The Kibble to BARF Transition

The switch from dry kibble to the BARF diet needs to be done with a few considerations in mind and a  watchful eye, as some dogs will have problems switching. There are two methods used when switching dogs over to the BARF diet.


The Quick Switch

This is the popular choice as it is easy, fast, and hassle free. You simply make the switch with the next meal. A considerations to keep in mind when making the Rapid Switch is whether or not you believe your dog can handle such a change. Usually, younger dogs and those dogs that have a healthy, normal gastrointestinal system are the ones able to handle such a switch.

Dogs that are older or that have problems with their digestive system may have issues, as they can not tolerate kibble and raw food in their digestive tract at the same time. This can result in vomiting and diarrhea. This also means that owners have no choice but to hold off on the rapid switch .

The Slow Switch:

This method takes time, sometimes a significant amount of time, to fully switch from kibble to the BARF diet. It is not recommended to continue feeding the dog both kibble and BARF as this will lead to digestion problems. It needs to be one or the other.

There are three ways to go about the Slow Switch.

The first is simple enough; you feed the dog a meal of the BARF diet and a meal of the old food. Each day decrease the amount of meals of the old food until your dog’s meals are nothing but the BARF diet.

The second way is mixing the old food in with the BARF diet and gradually decrease the amount of old food until the dog is eating nothing but the BARF diet. A problem with this way comes in when the dog can not keep both kibble and BARF diet in its systems at the same time. If this is the case, you will have to follow the Rapid Switch method.

The last way is for owners who were already feeding their dog home cooked foods. Slowly introduce the dog to rawer states of those foods until he is eating nothing but the raw food. However, if the dog suffers from an immune deficiency and can not eat raw food, owners can cook the BARF diet, though this is not recommended for healthy dogs.

If you realize that your dog is not eating a healthy diet, then by all means make whatever changes are necessary to rectify the situation. Just do it in a way which eases the transition for you pal so that meal times still remain the high points of his or her day!



Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling "Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition".