Vary the types of meat: red, white, fish.
- Calculate the carbohydrates in your raw food (see the training on understanding raw food) and stick to products with the same carbohydrate levels.
- Make sure you have different offal in your mixes, heart, liver, and other offal (gizzard, spleen, kidney, etc.).
So, it's not that complicated, but variety is the foundation of a good diet, it's very, very important!!!
Karine Simard, agronomist, M.Sc.
