The Secret to Easy Food Transitions: Hydrolysed-Protein Pet Food

Want to give your pet a more varied diet but dread the food transition? Try a hydrolysed-protein pet food.

Hydrolysis technology has been used in human infant formula for more than 50 years, and it is now being applied to the everyday diets of dogs and cats.

Natural digestive enzymes pre-break down the nutrients in food, so animals absorb them more efficiently with less strain on the gut. And because absorption improves and less is lost, they get more nutrition from the same food — a key that unlocks the true power of ingredients.

When switching foods, the gut is used to the digestive pattern of the old diet. An abrupt change leaves a dog's or cat's digestive system no time to produce the enzymes and environment the new food needs, which is why stomach upsets are so common.

Think of it this way: if you're used to chopping vegetables with a knife and are suddenly handed scissors, you won't match your old efficiency straight away.

A hydrolysed-protein recipe has already been broken down outside the body with natural enzymes, so the nutrients arrive as small molecules. Many digestive steps and burdens are removed, which makes transitions much easier to tolerate.

To continue the analogy: the hydrolysed recipe is like ingredients that have already been chopped for you — the gut no longer has to work out how to process them.

So when switching to a fully hydrolysed pet food, small frequent meals over a 2–3 day transition is enough — and starting straight away is fine too.

Real Nature Recipe hydrolysed pet food — see the range

❚ Further reading:

Basic nutrients in food: protein, peptides and amino acids (Part 1)

Basic nutrients in food: protein, peptides and amino acids (Part 2)

Myth-busting: is hydrolysed protein only for pets with sensitive stomachs?