You would not switch your own diet overnight and expect your gut to shrug it off, and your dog's system works the same way. Transition your dog to raw food over seven days by replacing a quarter of the old food with the new food every two days, so day one is 25 percent raw and day seven is 100 percent. Go slower, not faster, if stools get loose, and start with freeze dried raw rather than frozen because it mixes into kibble cleanly and stores in the pantry. This post gives you the schedule, what normal looks like during the switch, what is not normal, and the handling rules that come with raw.
Why a gradual switch
The American Animal Hospital Association's transition guidance for owners says that "Dogs should transition to a new food over seven days," starting by replacing 25 percent of the old food with the new, and warns that a sudden switch may cause digestive upset and food aversion.1 That advice is written for any food change. Moving from kibble to raw is a bigger change than moving between two kibbles, because you are changing moisture, fat, protein, and carbohydrate all at once, so treat seven days as the minimum rather than the target.
A word on the popular explanation. Raw feeding sites often say the gut needs time to "shift its bacteria" or "lower its stomach pH." Controlled feeding trials do find very different gut bacteria on raw versus kibble diets,2 but I could not find a study showing that a slow transition changes that outcome. The practical reason to go slow is simpler: it lets you spot a problem while the raw portion is still small, and it keeps the cleanup manageable if the dog does not agree with the new food.
The 7 day schedule
| Days | Old food | New raw food | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | 75% | 25% | Appetite, any gas, stool firmness |
| 3 and 4 | 50% | 50% | Stool should stay formed; slightly softer is fine |
| 5 and 6 | 25% | 75% | Stool volume usually drops here |
| 7 | 0% | 100% | Hold at 100% for two weeks before judging |
Measure both foods by weight, not by scoop, and work out the calories before day one. Freeze dried raw is far denser than kibble, so a cup for cup swap will overfeed by a wide margin. Our portion guide has the formula and a calorie table by weight.
If stools turn loose at any step, go back to the previous ratio for two or three more days, then try again. Dogs with a history of sensitive stomachs do better on a 14 day version, spending four days at each ratio instead of two. There is no prize for finishing on schedule.
Mixing freeze dried into kibble
Rehydrate the freeze dried portion in a separate bowl with room temperature water for a few minutes, then stir it into the kibble. Some owners feed the raw and kibble at separate meals instead of mixing, on the theory that they digest at different rates. I could not find evidence that this matters. Do whichever your dog eats more reliably. Our rehydration guide covers ratios and timing.
Normal during the switch
- Stools that are slightly softer than usual for a few days, then firm up.
- Smaller, darker, less frequent stools once the raw portion passes half. In controlled trials, dogs on raw diets produced less stool than dogs on kibble.2
- A bit more gas for the first week.
- Drinking less water at the bowl, because rehydrated food supplies part of the daily need.
- Mild excitement about mealtime. Most dogs find raw more interesting than kibble, which is part of why owners stick with it.
Not normal
- Watery diarrhea, or diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two.
- Vomiting more than once.
- Refusing food for more than a meal or two.
- Lethargy, fever, or blood in the stool.
Stop the transition if any of these appear, go back to the old food, and call your vet. Raw food is a common trigger for these symptoms but not the only one, and a vet visit rules out the alternatives.
The handling rules you are signing up for
This is the part most transition guides leave out. Freeze dried raw is still raw. The CDC states that "Freeze-drying, dehydrating, or freezing raw protein from animals only reduces the amount of germs. These processes do not kill all germs," and the CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food to dogs.3 The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee says the same about freezing, dehydration, and freeze drying.4 An FDA study found Salmonella in 15 and Listeria monocytogenes in 32 of 196 raw pet food samples tested.5
The FDA's handling advice is the same as for raw meat in your own kitchen: wash hands for at least 20 seconds after handling, wash bowls and scoops with hot soapy water after each meal, keep raw food away from human food, and refrigerate or throw out anything the dog does not finish.5 The CDC adds that you should talk to a vet before feeding raw if children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women, or immune compromised people live in the home or interact with the dog.3 If that describes your household, a gently cooked food or a kibble that passed the Standard is the safer path, and our raw vs kibble comparison weighs both honestly.
Why freeze dried is the easier entry
Frozen raw means freezer space, thawing, and a counter you have to disinfect. Freeze dried raw sits in the pantry, weighs almost nothing, and rehydrates in minutes, so the transition math is easy and there is no thaw schedule to get wrong. It costs more per calorie than frozen, and it is still raw, so the hygiene rules above apply in full. Every product in our freeze dried raw collection has been checked against The Truva Standard, and only products that passed all five checks are listed. Buy the smallest bag available for the first two weeks. If your dog does not do well on it, you have not committed to eight pounds of it.
After the transition
Hold at 100 percent raw for two weeks, then look at the dog rather than the bag. Stools should be small and formed. Weight should be steady; weigh on the same scale every two weeks, since the feeding guide on a raw bag is a starting point and not a prescription. If the dog is gaining, cut the portion by 10 percent and recheck in two weeks. If you want a second opinion on portions, protein, and treats for your specific dog, email us at hello@truvapets.com with the bag and your dog's weight and we will read it with you.
When to call the vet
Call if diarrhea lasts beyond a day or two, if your dog vomits more than once, or if you see blood in the stool or a dog who will not get off the couch. Call before you start if your dog is a puppy, a senior with health problems, or on medication that suppresses the immune system. If someone in the house gets sick with fever or diarrhea after the switch, tell their doctor the dog eats raw.
Sources
- American Animal Hospital Association, "Tips and Timelines for Transitioning Your Pet to a New Food." aaha.org
- Geary EL, Oba PM, Templeman JR, Swanson KS, "Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh, and extruded dog foods," Translational Animal Science, 2024. academic.oup.com
- CDC, "About Pet Food Safety." cdc.gov
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, "Raw Meat Based Diets for Pets," 2021. wsava.org
- FDA, "Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet." fda.gov