Transition is defined as the process of moving a dog from their current food to a new food over a period of several days. The change in diet may be made for many reasons including: age, life stage, special needs, or due to product enhancements.

While many dogs transition seamlessly, some dogs have an adjustment period. Diarrhea, loose stools, and vomiting are the most prevalent symptoms. It is important to understand the underlying causes of transition issues so that they may be minimized or completely avoided.

Causes of diarrhea or loose stools
Diarrhea and loose stools can be caused by many factors other than a change in diet, and other potential causes should be reviewed before concluding that diet is the reason. However, it is known that some dogs experience diarrhea and loose stools for a few days when there is a change in diet. This results from a change in the food matrix that the dog’s gastrointestinal tract is unprepared for. Unlike humans, who continually consume a variety of foods, dogs often spend months or years on a single diet. As a result, dogs develop their system to process a single diet, and when something new is introduced their system can be slow to adjust.

Changes in fiber content or digestibility will affect the dog’s stool. This is compounded when the new diet tastes much better and the dog then eats too much. The expected amount of solids now entering the colon has been changed, which creates an imbalanced environment in the colon that tends to result in an increased ratio of water to solids, thus creating diarrhea and soft stools.

Causes of vomiting
While vomiting is most often caused by other issues than a dietary change, sometimes it results from indiscriminate eating behavior due to the novelty effect of new food. This is simply a matter of the dog consuming too much too quickly, sometimes not even pausing to chew the food. This situation is generally diagnosed by seeing undigested food in the vomit.

The best way to transition onto a new food is to gradually introduce the food by mixing it with the old diet. This is particularly important when the new food is much tastier than the old, as is the case with Wellness. Mixing the food will allow the dog to acclimate to the new taste and not "gorge” or over-indulge on the new food because of its great taste.

When food transition is not an option, there are 3 other ways to ensure a good transition:

1. Feed multiple, smaller volume meals. This will decrease the likelihood of over-consumption and provide for a more consistent, firm stool. This is an especially good option for puppies and senior dogs.
2. Add clean warm water to the food to help soften it.
3. Add a digestive aid such a boiled brown rice or sugar-free canned pumpkin (sugar-free brands include "One Pie" and "Libby’s")

Although most dogs get very excited over our flavor, there are some that may tend to be more cautious. We suggest adding a little warm water to the kibble. This helps to release the aroma of the food.

For puppies specifically:

• Definitely add warm water to soften and release the aroma. When puppies are teething they may be shying away from their food.
• A puppy’s tastes preference is sometimes determined by the diet fed to the mother. For example, if the mother was fed a lamb diet…the puppy may be inclined to prefer a lamb puppy food.

Although we see dogs get very excited over the flavor, there are some that may tend to be more cautious. We suggest adding a little warm water to the kibble. This helps to release the aroma of the food.

For puppies specifically:

• Definitely add warm water to soften and release the aroma. When puppies are teething they may be shying away from their food.
• A puppy’s tastes preference is sometimes determined by the diet fed to the mother. For example, if the mother was fed a lamb diet…the puppy may be inclined to prefer a lamb puppy food.

Our original intent when adding Vitamin K to Wellness was to present the most robust nutrition available to the dog. The inclusion of Vitamin K was also supported by the National Research Council’s (NRC) soon-to-be-published study "Nutrient Requirements for Dogs" that found some dogs require more supplementation than others. The nutritional functions of Vitamin K are proper blood clotting and for building strong bones. We know that bacteria in the dog’s gut are able to synthesize Vitamin K, but our concern was whether or not they produced enough. This concern is most relevant during times of stress for the dog, or when they are being administered antibiotics.

After very careful consideration, and consultation with additional experts, we concluded that although a dog will have diminished capacity to produce adequate Vitamin K when on antibiotics, a dog will produce enough on their own when healthy. Since Wellness is a healthy diet, supporting overall wellbeing, a dog being fed our diets is less likely to need antibiotics and therefore doesn’t need supplemental Vitamin K.