Making the Switch to BidaBest

Last Updated July 27, 2020

You might wonder why our pets need to transition from one pet food to another. I mean, they usually eat random foods and they seem fine right? Well, that’s not really the case. Unlike humans, our cats and dogs usually have the same diet for months and years - their stomach and other internal organs are used to digesting the same food every time. Don’t get us wrong, having the same meal is fine. In fact, most dogs, can eat the same meal their entire life and they will not get tired of it. What can cause problems, however, is abruptly changing their diets.

When you switch your pet’s main source of food, their gastrointestinal tract reacts to it. If you do change their diet abruptly, it can cause gastrointestinal problems and would cause your pet to vomit, have diarrhea and would generally have decreased appetite. This is backed up by The American Kennel Club (AKC):

"Switching your dog’s food abruptly can cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, diarrhea, and a decreased appetite. Any time you decide to change your dog’s food, you should transition to the new diet gradually in order to give your dog’s system time to adjust to the change."

But why does this happen? According to Sarah Lynn Wallace, DVM from Great Pet Care:

“As some of the abnormal food ingredients are sensed by the intestines and absorbed into the body, the brain may initiate a reflex that causes the stomach to push food back up towards the mouth in a forceful manner (retching). The process is complete when the food material is expelled from the body.”

This basically means that if your pet’s body ingests new food, their brains automatically react once this new, "abnormal" food is detected in their gastrointestinal tract. Your pets vomiting or having diarrhea is a reflex to the food that they eat - especially if they are used to eating the same thing for quite some time. In this case, it is not the food that is the problem, but rather your pet’s lack of readiness to the new food!

Another reason is Gastroenteritis. While this is a more extreme case, transitioning food can cause Gastroenteritis. According to Tammy Hunter, DVM and Ernest Ward, DVM from VCA Hospitals:

“Gastroenteritis refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, meaning the stomach and the intestines. It can be caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, parasites, medications, or even new foods. The condition often causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomitin­­­g, and/or other clinical signs.”

Again, this is very extreme and not always the case. Most of the time it is the first reason - your pets just not used to eating the new food that you offered.

Why change their diets then? Well, there can be many reasons as to why you would change their cat food or dog food:

• Entering a new life stage (puppy to adulthood to senior years)
• Food allergy or sensitivity
• Current weight of your pet (overweight, underweight)
• Your vet recommends a change
• Saving costs
• Switching to healthier pet food
• Or simply wanting to spoil your pet with variety

Whatever reason one may have to switch diets, you must definitely do a transition phase for your pet!

How to Transition to BidaBest:

Transitioning to BidaBest is easy, but it does take time. Normally, transitions would take 7 days. Below is the breakdown on how the 7 days should look like:

Days 1-2

Your pet food should be made up from 75% old pet food and 25% BidaBest. The reason for this is to slowly introduce BidaBest. Remember, most of the time your pets’ body could react to sudden new changes in the food that they are eating, so slowly introducing BidaBest during this period is very important!

Days 3-4

By this time your pet food should be made up from 50% old pet food and 50% BidaBest. Again, we are trying not to shock your pets, we are still slowly introducing BidaBest. Your pet’s gastrointestinal tract will also change during this time for them to accept and digest the new type of food.

Days 5-6

Nearing the end of the transition period, majority (but not all!) of the pet food should be BidaBest - 25% old pet food and 75% BidaBest. Having your pet food be mostly made of the new pet food (BidaBest) will slowly tell your pets that a new type of food will become the norm. By this time, their brain would have sufficient time and data to realize that the new food is not foreign and should be accepted.

Day 7 and beyond

By this time, it should be safe for your pets to eat 100% BidaBest! If done correctly, your pet’s body should have had enough time and information about the new food that they are eating.

Feel free to message us on our facebook if you have any questions! We are here to help.

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