My Dog Is Suddenly Not Eating Its Dry Food
If your dog is suddenly very picky about its food, and youve ruled out any medical issues, perhaps consider spicing up their meals with some meal toppers to make them a bit more interesting and attractive?
If your dog wont eat dry food anymore, add moisture to dry food with delicious and super nutritious bone broth or yogurt with active cultures to help with digestion. Other options include goats milk, unsweetened canned pumpkin, and other tasty fruits and veggies.
Your Dogs Food Has Gone Bad
Dogs arent that discriminating, but occasionally, when something has spoiled, your dog wont eat it, Teller says. It could be a bad bag of kibble or maybe that chicken you boiled for your pup didnt get cooked thoroughly. How do you know thats the reason for your dog not eating? Your dog will eat a treat, but wont eat the food, says Teller. So toss it out and serve something else. More of a cat person? Here are some reasons for a cat not eating, too.
How To Tell That A Dog Is Underfed
These are signs that can help you know your dog is underfed. Firstly, pay attention to your dogs rib. Ensure that it is not too visible from afar. Secondly, the activity level of the dog can say a lot. For a usually active dog, passiveness can mean he is not eating as much as is required. Furthermore, a well-fed dog will have a good immune system. Falling ill frequently can mean the dog is lacking appropriate nutrients.
While you should not overfeed a dog, you need to feed him as much as necessary. To ensure that your dog is not underfed, you should occasionally check out for these signs.
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Illnesses Parasites And Teething
Anorexia is one of the most common signs of illness in dogs and can occur in conjunction with a fever if an infection is present. Life-threatening viral infections, such as parvovirus, will cause anorexia.Distemper and other less severe infections such as an upper respiratory infection or intestinal parasites will also cause anorexia. Even a sore mouth from teething can make a pup reluctant to eat. Other times, an ingested foreign body can cause abdominal pain and result in a puppy not wanting to eat.
If your dog’s anorexia lasts for more than a few meals, be sure to have your veterinarian rule out any illnesses before trying any techniques to coax your puppy to eat.
Did Anything Change In Your Household
Some dogs may be sensitive enough that a change in their environment may cause inappetence. Examples include a new addition to the family , construction, having people over, or even a change in the location of the food and water bowls.
While noise phobias arent specific to your household necessarily, things like thunderstorms and fireworks can also cause enough anxiety to discourage your dog from eating.
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Treating Environmental And Behavioral Loss Of Appetite In Dogs
When it comes to behavioral and environmental reasons your dog wont eat, the process can be a little more stressful and time-consuming. Sometimes, you may need to consult a pet behavior expert or a trainer.
Here are some general tips for getting your dog to eat regularly:
- Get your pet enough exercise and attention
- Invest some time and/or money in training
- Dont punish your dog for not eating, be patient and supportive
- Only give treats as a reward
- Avoid giving table scraps
On Average Picky Canine Eaters May Choose Not To Eat For 1
Dont baby talk him and provide love and affection because you feel bad.If you do so, youre just reinforcing his uncertainty about the new food and letting him know its okay to refuse his meals. On the other hand, its important to state: youre not punishing him either. Youre just staying calm, neutral, and indifferent.All you can do is be strong and trust that your dog will not starve himself.
The only exceptions to the tough love rule:
Puppies.
Dogs with other serious preexisting health conditions.
Specific dogs or breeds that can develop or already have low blood sugar
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What Can I Do To Help My Dog Start Eating His Food Again
There can be a number of reasons why your dog has lost his appetite. If you have noticed that your dog is eating less food or has stopped eating altogether, it is important to take him to the vet to rule out any medical problems. Dogs can lose their appetite for many reasons, including:
-Dental problems
Try Adding Dog Food Toppers
Your dog might just need a little incentive to eat. Adding Toppers to their meals often gives them some added flavor and makes the food seem special.
A topper also gives you a number of options to incentivize a dog to eat. You could try adding fruits, vegetables, or yogurt to ensure the topper is both healthy and delicious.
You can also find healthy toppers that give your dog recipes specially designed for them such as:
Dry Dog Food Toppers:
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Research Raw Food Diets
A raw food diet tries to replicate food a dog would have eaten in the wild. It consists of some mixture of meat, bones, organ meat, raw eggs, some fruits, vegetables, and dairy.
Fans of raw diets believe its the healthiest option for their dogs and that it promotes shinier coats, cleaner teeth, more energy, and healthier skin. Naysayers point out the risks, which include exposure to harmful bacteria for both dogs and humans, an unbalanced diet, and the potential dangers of sharp pieces of bone injuring a dogs teeth and digestive tract.
