Take it slow and look for signs of stomach upset. That’s the traditional advice for rotational feeding: Mix a small amount of the old food with new food and slowly increase the ratio along the way.
But NutriSource’s guide for rotational feeding goes in a different direction. We tell pet parents they can switch food every day, every meal, within the NutriSource line. Doing this won’t cause the tummy issues that often accompany switching foods. Why is that? What makes NutriSource so great for pets with sensitive stomachs? Our high-quality ingredients play a role in helping your pet’s system adapt. Our supplement system, Good 4 Life, supports gut health in your pet, making it a highly effective solution for rotational feeding and setting us apart from other brands.
Further reading: Want to try rotational feeding for your dog? Here’s how to get started
What is Good 4 Life?
In a nutshell, Good 4 Life is a proprietary supplement system created in partnership with Alltech that NutriSource includes with all its canine and feline formulas, dry and wet entrees.
- Has powerful, proven probiotics and prebiotics that build healthy bacteria
- Has 100% organic trace minerals that make their GI system more robust
Should dogs eat the same food every day?
Dogs can and do get tired of eating the same food every day. Once you understand the benefits of offering a diet with true variety, you’ll see why nature intended him to be a seeker of different flavors and aromas — which is what rotational feeding offers.
In short, a varied diet — different animal proteins, wholesome grains and nutrient-rich produce in his bowl — lets you provide optimized nutrition for your pet.
Why does rotating meat sources, for example, offer your pet more complete nutrition? First, you’ll want to read up on protein and the unique profile of amino acids found in each source of animal proteins.
Check out: Protein for canines: It’s what your dog needs and craves
When can switching foods cause stomach upset?
Normally, sudden changes in your dog’s diet can cause stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea and a loss of appetite. That’s what makes the idea of switching foods seem daunting and complicated to pet parents. (And how can your dog benefit from variety if switching makes your dog sick?)
Fortunately, there’s a way to practice rotational feeding that doesn’t cause stomach upset in your pet. You can do this by focusing on where the problem starts: In the gut.
Gut health: The solution to easy rotational feeding
Want rotational feeding minus the tummy problems?
Focus on nutrients that support gut health, alleviating the gastrointestinal issues that come with changes to your dog’s diet.
Then, your dog can reap the full benefits of a varied diet.
Look for:
- Probiotics and prebiotics: Build a healthy microbiome that supports your dog’s immune system. Look for at least 80 million or more colony forming units (CFU). (NutriSource pet foods use a minimum of 100 million CFU per pound in all our formulas.)
- Selenium yeast vs. sodium selenite: Selenium yeast is a powerful antioxidant that protects the cells from disease whereas sodium selenite is a pro-oxidant.
By the way, a healthy gut has other benefits besides less tummy upset. Your dog’s body can better absorb nutrients and vitamins in the food. Over the weeks and months, you should see a big difference in how your dog looks, feels and smells:
- Less poop
- Fresher kisses
- A healthier, softer, richer-colored coat
- No more itchy skin or paw licking
How do you find food that promotes gut health in dogs?
Rotational feeding can be easy on your dog’s system (and easy for you) when you can include the nutrients that promote gut health. That’s why NutriSource uses Good 4 Life system in all its foods.
This proprietary supplement system from Alltech has four main components, all of which contribute to your pet’s digestive health.
- LactoSacc: Probiotics. Live strains of good bacteria that build a healthy gut biome.
- BioMos: A prebiotic. This provides a food source for probiotics.
- BioPlex: Provides trace minerals that support immune function and aid in digestion.
- Sel-Plex: Organic selenium that supports metabolic function and neutralizes free radicals in the bloodstream.
What are the benefits of Good 4 Life and how do they support rotational feeding?
Regulates the lower GI tract
The probiotics in Good 4 Life absorb and colonize quickly in the lower GI tract. This regulates the gut, because the bacteria that cause gassiness and diarrhea is replaced with good bacteria that build a healthy microbiome. A healthy gut environment also supports your pet’s immune defenses.
Supports good bacteria
The prebiotics in Good 4 Life provide food for the good bacteria, thus supporting its growth and microbial populations. In more than 700 research students, BioMos has shown that it can remove pathogens (such as salmonella) in the GI tract. This also improves your dog’s ability to absorb nutrients.
From the first bowl, Good 4 Life goes to work alleviating the symptoms dogs often exhibit when they switch foods.
Offers immune support
Selenium supports your pet’s immune system, especially when it’s formulated for bioavailability. Good 4 Life has bonded organic selenium, which is better absorbed and utilized than inorganic. It supports metabolic and antioxidant activity while also reducing inflammation.
Builds a more robust immune system
BioPlex offers important trace minerals for your pet’s body needs, including zinc, copper, manganese and iron. Not only that, but Good 4 Life uses organic mineral sources, so it’s more bioavailable to your pet. Unlike inorganic compounds, which are listed as sulfates in many pet foods, they will not interact with other food components. Rather, organic minerals are structured so they can pass through the digestive system, through the gut wall and into the bloodstream, so their body can start accessing all the benefits.
As the Good 4 Life system rebuilds the gut, it improves your pet’s ability to absorb minerals, and helps build a more robust immune system and better gut health. It’s the way these four components work together that gives such a good benefit. BioPlex increases the vitality of the blood, BioMos cleans the gut, Yea-Sacc/LactoSacc feeds the gut and Sel-Plex reduces inflammation and removes antioxidants.
We use these organic minerals because we think your pet’s food should do a better job of keeping the good nutrients in the body, where they belong — not going to waste on the lawn.
Healthy gut, healthy mutt! That’s the NutriSource way
Good 4 Life is only found in NutriSource. This proprietary line of gut-healing supplements is found across the entire NutriSource line — heritage, grain inclusive, single-ingredient, grain-free and wet entrees — so you can start practicing rotational feeding with ease.
We do things differently at NutriSource because we can.
And we can because of Good 4 Life.
Shop local and buy NutriSource at a local, independent pet retailer.
