The transition of switching your pet from a dry previous dry/kibble diet to a high quality canned or raw food diet can often be a challenge, especially if they have been used to free feeding on dry/kibble food previously. I often relate the change to having a child who you have been giving fired chicken fingers and french fries for dinner, and you are now serving them baked chicken and broccoli, without the cheese sauce even! As I am sure you can imagine, this would be a bit of a struggle for you both.
Therefore, to be successful in switching your pet to a higher quality raw pet food or canned pet food, the process has to be a slow switch, often taking at least 14 days if not longer. In order to help with this transition I have developed a trick I refer to as the "raw food toppers" technique. Now when feeding only a canned food diet you do not need to have this concern, however with a raw food diet you should never mix cooked foods (canned/kibble) with the raw food, so this means if you want to help entice your pet to eat their raw food you need to use another non cooked food. The reason for this is due to the fact that a raw food only takes a few hours to digest, and a cooked food most often will take far longer.
Therefore, what I have had great success with in the past, and what I recommend for all of my holistic pet health coach consults, is using =meats which have been either freeze-dried, or dehydrated on top of the raw meal. These foods are very appetizing to most pets, and add that texture and potent smell and flavor which your pet will be drawn to. Examples I recommend using are freeze-dried raw products from companies such as, stella & chewy's, Natures variety instinct, primal; or dehydrated treats from companies like Stewart Pro-Treat, or Pure Bites dehydrated pet treats. All of these are completely free of any harmful additives, or allergenic ingredients, for just pure, healthy, holistic nutrition to give your pet the extra yum-factor to begin to love their new healthy diet.
Give your pets the BEST of the natural life!
Your Holistic Pet Coach,
April Arguin