Feeding advices for dogs

Switching dogs to natural TOP DOG Bistro food

Are you thinking about switching your dog to a fresh, raw meat diet, but don’t know where to start? As with any new change, the more information you have, the easier the task becomes, and the less fear you have. We say right away: don’t worry! Dogs usually accept dietary changes very bravely and easily, especially when it comes to fresh meat.It’s important to remember that every dog ​​is different and their nutritional needs vary depending on their age, size and activity level, but some general tips apply.

Instincts

Wild dogs are true survivalists, they can quickly find and perfectly evaluate food sources suitable for their diet, such as animals, birds, fish or even plants. This is their instinct, which comes from their ancestors who lived and ate in wild conditions. These natural gifts and instincts have allowed them to adapt to various food sources and remain viable and healthy in the wild. Knowing the origin of these instincts and the ability of dogs to find the right food, we can better understand their natural nutritional needs. Unfortunately, in our modern world we need to look for alternative food sources for our four-legged friends. This is where TOP DOG Bistro cutlets, created according to the principles of the BARF diet, come to your aid. When it comes to feeding frequency, wild dogs do not have regular meal times and tend to overeat as soon as food becomes available. Sometimes they go without food for whole days. In today's world, daily, but not necessarily regular, feeding is best for us and our dogs. We always recommend feeding your dog when you are home so you can see how and if he is enjoying his meal.

Fast or slow transition

The first step, which applies to both transition options, would be to stop 24-hour access to food! That is, you will need to create a feeding routine.

Introduce a twice-daily or (even better) once-daily routine. Feed like this for a week or even two, until you get used to portion control and your dog eats the portion given to him within a few minutes.

Quick transition

The vast majority of dogs switch from dry food to fresh food without any problems. In general, the best way for a healthy dog ​​is to do one complete unloading day (24 hours) and start feeding him TOP DOG Bistro meat the next day. Stick to one recipe for the first couple of weeks, such as More SMELL or More CHICKEN. Once your pet has fully adapted, we recommend rotating flavors, as variety is the best way to feed a healthy diet. If your pet has difficulty accepting changes or has a sensitive stomach, we recommend following the slow transition tips.

Slow transition

Once you have established a feeding routine (step one) and your pet is eating their food regularly, we recommend that you allow about 10 days for the change. This will help to reduce any potential digestive upset. Slow transition is also more suitable for dogs that don’t like changes in their lifestyle or that are drastic. Imagine if your dog has been eating processed, instant food all their life and then suddenly they are offered a dinner of fresh, unprocessed meat and vegetables… It may take some time to get used to it. So watch your pets as they eat and monitor their stools during the transition period.

Ten-day plan, food broken down by percentage:

Day 1-2: 10% New 90% Old
Day 3-4: 20% New 80% Old
Day 5-6: 40% New 60% Old
Day 7-8: 60% New 40% Old
Day 9-10: 80% New 20% Old
Day 10+: 100% New Food

These are just recommendations, don't get too hung up on the exact proportions or number of days. Your dog won't be upset if there is 22% and 78% food in the bowl. Just aim to make the transition gradually, observing your dog. One may need a week, another may need two to adapt perfectly to TOP DOG Bistro food.

Young puppies
Before you bring home your new four-legged family member, you should be prepared for their first food introduction. The best practice is to continue feeding them for a short time with what your puppy’s breeder fed them or, if you adopted a puppy from a shelter, with what they were previously fed. You don’t want to overload your puppy with another sudden change at the same time. You really don’t need to feed them the recommended food for a very long time, especially if you believe in the long-term benefits of natural, unprocessed food.

• If your puppy was already used to raw meat, you can switch to 100% TOP DOG Bistro food right away.
• If your puppy was used to cooked or processed food (canned or dry food), then we recommend a slower transition.

We do not recommend that growing puppies have a fast day before changing their food. Also, their feeding frequency should only decrease with age. Usually, the daily portion of food for puppies should be fed in 3 meals (morning/lunch/evening), half-year-old puppies do well with 2.

We recommend following these tips and monitoring your puppy's feces. As you gradually transition to 100% fresh meat, you should notice smaller and less smelly feces. Liquid feces are normal at the beginning of the transition period. However, do not confuse them with constant watery feces, which usually signal viral diseases.

Feeding rates

Please note that our feeding guidelines are only guidelines. Your pet's metabolism, breed, size, age and activity level may affect their overall nutritional needs.

Working and sporting dogs, pregnant and nursing bitches or growing puppies require more food than less active dogs.

A starting point.
The vast majority of healthy adult dogs generally need between 2% and 3% of their body weight in food per day.
For example:

If your dog weighs 10 kilograms and lives a less active life, he will probably need 200g per day (formula: 10/100*2). This will result in a weekly gain of around 1.4kg.

If your dog weighs 20 kilograms and lives an active sporting life, he will probably need 600g per day (formula: 20/100*3). This will result in a weekly gain of around 4.2kg.
The most important thing is to focus on keeping your pet within a healthy/ideal weight range. You should monitor your pet's weight regularly, as being overweight or underweight can affect your pet's health and quality of life. An ideal body weight ensures that your pet will be energetic, active, and have a lower risk of developing health problems such as obesity or other metabolic disorders.

Which TOP DOG Bistro recipe is best for my dog?
More BEEF, More LAMB, More TURKEY or another?

There is no "one size fits all" recipe, dogs have different tastes, metabolic rates, allergies, etc.
But we certainly have a lot to choose from. Almost all of our recipes are made with three different proteins, which ensures variety and gives your dog all the macro and micronutrients he needs for a healthy and happy life. Each name reflects the main source of protein used (e.g. More BEEF means that more than 50% of the ingredients used in the recipe are from cattle). The detailed composition and analytical parts of each product are listed under each product description.