The Ultimate Guide to Transitioning Your Pet to a Raw Diet

Switching to a fresh, raw diet is one of the best choices you can make for your cat's and dog’s long-term health.

While most pets transition effortlessly, even those with a history of sensitive stomachs often see improvements within days. Some pets, however, may need a little more time and support during the transition—which is completely normal and simply requires a bit of strategy and patience.

Our fresh, raw meals provide superior nutrition, and by switching your pets to raw food, you'll soon discover the benefits firsthand—including improved appetite, better hydration, healthier skin and coat, improved mobility, and stronger immunity.

Within days, many pets experience better digestion and produce smaller, firmer stools—making clean-up easier at home, whether it's a yard or litterbox. A win-win for you your furry family member!

The hardest part of transitioning your dog or cat to a raw food diet is making the decision — and once you do, you’ll never look back!

Step-by-Step Transition Plan

Option 1: A Gradual Approach

For most cats and dogs, we recommend transitioning slowly over 7-10 days:

• Start by mixing a small portion of Furchild Meals with your pet’s current food.
• Gradually increase the raw food while decreasing the old diet each day.
• Observe your pet’s stool and its firmness, then adjust the pace if needed.

To prevent occurrences of digestive upset, avoid overfeeding or introducing commercial pet treats and human food while switching your cat or dog to a raw food diet. A steady and controlled adjustment to their new fresh food ensures a smoother transition.

Option 2: A Slower Transition

For senior pets, pets with very sensitive stomachs, or pets with health conditions, a slower transition is recommended and may take longer than the typical 7-10 days.

You can start with a smaller amount of Furchild meals, like 10%, and gradually increase the amount as your pet’s stool adjusts. Then, continue increasing the quantity of fresh food to 20%, 30%, and so on while gradually reducing the old diet until the transition is complete.

Pets with digestive disorders, gastrointestinal sensitivities, or those on medications or antibiotics may need extra support for a smoother transition.

Furchild offers a range of high-quality supplements and natural superfoods designed to aid digestion and improve stool quality. These can be easily added as meal toppers, with options listed in the section below - Supplements for a Smoother Transition.

If you are unsure whether our fresh meals are suitable for your pet’s specific health condition, contact our team — we can ensure the best approach is recommended.

Supporting Your Pet’s Digestion

The Healing Process & Detoxification

When transitioning your dog or cat to a raw food diet, they may go through a detox phase, which we call "the healing process"—a natural way their body eliminates toxins from poor-quality diets and other environmental stressors.

Your pet’s body is essentially repairing itself from within, and some symptoms may last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. This is completely normal and a sign of their body adjusting.

From our experience feeding thousands of cats and dogs, most pet parents observe only improvements during the transition. However, here are some common detoxification symptoms that may occur:

• Increased shedding of dull hair
• Temporary loose stools or mucus in stools
• Bad breath, runny eyes, or minor skin irritation
• Regurgitation (not vomiting) as the body adjusts

For further insight, regurgitation can be normal in the first few days as your pet’s digestive system adjusts to fresh raw food.

To ease the transition of your cat or dog to raw food, serve meals at room temperature and slow down eating by using a slow feeder or spreading food across your pet’s bowl or plate.

The symptoms mentioned above are temporary and a sign of healing.

Be aware that if your pet experiences prolonged diarrhoea (more than two days) or exhibits signs of illness (vomiting, fever, and diarrhoea combined), we recommend consulting a trusted veterinarian, as these symptoms are unrelated to diet.

VIPs (Very Important Poops)

At Furchild, we love talking about pet poop. It may sound funny, but it offers valuable insight into what's happening inside their body and your pet's overall health.

One of the biggest changes you'll notice after switching your dog or cat to our raw food diet is improved stool quality.

Pets eating our meals produce VIPs (Very Important Poops), that are smaller, firmer, and less smelly—thanks to our species-appropriate meals, which are expertly formulated for maximum nutrient absorption and available in the most bio-available form, i.e., raw!

Once you transition your cat or dog to raw food, here's what you may notice:

• Stool frequency and quantity may decrease by up to 50%, making cleanup easier and more manageable.
• The colour of the stool may vary based on the recipe fed.
• Firmer stools help express anal glands naturally, keeping them clean and reducing the likelihood of infection.

Some of our pet parents switch to Furchild just for this reason alone! Here’s what they have to say:

Our little girl just loves her food! She can’t wait for her mealtime!

A few months after adopting her we switched from kibble to Furchild and we never looked back. She is a healthy and happy puppy and we have the peace of mind that she is getting everything she needs in 1 meal.

What I was impressed with was that after changing to Furchild her poop was way less and also not as smelly.

– Phoebe's dog parent, Szilvia Kelemen.

I introduced my kitten to a raw diet when he was having stomach issues (stool problems). And once he was fully on a raw diet, there were no more stool problems and in fact improved his appetite which was really needed as he couldn't put on weight.

I couldn't decide if I should put my kitten on a raw diet as a lot of people recommended DRY… which we all know, is the worst kind. Wet food is better than any dry food.

I am very happy I went with my instincts and chose to put him on a raw diet. He has an amazing coat which I really love. I do not have any regrets and I'm happy I found furchild.

– Ikaika's cat parent, Noelani Koh.

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet's poop during the transition phase, feel free to share pictures with our team of Pet Food Advisors via WhatsApp or email us.

Supplements for a Smoother Transition

Adding high-quality probiotics, digestive enzymes, and/or targeted superfoods not only ensures a smoother transition but also promotes health and supports digestion, immunity, and overall well-being.

These recommendations have worked wonders for our pet community and are especially beneficial for pets prone to digestive sensitivities.

You can consider incorporating the following meal toppers:

1. Complete Probiotics (for dogs and cats)

A high-quality probiotic blend with 38 billion CFU of beneficial bacteria from 14 carefully selected strains.

2. Digestive Enzymes for Meat-based Diets (for dogs and cats)

Designed for pets that initially need extra enzymes to support healthy fat and protein digestion.

3. Grass-fed Green Tripe (for dogs)

Packed with natural digestive enzymes and probiotics to support gut health and improve nutrient absorption.

4. Raw Goat Milk Kefir (for dogs and cats)

A probiotic powerhouse that aids digestion, boosts immunity and enhances gut health with billions of beneficial bacteria.

5. Organic Pumpkin Puree (for dogs and cats)

A natural source of fibre that helps regulate digestion and alleviate both, constipation and loose stools.

6. Bone Broth (for dogs and cats)

Rich in collagen, amino acids, and minerals that promote healthy digestion, joint function, and overall wellness.

These are all excellent ways to complement our fresh meals and more essential bowl boosters for pets eating ultra-processed diets like kibble, biscuits, or canned pet foods.

For useful tips and tricks on how to transition fussy eaters, read The Ultimate Guide to Transitioning Fussy Eaters to Raw.

We’re Here to Help!

We hope you found our guide helpful. We believe transitioning your pet to their natural, species-appropriate diet should be an exciting journey, not a stressful one.

If you have any questions or concerns about switching your cat or dog to a raw diet, simply email, call or WhatsApp our Pet Food Advisors for any guidance or support.