Pets – they’re just like us. They have their preferences in flavors, suffer from sensitivities to certain ingredients, and even get bored of their food. Like us, dogs and cats should consume a wide range of foods, and introducing a rotational diet to their feeding schedule can offer many benefits.

What are the benefits of a rotational diet for pets?

1. It curbs boredom.
   Have you ever eaten the same food day in and day out, in the same flavors and the same quantity, for months or even years on end? Probably not, and neither should your pet! Dogs and cats can suffer from flavor-fatigue, so it’s important to change up their feeding routine and food recipes to keep them excited about mealtime.
2. It mimics the diet dogs and cats would eat in the wild.
   Fish one day, quail the next, and rabbit later in the week. Your dog or cat’s natural diet would have consisted of a variety of different proteins, so why not respect their natural physiology by mimicking what they would’ve eaten in the wild? Shake up the regular pet food routine with a natural rotational feeding approach for your pet!
3. It can help prevent sensitivities or allergies from developing.
   Simply put, the more proteins you expose your pet to, the less likely they’ll develop an allergy to that protein in the future. With a rotational diet that switches between poultry, red meats, and fish, you strengthen your dog or cat’s gastrointestinal system, decreasing the chance they’ll develop a sensitivity to those ingredients in the future.

How do you feed a rotational diet to dogs and cats?

Introducing a rotational diet to your pet is easy, and there are several ways to rotate between recipes to fit with your lifestyle. You can rotate daily, weekly, monthly, or by the bag, which is often the simplest method. To do this, simply feed your dog or cat one recipe, like ACANA® Grasslands, and when they’ve finished the bag, start them on a different pet food recipe, like ACANA® Wild Atlantic. You can also switch up the recipes every day by opening two (or more) bags of different proteins and rotating which recipe you feed, or mix recipes each meal for an explosion of flavors. If rotating every day, just make sure you’re purchasing bag sizes that your pet will finish within 6-8 weeks to ensure the kibble will be consumed at its peak freshness.

If you’re introducing a new ACANA dog or cat food recipe for the first time, it’s also a good idea to properly transition your pet to avoid an upset stomach, and this can be done quickly. Do this by offering a 50/50 mix of your pet’s current recipe with the new recipe. Once your dog or cat has eaten the new food, no transition is required in the future. Don’t know how to start a transition? We’ve got you! Check out our post on how to transition your pet from one food to a new one here.

We have a number of resources dedicated to rotational feeding, linked here. As always, our knowledgeable team of Customer Care Representatives are happy and ready to help with any additional questions you may have.