As any seasoned dog owner will tell you, there will come a time when your precious pooch won’t want to eat. It’s unusual for dogs to refuse food – especially since they are connoisseurs of the toilet bowl and garbage can – but it can happen. So what should you do if your pooch won’t eat?
Step 1: Find Out If Your Dog Is Sick
The most likely reason a dog won’t eat is that it’s feeling under the weather. Upset stomachs, teething problems, and infections can all lead dogs to lose their appetite. If your dog usually runs towards food with reckless abandon but has suddenly become a lot less excited about stuffing its face, then illness is the most likely scenario. Go to your vet, explain what’s happened, and get them to perform an examination. The vet will check your dog’s teeth to rule out tooth or periodontal infections (which might make them unwilling to chew), and other infections and blockages in their stomachs. Usually, once the vet sorts out the problem, your pooch’s appetite will return.
Step 2: Stop Feeding Your Dog Junk
A fussy dog is a rare thing. But it can happen sometimes. If you read Freshpet dog food reviews, you find all sorts of examples of dog owners struggling to get their pets to eat their chow. Dogs, like people, work around set mealtimes; they need to go without food for a few hours in between meals to feel hungry enough to munch down whatever is put in front of them.
Many dog owners, however, have a habit of feeding their pooches between meals, discouraging eating come dinner time. Imagine if the roles were reversed. Let’s say that you had a bag of All Bran that you had scheduled for dinner, but your dog kept feeding you cheesecake, steak, and cookies all afternoon. Would you still be so keen on the All Bran? Probably not. The delectable dishes cooked up by your dog would be so tasty that cardboard-like cereal would be a massive disappointment. You’d rather just wait until the next time your dog got in the kitchen and rustled up something delicious.
Step 3: Check Your Dog Food
Sometimes, though, your dog has a legitimate reason for rejecting its chow: it’s out of date. Take a look at the label on the dog food to make sure that you’re not serving up feed that’s a year past its best. It’s also a good idea to experiment with dog food. Manufacturers could change the ingredients, making it less appealing or nutritious and discouraging consumption. Or they could have changed the flavor, creating something that is genuinely repugnant, even to dogs. Remember, dogs will avoid food that upsets their digestive tracts.
Step 4: Boost The Flavor
Dogs, like people, want their food to taste good. If it doesn’t, then it’s less appealing. If you’re still struggling to get your dog to eat, try including a bit of extra flavor, like some kitty kibble or chicken broth. Hopefully, that will get their salivary glands working overtime.
Follow the above tips and get your dog’s appetite back ASAP!
Featured Image By: Pexels
