Should You Be Changing Your Pet’s Food Regularly?
Should you be changing your pet's food regularly? We may be used to feeding our furry friends the same food but there are a variety of reasons why their food should be switched up every once in a while. These reasons include their life stage, activity level, dietary deficiencies and the development of allergies.
- Life stage
As your pet becomes older, their food should be changed to reflect their nutritional needs. For example, a puppy should be fed puppy kibble. As they age, they will move on to adult and senior kibble, which should be introduced gradually rather than abruptly. You can get recommendations from your vet as to when you should change your pet's food and how to introduce them to a new food.
- Overall health
Over time, your pet's health will change. They may develop specific dietary needs, such as needing to eat higher calorie food if they are underweight or "diet" food if they need to lose weight.
- Activity level
Another important factor to consider is activity level. Think about whether your pet is mostly sedentary, moderately active or highly active. If your pet is more active than most, then they may need high protein food to suit their nutritional needs.
- Variety
Dogs are designed to eat a variety of foods. Would you want to eat the same food for years? It's important to switch things up but while being attentive to the needs of your pet's health.
- Dietary deficiencies
Another reason to change your pet's food is that they may be lacking in certain nutrients. After all, no one pet food has it all. Some factors that may indicate nutritional deficiencies are:
- A dull, lackluster coat
- Noticeable changes in weight
- Changes in their behavior
- Changes in thirst, such as suddenly becoming very thirsty
- Avoid the development of allergies
Your pet may develop one of several common food allergies when eating the same food, such as an allergy to corn, soy, wheat, chicken, beef and/or fish. This means that it's time to change their food to a type without this ingredient. There are many diet foods that don't include these popular ingredients.
Overall, you should be changing the type of food that your pet eats periodically. Your pet's dietary needs will change over time and their food will need to change, too! Check in with your vet if you have any concerns about what your pet is eating.