How long should I give a new food to work?
Submitted by kimrisa on October 26, 2010 - 12:49amAfter a long, slow transiton Tuffy is finally on 100% of his new food. Although he doesn't have the runs, I have to say that I'm not "crazy" about the stool quality. I specifically picked this healthier brand of food because it was touted as easy to digest with "small and compact" poop but the stool volume is much greater than on his old commercial food and it's not exactly "hard.". And since this kibble is about 100 calories less per cup than the old food I'm worried that he's not absorbing enough nutrients and is going to lose weight. How long should I give this new food before moving on...? I want to give his digestive track a chance to settle but I also want him on a food that works for his sensitive tummy.
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Kim, our vet said...
to give a new foor 6 to 8 weeks before you notice a difference. If his stools aren't firm, you could add a little canned pumpkin.
That's food, not foor...
I think I need some sleep lol.
Sounds like you are a night owl like me!!
Thanks for the great advice.
Give 6-8 weeks to really see a difference.
What are you feeding? It could take up to 2 months to really see the value of the new brand kick in. Give it time...and add a little canned pumpkin...1 tablespoon, to help with the stool. Tuffy has an issue with dairy product, doesn't he? I think that is who it is....but if not, 1 tablespoon of plain, fat free yogurt in each meal will do wonders:-)
Amy and Sophia
Thanks, Amy. I'm feeding Nutro Lamb and rice....
I didn't want to go too organic because of Tuffy's previous issue with hollistic foods. I give him the Perfect Form supplement, which essentially does the same thing as canned pumpkin. In the past canned pumkin has not helped. It's not really that his poop is any softer than usual it's just that there is a lot more of it!!
Some foods are harder to digest, and harder to absorb.
And that produces lots more poo:-)
Amy and Sophia