Imagine having to eat your favourite food every single day. You might start getting bored after a period of time! As a pet parent, I wonder if my dog would get bored of eating the same food every day. While having the same food every day doesn’t sound very appealing, the bigger question is, does feeding the same food on repeat impact your dog’s health?
Rotational feeding, also known as a rotation diet, is about variety. It involves feeding a number of different foods in a rotation over a number of days. Instead of feeding a single type of dog food diet solely, keep a variety of diets on hand and alternate between them. If you want to improve your dogs’ nutritional profile and overall wellness, rotating food is a strategy for you to consider. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of rotating your dog’s food.
Reduced Risk of Allergies
Rotational diets were first introduced in the human nutrition world, specially curated for people with food allergies or intolerances. Results has shown that their food allergy symptoms significantly reduced after implementing a rotation of different food groups over a period of a few days. A person is allowed to eat a wide range of food types, but are required to leave 4 days between eating the same food twice. This short exposure to potential allergens helps keep up a tolerance without over-exposing, and helps treat existing food allergies.
While research into the field of rotational diets in animals are limited at the moment, many pet owners who has adopted this human-recommended diet shared that it works extremely well for their pets with sensitivities, reducing their risk of developing further food intolerances. Sometimes when a pet owner realises that their pet is allergic to a certain protein, they will swap their diet over to one that contains another protein only. By doing this, the pet could potentially develop a sensitivity to this new protein. It would be more beneficial to switch to a diet that rotates between other several protein sources varyingly instead.
Greater Bioavailability of Amino Acids
Meat contains critical amino acids that build your dogs’ body, making it functional. Amino acids provide the components of muscle and hair follicles. It also provides necessary red blood cells to fight off infection. While dog diets are formulated to meet specific guidelines and provide the correct balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, it is important to know that not all animal proteins are alike.
Mixing up several proteins provides a wider array of the right vitamins and minerals to meet our dogs’ nutritional needs. Consider the three more popular proteins of chicken, turkey, and beef. Chicken has a nice fatty mixture which provides a great source of Magnesium, Vitamin E and folic acid. Turkey has high potassium and phosphorous content, and is a great source of Vitamin B6, Niacin and Riboflavin. Grass-fed Beef is an amazing source of Vitamin D and iron. By feeding only one or two types of proteins over a long period of time, your pet could be missing out in essential vitamins and/ or minerals that allows them to live a long and healthy life.
Boredom and Picky Eaters
Similarly to how we get tired of eating the same thing repeatedly every single day, our pets feel the same. Protein rotating adds variety to our pets’ food and keeps them from getting bored with the same old food. Switching up the food will keep them curious and interested in their bowl, which results in less possibility of them being picky.
Experiencing pickiness and refusal to touch their food? Try mixing new proteins into a protein you know they like. By offering a rotation of proteins, and a rotation of textures, you can keep your pet interested and happy.
There are several ways in which you can rotate your dogs’ food.
1. Alternating Proteins
Switch between different proteins such as Fish, Turkey, and Chicken on a regular basis. For example, feed one box of THK Grain Free Chicken Recipe, and change to Grain Free Fish Recipe with a couple of days overlap in between for easy transition.
2. Alternating between Grain Inclusive and Grain Free
By keeping the protein consistent, alternative between the two recipes. For example THK Grain Free Turkey Recipe and Whole Grain Turkey Recipe. Both recipes have their own benefits, and your dog would be able to get them from both recipes if you alternate between the two.e two.
3. Alternating between dry and wet foods.
This provides an assortment of different textures to keep things interesting for your dog during mealtime. You can consider swapping between dry food, wet food, and dehydrated food. One possible combination would be rotating THK Whole Food Clusters Grain-Free Beef (Dry food), with THK Butcher Block Pate Turkey, Duck & Root Veggies (Wet food), and THK Dehydrated Limited Ingredients Chicken (Dehydrated food).
4. Adding toppers, supplements and meals mixer
Some owners prefer to add food topper, which provides similar benefits to your dog. Opt to switch proteins and vegetable mixtures to expose your dog to a variety of nutrients. Be careful not to overfeed, and adjust their food accordingly to account for the added calories of a food mixer or topper. You could consider adding THK Bone Broth Pour Overs Beef Stew into your dogs’ diet today!
Intending to start a rotation diet? It’s best to start things slow. Introduce new foods gradually by starting with a few spoonsful of new food into the current food, then gradually increasing the ratio of new to current food.
While doing this, keep an eye out on your dog for any signs of tummy troubles. Rotational feeding does not have to be complicated. It all comes down to whatever works best for you and your pet. Formulate it according to your own schedule, budget and most importantly, your dog’s response.
Any views or opinions communicated on this page belong to the author and do not represent the views or opinions of any other organizations. This article is meant for us to share our own views and opinions in general. Kindly consult a professional if you would like to seek professional advice.
Adopted from sources
– Rotational Diets: Could your pet benefit? By Pet Circle Veterinarian, Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons), Pet Circle.
(https://www.petcircle.com.au/discover/rotational-diets)
– Your guide to rotating your dog’s food. By NutriSource Blogs.
(https://nutrisourcepetfoods.com/blog/pet-parents/your-guide-to-rotating-your-dogs-food/)
– The Importance of Protein Rotation. By Dan, Back To The Bone.
(https://www.backtothebone.ca/blogs/main/the-importance-of-protein-rotation/)
– Images of dogs, Pexels/ The Honest Kitchen.
(https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-pouring-food-into-a-dog-bowl-8473520/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-gray-shirt-sitting-on-brown-wooden-armchair-beside-white-dog-9428276/
Image of Dog eating from Bowl – The Honest Kitchen)
