Tips

How to change your pet’s diet

The digestive tract of your pet has got used to it’s current type of food and will react to a change in diet. Our high-quality, easily digestible food may initially put a strain on the digestive system when the animal has previously been fed only dry or low-quality foods.

Please give your pet enough time to adjust to Anifit. The older the animal is and the longer it has been fed food of different quality, the longer this adjustment process will need. As a rule, it takes one week but it may also require two or three weeks.

Start the change of diet with one flavour and stay with that until the animal has adjusted to it. Only then should you try out the other flavours.

It is important to mix the food with a sufficient amount of flakes during the first few weeks. Initially, the mixing ratio should be 1:1. It can then be slowly reduced to 1:3. If your pet unexpectedly develops diarrhoea, potatoes should be added to the food and the meal should be divided into two daily portions.

For sick, sensitive or older animals we recommend the supplementary use of our “Fructosan” product to support the intestines. Simply add 1-2 teaspoons to the food.

During the adjustment process the body detoxifies and eliminates harmful substances which have accumulated in the body. Soft bowel movements or bad breath are symptoms of this detoxification process and are quite normal. If you have any questions regarding the change in your pet’s diet, your trained Anifit consultant will be happy to assist you.

What to do if your pet is a poor eater?

If your dog or your cat eats a little less from time to time, this is no reason to worry. There are many reasons why an animal may eat less food once in a while, none of them necessarily medical ones. Some reasons are, for example, heat periods, changes in their usual environment or a new carer, feeding through neighbours, excessive feeding of treats as well as amorousness in male dogs.

An extended period of loss of appetite is a clear sign of illness!

What to do when vomiting occurs

Vomiting in dogs and cats shortly after eating can be a sign of ill health in your pet.<br><br>

However, in most cases vomiting is a natural process caused, for example, by eating too fast, by eating too cold or hot food or by a full stomach. If the animal gives an overall “healthy” impression and recovers quickly after vomiting, there is no need for alarm.<br><br>

Repeated vomiting may be a symptom of dysfunction of the digestive system. Such a dysfunction may be an inflammation of the stomach lining, a reaction to a heavy worm infestation or to a foreign object located in the digestive tract. In such cases we recommend owners consult the vet.<br><br>

By the way: It is entirely natural when animals reingest their vomit. Whilst this is not in principle harmful, you may want to clean up vomit immediately. 

Diarrhoea caused by a change in diet

If diarrhoea occurs shortly after you changed your pet’s diet to Anifit, it is very likely that your pet has not yet adjusted to the new food. Changing your pet’s diet should be a slow process, especially for older animals. Also, animals that have been fed on dry food for a long period of time will need longer to adjust. The body may take up to 6 months to build up a healthy intestinal flora and is, until then, always susceptible to problems.

Recommendation
Give your pet a fast day so that its intestines have time to recover. For the following two days only feed half the recommended amount of Anifit, mixed with flakes and cottage cheese. Feed one flavour only for at least one week and don’t mix flavours. For a fast improvement of the intestinal flora, sprinkle Anifit Fructosan® over the food.

Diarrhoea (without change in diet)

A sudden occurrence of diarrhoea is usually caused by one of the following:

Parasitic infestation (usually worms or giardia), bacteria or viruses

Experience has shown these to be the most likely causes. Other causes may be:
  • In winter: Eating of snow or ice. Both consist of rain water which contains numerous toxins. This may cause vomiting and diarrhoea, a frequently occurring problem with animals eating snow in winter.
  • Disorders of internal organs

Is my pet too fat?

How can you tell if your pet is overweight? It is actually easy to recognise if your pet is overweight, but there isn’t a mathematical formula you can use to work it out. Due to the variety of breeds there is no one-size-fits-all formula that works for all pets and defines the perfect body weight. The following factors are key in determining if your pet is at its ideal weight:

The animal should be well-proportioned and the ribs and vertebrae should not be visible, but you should be able to feel them. The waist should be visible and you should be able to feel a thin layer of fat covering the chest. It is best to concentrate on the ribs. If they are clearly visible then your pet is underweight. If you cannot feel them then your pet is overweight.

How do I weigh my pet?

If you don’t have a very big dog or a very big cat this is very easy to do. Weigh yourself with your pet in your arms and then weigh yourself without your pet. The difference between the two amounts is the weight of your little darling. Larger dogs can be weighed at the vet’s, who will have their own weighing scale.

Is my dog allowed to chew on stones, plastic or wood?

Your dog shouldn’t do this as it could result in damage to the teeth, mouth cavity, stomach and bowels. It is completely natural for your dog to want to chew. Of course there are special chew products for your dog that are also available from Anifit

Are there raw proteins, fats and fibres in the food for my pet?

No, there is a nutrient analysis with the information provided. The percentage of certain food ingredients are determined by a procedure specified in the laboratory:

Raw protein: measures the percentage of protein
Raw oils and fats: measures the percentage of fats
Raw fibre: measures the percentage of dietary fibres
Crude ash: measures the percentage of minerals

Which indoor plants are poisonous for dogs?

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)
Benjamin’s fig (Ficus benjamina)
Jerusalem thorn (Paliurus spinachristi)
Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia spec.)
Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)
Flamingo flower plant (Anthurium scherzerianium)
Natal lily (Clivia miniata)
Croton (Croton spec.)
Philodendron (Philodendron spec.)
Primrose (Primula spec.)
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Spurges (Euphorbiaceae spec.)
Arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)