What to Feed Dogs | Dog Feeding | Pets at Home (2024)

What your dog needs to eat depends on lots of different things, including their breed, size, age and lifestyle. It stands to reason that if your dog spends all day running around a field, they’ll need more food than one that is walked less often. As you get to know your dog, it becomes easier to judge how they’re reacting to their lifestyle and diet. If you need a bit of advice to make sure your dog’s getting all the nutrients they need, then don’t be afraid to have a chat with your vet. Or you can pop into one of our stores and our nutrition consultants will be happy to help.

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Changing your dog’s diet

There are lots of reasons why you might need to change your dog’s diet. Your vet may have advised you to follow a different feeding plan, for instance. And even though it can be a bit scary when your dog turns its nose up at food, it’s common for them to suddenly decide they don’t want to eat what you’ve been giving them anymore.

Some dogs will take a change to their diet in their stride, while others might need some time to get used to it. Upset stomachs are a common problem, but you can follow our useful tips to help ease the transition:

#Mix it up If you can, the easiest way of changing your dog’s diet is to do it gradually. Start mixing a bit of the new food in with the old, and your dog probably won’t even notice. Slowly use less of the old food and more of the new one for a seamless transition.

A good guide is to begin with 25% new and 75% old for three days, before moving up to 40% and 60%. If your dog doesn’t seem to mind the change, keep increasing the amount of new food every few days until their bowl is filled with 100% of the new food. Make sure you keep an eye on your dog’s behaviour and toilet habits during the transition. If they start to move sluggishly and pass very soft stools, the new food might not agree with their stomach and you may need to see a vet.

If you’re moving your dog from wet food to dry, slowly introduce the dry food by mixing some with the wet.

Make it appealing

We all know that our dogs are clever little creatures, and they might see through your trick of phasing out their old food. If your dog eats around the new food or refuses to eat at all, they may need some extra tempting. The hot water trick is good for making all kinds of food taste and smell extra special. You can even add some special dog gravy (human gravy has a salt content which is far too high for a dog). It’s a bit more work to do, but it’s great to see your dog’s tail wagging as they excitedly wait for you to set their bowl down!

Consider their meal times

When changing a dog’s diet, you also need to think about their feeding routine. Instead of your dog always having food available, set meal times could ensure they’re hungry when you want them to eat. Or if your pet already has two meals a day, consider feeding them only dry food in the morning. Then in the evening, give them a larger meal with the new food in it, enhanced by some meat or dog gravy.

Having a smaller meal earlier on will help build up their appetite later in the day, so they’re more willing to try their new food.

Still not keen?

If you’re still having trouble getting your dog on board with the new food, there may be other problems to consider. Your pet could have a medical or dental issue that affects their teeth or ability to chew. Or they might be allergic to an ingredient in the food. If you think something like this may apply to your dog, it’s always best to be safe and take your pet to the vet.

Don’t forget that you can also have chat with one of our in store nutritionists about anything doggy diet related - we’re always happy to help!