In spite of its popularity, some research has come out against raw food diets. As early as 2012, the American Animal Hospital Association stated, Based on overwhelming scientific evidence, AAHA does not advocate or endorse feeding pets any raw or dehydrated non-sterilized foods, including treats that are of animal origin. The American Veterinary Medical Association discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens, because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs, as well as humans.
Additionally, some frozen raw dog foods have been recalled due to the presence of pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. Owners feeding these diets should be careful to always stay aware of the most recent recall information for their brands.
Is Your Puppy Old Enough To Eat Dry Puppy Food
Most puppies arent fully weaned until theyre six to eight weeks old. For the first few weeks of your puppys life, he wont be interested in dry food, but once hes three to four weeks of age, hell start to nibble at solid foods. If your puppy is younger than that, he may be too young to eat regular dry food meals. In most cases, pet owners take ownership of the puppy when he is six to eight weeks old, after weaning.
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Potential Puppy Health Issues
With a puppy, it’s important to pay close attention to everything from her behavior to her urination and defecation. If your new puppy won’t eat, it could be due to certain health issues including:
- Contagious infections: The most common is kennel cough, which causes coughing and sneezing and parvovirus, which comes with vomiting and diarrhea, and can be fatal if left untreated.
- Intestinal parasites: Look for gastrointestinal symptoms, like a distended belly, a lack of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.
- Urinary tract infection : A UTI can make your puppy feel pretty miserable and uninterested in eating. Watch for reduced urine output, straining, and/or blood in the urine.
- Vomiting or diarrhea: These symptoms can stem from a new diet, stress, or the puppy getting into things they shouldn’t.
- Congenital issues: Congenital defects can affect any organ or system in the body of the dog and often appear as early as birth. Because the signs can be pretty nonspecific , they’re usually only found by vets.
If you suspect any of the above or note persistent symptoms in your puppy, consult your vet.
What To Do When Your Dog Wont Eat Dog Food But Will Eat Human Food
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Any time your dogs appetite changes, there is a chance that it is due to an illness. So, its worth investigating the cause when your dog turns her nose up at her dog food.
A lack of appetite can come from a bacterial or viral infection. Parvovirus is a common, potentially deadly illness that results in reduced appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea, which may be bloody. Even vaccinated dogs can get parvo. Worms can also kill your dogs appetite. A fecal sample test from your vet is the best way to check your dog for an underlying illness that could be affecting her appetite.
When your dog is sick, she may refuse dog food, but may accept certain human foods like bland cereals or rice, or especially tempting foods like meat, eggs or fish. So, even if your dog is eating human food, she may have a reduced appetite because she is feeling sick. Always check with your vet if your dogs appetite changes.
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When Your Pup Snubs The Food Bowl That’s A Sign Something Is Amiss Here’s How To Figure Out Whatand Fix The Problem
You see that your normally voracious pup seems to be picking at his food bowl and immediately start wondering: Why is my dog not eating? There could be a million causes of a dog not eating, but the most common one is that your pet is sick, says Lori M. Teller, DVM, clinical associate professor at the Texas A& M Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in College Station, Texas. Of course, the illness can literally be anything from a mild upset stomach to something grave, like cancer. Plus, there may be behavioral reasons behind your pets hunger strike. That means you have to play detective, so you can help your pup regain an appetiteand start gobbling up these vet-approved dog food brands.
What Age Can A Puppy Start Eating Puppy Food
6-8 weeks old-be sure to add a small amount of water to soften the food until you puppy gets use to eating hard food.below is from: www.dogbreedinfo.com/feeding Feed your puppy 3-4 times a day. Puppies have different nutritional needs than adult dogs. Choose a puppy food that provides the appropriate balance of nutrients your puppy needs. Be sure they are getting the right amount of protein and calcium, and the proper amount of calories. Check the label to determine if you are feeding your puppy a balanced diet. Meat should be the first ingredient on the label.
In the end, some dogs just dont like the taste or texture of dry food.
If your puppy is not eating his dry food, you may want to mix a small amount of wet food into your puppys regular dry food to make it more appealing.
You can also try moistening the dry food using three parts kibble and one part warm water.
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What To Do When Your Dog Wont Eat Their Food But Will Eat Treats
It is common for dogs to not eat their food, but eat treats or table scraps. This is referred to as partial anorexia and it typically occurs because your dog doesnât feel well.
