This is a featured guest article from Now Fresh. Their idea is simple - pets deserve food that is made with the same love, care, and thoughtfulness as we put into preparing meals for the human members of our families.

Author: the NOW FRESH Team.

It sometimes seems like dogs will eat anything - except for those times when they turn up their nose at dinner time. Even if they have enjoyed the same kibble recipe for years, there are many factors that can cause your dog to suddenly stop – including age, health issues, or even a change in their environment. 

You always want to make an informed decision about the wellbeing of your dog. So, if they have suddenly become fussy about what they eat, it’s best to consult with your vet to rule out anything serious. After any serious illness is ruled out, you may want to consider ways to change up your pet’s meal.

Incorporating wet food could be the answer.

For many dogs, a simple solution is to start incorporating wet food into their diet. Wet food offers a variety of different flavors, textures and smells, which can make mealtime more interesting for your canine companion.  For example, NOW FRESH wet food recipes are available in three distinct texture options – stews, pâtés and shredded.

Wet food recipes also offer some key benefits not available in kibble. For example, given that wet food recipes contain up to 82% moisture, compared to 8-12% for kibble, incorporating it into their diet is a great way to help increase hydration.

How to transition your dog to a mixture of wet and dry food?

Start by doing your research to ensure you understand the recommended daily feeding guidelines of your current kibble recipe. This information should be easy to find on the bag. Then you’ll want to find a recipe with ingredients your pup will enjoy!  For example, NOW FRESH wet food recipes offer a variety of proteins to choose from like poultry, pork, lamb, or salmon - all made with bone broth as a source of collagen and meaty flavor.  You’ll also want to ensure you choose a wet food that matches the precise life stage and size of your dog – for example, you don't want to feed your puppy a recipe made for adult dogs.

From there, you’ll want to reduce the amount of kibble you normally put out, and balance that with the appropriate amount of wet food as described in the daily feeding guidelines.  If you’ve chosen a wet food recipe that’s similar to your dog’s kibble, such as a recipe from the same brand that uses the same proteins, the transition time needed to get your pup used to their new food may not be as long as the typical 10-day transition. Then, you’ll just need to decide what proportion of each you want to feed your pup, but remember it’s always best to start slow. For example:

● If you want to feed 75% kibble and 25% wet: Use the daily feeding guidelines of each to calculate how much 75% would be for feeding kibble, and how much 25% would be for feeding wet daily.
● If you want to feed 50% kibble and 50% wet: Using the daily feeding guidelines for each type, feed ½ the amount for each type daily.

Since wet food is not as calorically dense as kibble because of the higher moisture content, it might seem like you're feeding less than when you feed just kibble, so it’s important to follow the daily feeding guidelines to make sure your dog is getting fed the right amount. 

Remember that it’s always best to weigh your pet’s food for the most accurate feeding, and adjust over time to achieve a healthy weight for your dog.

Providing healthy meals to your pet is a true act of love, just like it is for the rest of our families. By taking time to figure out the right balance of wet and dry food, you can help add variety into your dog’s mealtime, and know that your dog is getting the right nutrition to thrive.

For more advice on feeding your pet, you can follow NOW FRESH on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for their newsletter.

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This is a featured guest article from NOW FRESH. Their idea is simple - pets deserve food that is made with the same love, care, and thoughtfulness as we put into preparing meals for the human members of our families.

Author: The NOW FRESH Team