How to introduce a new treat to your dog without the upset
Introduce a new treat the way you'd introduce anything new: a small piece, on its own, with nothing else changing, and then wait. A day or two is enough to know whether it agrees with your dog. If it does, build up over the following week. If it doesn't, you've only given a little, and you know exactly what it was. A dog's gut likes routine, and veterinary guidance says the same about changing a main food: do it gradually (WSAVA).
How to introduce a new treat, step by step
Pick a quiet day. Start with a small piece: pea-sized for a small dog, a fingernail's worth for a big one. If it's a chew, a short supervised session, then take it away. Add nothing else new for 48 hours; two new things at once and you've learned nothing. Normal stools, normal appetite, normal dog — that's a pass. Then build up over a week to under about 10% of the day's food.
What to look for in the first day or two
The obvious things: a loose stool, vomiting, going off food, scratching more than usual. Stop the treat and keep everything else the same. If things settle within a day, you have your answer about that cut. If they don't, or your dog seems flat or unwell, that's a vet conversation. Don't wait it out on a hunch.
One honest caveat: a single loose stool usually means "too much, too fast" rather than "never again". Go back to a smaller piece and try again a week later.
Every dog is different. For an ongoing issue, your vet is the first call — this is general information, not veterinary advice.
Why single-protein treats make this easier
Because the test is only as clean as the treat. If the new thing is kangaroo lung and nothing else, a pass means your dog is fine with kangaroo lung, and a fail means it isn't. If it has a meat, a grain, a preservative and a flavour, a fail could be any of them. If your vet has your dog on a restricted diet, this routine isn't yours to run; ask before adding anything, ours included.
Puppies start the same way, only smaller: soft cuts broken small from about 12 weeks, and their 10% is a very small number. The Test Pack is built for this routine, with a little of several proteins and textures so you can go one cut at a time. Once you know, Best Sellers is where to look next.
Keep reading: Treats for puppies: what to start with, and when · How many treats can a dog have a day? The 10% rule, explained
Sources
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee. Nutrition Toolkit. wsava.org
Pudel · Reviewed September 2026 · Single-protein, naturally dried dog treats, made in Australia. General information, not veterinary advice.