Partial anorexia means a dog will eat, but only if something special, such as treats or table scraps like chicken or beef, are added to the food. Sometimes, dogs will refuse everything but will eat something as peculiar as a fast-food hamburger.
Full anorexia is when a dog wonât eat anything, including normal dog food, special treats, food doctored up with cooked ground beef, chicken, baby food, or anything you offer. Both problems can be serious, but full anorexia is an even bigger issue. Learn more about Home Care of Anorexia in Dogs.
Reasons for anorexia in dogs can vary from minor issues, such as a stomach upset to serious and even life-threatening problems. For more information â please see this article: My Dog is Not Eating, What Do I Do?
Why Is My Dog Not Eating And What Can I Do
Written bySmall Door’s medical experts
Dogs love to eat. Whether theyre making puppy-dog eyes at you from beneath the dinner table, or lunging for that pizza crust on the sidewalk, it often seems as though their main mission in life is getting food. So if your pup has suddenly lost their appetite, its bound to be a bit concerning.
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Could My Dog Be Sick
There are many possible reasons why your dog may have lost his appetite. He may be sick, he may be getting old, he may be stressed, or there may be something wrong with his food. If your dog has always been a big eater and suddenly stops eating, its important to take him to the vet to rule out any medical problems. If the vet gives him a clean bill of health, there are a few things you can try to get him interested in his food again.
Appetite Stimulant For Dog Not Eating: Make Fidos Food Taste Yummy Again
Sometimes, puppies will stop eating their food not because theyre sick but because theyre sick of it.
If you were always given bland, tasteless food your whole life, youd probably eventually lost interest in it too!
The same thing happens with dogs!
So whats a pet parent to do?
If your dog is used to eating dry food, buy them some wet, canned food for a change. Many dogs will see this as a treat and will be curious enough to start eating. Just make sure you offer the food in small portions as to not overwhelm your pup. You might even try rolling up the food into small meatballs.
If they dont like the flavor, try a new brand. It may seem tiring and frustrating, but once you find what your dog likes, you can stick to it.
Another great option is to offer your dog boiled chicken breast and white rice, or white rice mixed with chicken broth. Again, you can also ball up the rice into meatballs for an appetizing treat.
Youll also find various appetite stimulants at retailers like Amazon, PetSmart, and Petco. These may come in the form of a paste that you can squeeze into your dogs mouth to help him get some nutrients or as a gravy thats meant to top his usual food.
Finally, when all else fails, try offering your dog Pedialyte either added to his water bowl or frozen into ice cubes that you can crush and set gently on his tongue. This will help your pup maintain his electrolyte levels so that he doesnt dehydrate.
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Digestive Upset Or Obstruction
Puppies are notorious for eating things they shouldnt, and unfortunately, many puppy owners intentionally give their dogs snacks and treats that they shouldnt. Some snacks and treats, whether stolen by your puppy or given freely by you, can cause digestive upset as well as obesity and begging later in life. They may even cause your puppy to reject the healthier and balanced dog foods they should be eating!
You can greatly decrease the chance of your pup sneaking their own treats by puppy-proofing your home and teaching them not to counter surf. And even if neither of you is doing anything naughty, some puppy foods can just be too rich for some dogs, and every puppy will handle certain foods differently.
If your pup is having diarrhea for more than 12 hours, they are at risk for dehydration. The risk for dehydration increases if your puppy is also vomiting.
It is time to seek medical attention if:
Questions? To chat with a veterinarian about why your puppy might not be eating,
What Is The Treatment For A Dog Whos Not Eating Or Drinking
Treatment for a dog whos refusing their food consists of two components: treating the underlying cause and providing supportive care.
Directly addressing the underlying cause is important to ensure the loss of appetite is truly resolved . Without treating the underlying cause, anorexia could return after supportive care is discontinued.
To determine why a dog stopped eating, a veterinarian will take a detailed history and perform a physical exam to check your pups overall health and look for any abnormalities that could explain the loss of appetite .
Diagnostic tests are commonly needed to reach a diagnosis, since these tests give your vet more information about whats going on inside your pets body. Common tests include:
- A fecal check .
- Tests for infectious diseases.
- Depending on your dogs history and symptoms, additional testing may be recommended, such as biopsies.
Once a diagnosis is reached, targeted treatment is prescribed. For example, a dog with intestinal worms will receive a dewormer, and a dog whos eating less due to arthritis pain may be prescribed joint supplements or pet-safe pain medications.
Regardless of cause, supportive care is important to help a dog feel better, prevent complications of not eating , and promote healing.
Supportive care varies depending on a sick dogs needs and symptoms, but common treatments include:
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