This article was brought to you by our pals at NutriSource. Their Good 4 Life System helps ease the transition of rotational feeding for dogs, and their Come-pooch-a toppers are packed with postbiotics to promote digestion support.
Could you imagine opening the cabinet each evening only to find the same prepackaged meal you had every other night that week? Sounds heckin’ boring, even if the food is really, really tasty. Chances are if Bingo is beggin’ for sprinkles each night (cough cough—treat crumbs, parmesan cheese, and whipped cream on top), he might be feelin’ mealtime fatigue. Consider rotational feeding to spice up pup’s life (every boy, every girllll!).
What Is Rotational Feeding?
A rotational diet works just like it sounds. You rotate your dog’s food (protein, format, etc.) to keep things fresh for floofer. It’s all about fur-iety, and comes with many benefits:
- More vitamins; less itchies: By feeding your dog different proteins, you’re providing her with a larger range of nutrients. A well-balanced diet also reduces the chance of developing allergies (often caused by eating a lot of one protein source).
- Gut to butt health: Too much of one protein type or other active food ingredient can cause gut inflammation and irritations. Varying protein formulations and food format (kibble, wet, raw, etc.) increases your dog’s tolerance to dietary changes and improves gut health (less icky poos for you to pick up, too).
- Keeps it fresh: Meal planning gets you more active in your dog’s health needs, and the meal eating will be more interesting and enticing to your fluff (we’re talkin’ daily food enrichment!).
How Do You Start Rotational Feeding?
A general rule of paw: Take it slow when introducing new foods into pup’s diet; you shouldn’t rotate faster than pup’s tennis ball launcher. Start with a spoonful of new food on top of the old, and watch for tummy troubles along the way. However, pet parents find rotating foods within the NutriSource line provides a much smoother (and less stinky) transition, thanks to their Good 4 Life System (prebiotics, probiotics, and other good stuff for gut health). Add in their Come-pooch-a toppers with activated postbiotics to aid with digestive support, and rotational feeding can be easy peasy.
Stick to the same premium brand of pet food you use, and just look for different formulas within that brand. For example, if pup’s a NutriSource chicken guy, try picking up a bag of the trout or Element Series next time. If he tolerates that, keep it in the rotation. Big kibble dood? Try out Come-pooch-a as a topper to encourage interest.
Pro tip: You don’t have to keep it fresh every meal or you’ll have 7 open bags of kibble, and it quite literally won’t be fresh. Start rotating when you’re near the end of a bag instead.
Remember, just like two-legged pups, our dogs crave variety when it comes to food, proteins, and nutrients. If pup’s sticking up her nose and walking away when you pour the kibble, reach for Come-pooch-a toppers as a healthier alternative to “sprinkles” on top. It’ll help rotational feeding go down easier and keep dogs interested at mealtime.
What Are Postbiotics?
So why Come-pooch-a? “Why not!” is the better question. It’s perfect solution for:
- Picky eaters
- Bored pups
- Decreased appetite
- Mild tummy upset
- Hydration help
- Digestive issues
And unlike the typical treats to motivate your mutt to eat, you can feel good about giving her Come-pooch-a because of their magic ingredient: postbiotics.
So, what are postbiotics and why should pup give a sniff? They’re a byproduct of prebiotics and probiotics that go right to work in your dog’s system, offering immunity support and enhancing gut health. They thrive in your furbabe’s gut and promote a healthy gut ecosystem, which is especially important when considering rotational feeding. Bottom line: less tummy upset means everypuppy’s happy. Woofhoo!
Have you tried rotational feeding with your dog? Let us know how it went in the comments section below!
Featured photo: Karsten Winegeart
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