Step-by-Step Guide: Using Food Toppers to Transition Your Pet to a Raw Food Diet

There are many ways to incorporate toppers into your pet’s diet and enjoy amazing health benefits.

One excellent use for our toppers is to foster a smooth transition between your pet’s current meal and the simple and natural raw food diet you want to feed them. A complete dietary transformation is a big change for your pet that can be tricky to navigate, but toppers make the switch quicker and easier. We’ll walk you through the five steps and discuss the many options for customizing your pet’s meals.

1. Introduce the Taste of Raw

2. Add Raw Toppers to Meals

3. Transition Slowly

4. Optional: Reduce or Eliminate Toppers

5. Optional: Change it Up

1. Introduce the Taste of Raw

If your dog has never tried raw before, try feeding your pup a handful of food toppers immediately after they’ve done the trick or any behavior worth “earning” a reward. This automatically puts the positive association in your pet’s head that what you’re giving them is a good thing.

If you have a kitty, offer the topper while they’re in a relaxed, content state — such as purring in your lap or settling down after a play session. Once they catch a whiff, your pet is sure to be intrigued by the tantalizing scent of real, raw meat!

2. Add Raw Toppers to Meals

After introducing your pet to the taste of raw, you can start adding freeze-dried meal toppers to your pet’s food directly.

You can add the topper as dry flakes simply sprinkled into or on top of your pet’s regular meal, or use water to turn it into a gravy or pâté that will soak into your pet’s normal food. Either way, your kitty or pup will soon get used to the smell and presence of the topper in their dinner.

Be aware that because our toppers are protein-rich, you may have to decrease the amount of your pet’s normal kibble or food to keep their caloric intake the same.

3. Transition Slowly

Once your dog or cat is familiar with the delicious gravy topper drizzled over their food, it’s time to transition to a raw diet.

Haven’t decided yet which healthy raw food option to feed as the main staple of your pet’s new diet? We’ll help you choose a new food perfect for your pet.

Vital Essentials Frozen Food is available as patties for dogs and as patties or tubs for cats. It keeps in your freezer until you’re ready to feed and requires very little prep — just thaw and serve. One of the main advantages of frozen food is that it’s cost-effective compared to similar freeze-dried options. Purchase our frozen options at your local independent pet store.

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Food is available as patties, niblets, or mini nibs. Niblets and mini nibs are dry with a satisfying crunch, while patties can be fed dry or moist. Freeze-dried food and treats are conveniently shelf stable in a cool, dry place. Buy them online or in store — whichever suits your busy schedule! We’re here to help with everything you need about freeze-dried food for dogs or cats.

Whichever form of healthy raw meals you feed, it’s best to take a full week or two to make the transition. Changing your pet’s diet too quickly can cause GI upset, so use your best judgment as you monitor your kitty or pup.

During the transition period, slowly change the ratio of old food vs new food in each meal. This will wean your pet off their previous diet, while you continue to add a consistent amount of topper throughout.

4. (Optional) Reduce or Eliminate Toppers

Once your pet’s previous food is completely eliminated from their meals, you’re free to use the same process to slowly reduce the amount of topper you add, until your dog or cat is enjoying a hearty meal of entirely mini nibs or patties.

If you’re using mini nibs or feeding the patties dry, just be aware of how important it is to keep your pet properly hydrated. This is particularly true for cats. Always make sure your buddies have access to clean water, preferably a running fountain, as most pets instinctively find running water more appealing to drink from.

Of course, one way to keep additional moisture in their diet is to stick with nibs-and-gravy or patties-and-gravy mixed meals, if that’s working well for your pet. It’s completely up to you and your observations of what works best for your kitties and pups.

5. (Optional) Change it up

For a more interesting and varied meal and a different balance of nutrients, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally changing the proteins, toppers, or treats you use in your pet’s meal.

One option is to keep your pet’s main meal the same (beef patties or chicken mini nibs, for example) but switch up the topper between beef, chicken, and turkey every few months. Even if you aren’t using toppers once your dog or cat is on a completely raw food diet, you can still rotate proteins for your pet’s main meal.

For more information on Vital Essentials and our full product line, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. And if you have any questions, be sure to check out our FAQ page for answers. Together, we can ensure your pet gets the proper nutrition they deserve.