Kibble to raw in three weeks, without the upset stomach.
Most dogs can switch cold-turkey after a 12-hour fast. Most cats can't. This is the gentle path that works for both — and the one we walk every new customer through in the store.
Fast, then one protein
Skip one meal (dogs only). Start with a single, gentle protein — chicken or turkey — at 2% of body weight, split into two meals. Cats: crumble freeze-dried over current food instead.
Watch for: Refusing food? Warm it slightly or hand-feed the first bites.
Settle the gut
Same protein all week. Add a spoon of pumpkin if stools are soft. No treats, no table scraps — keep the variables to one.
Watch for: Small chalky stool and a little mucus are normal detox.
Add a second protein
Introduce beef, lamb or duck over two to three days by mixing into the first. Dogs can get their first recreational bone this week, supervised.
Watch for: Loose stool after a new protein? Back off to the first for three days.
Rotate and tune
Three or more proteins in rotation, organ-rich meals once or twice a week, portions adjusted to body condition. Use the calculator, then let the ribs decide.
Watch for: Ribs you can feel but not see. Re-weigh monthly.
Your first shopping list
- 01One complete raw food, one protein. Chicken or turkey to start — gentlest on most stomachs.
- 02A digestive support. Pumpkin or a probiotic keeps stools firm during the switch.
- 03A kitchen scale. Ounces, not scoops. It's the difference between guessing and knowing.
- 04A recreational bone (dogs). Marrow or knuckle, sized bigger than the mouth. Week two, not day one.
- 05Freeze-dried topper (cats). Crumbled over current food, it's the bridge most cats will cross.