Can I switch my dog's food cold turkey?

You can, and some dogs will shrug it off completely, but as a rule it's not the safest way to go about it. Switching food cold turkey is one of the most common causes of a sudden bout of vomiting, diarrhoea or gas. A dog's digestive system runs on a settled population of gut bacteria tuned to their usual diet, and when the menu changes overnight, that system has to scramble to catch up. The result is often a messy few days and a dog that feels rough.

The safer play is a gradual swap over about a week: a little new food mixed into the old to start, then slowly tipping the balance until you're fully across. It's a small bit of faff that saves you cleaning the kitchen floor at 6am. Puppies, seniors and dogs with sensitive stomachs especially do better with the slow version.

There are times an immediate switch happens anyway, like a food being discontinued or a vet moving your dog onto a specific diet, and dogs usually cope. If you're caught out and have to change in a hurry, feed slightly smaller meals for a day or two and keep fresh water up. But if there's no rush, there's really no prize for speed here. Gradual wins.