Content
- Because my dog doesn't want to eat dog food
- How to make your dog eat dog food
- Steps to reintroduce the feed
- Extra tips to get my dog to eat dog food
There are many people looking for solutions to a problem that can happen to several dogs: what to do when he does not want to eat food, leaving the food in the bowl for days? This is a common problem and can happen to any animal.
If you are concerned about this situation and want to put an end to this problem so that everything remains normal, read this article Mydog doesn't want to eat dog food. Here atPeritoAnimal we will present the causes that make him have this behavior and also solutions. Good reading!
Because my dog doesn't want to eat dog food
There are many reasons why your dog may stop eating the pet food. But before discussing possible reasons from your behavior or diet, it is essential to rule out any disease visiting a veterinarian.
The ideal is for the dog to ingest the dosed food, as we do, in two or three distributed meals throughout the day and at fixed times, and that the diet is somewhat varied (combining rations with moist and homemade diets occasionally).
See in this list possible causes that make your dog not eat pet food:
- Change in food: if you've recently changed the feed you give your best friend, this may be the cause of your not wanting to eat. Remember that it is essential to change the food progressively, even thinking about health issues (the dog is much more sensitive to changes in food) and even to encourage a better adaptation to the new food.
- Poor quality feed: if, in addition to changing your dog's diet, you offer him a poor quality food, he will reject you completely. Many poor quality processed dog foods either don't contain the essential nutrients he needs or use ingredients that aren't palatable to him. Check your dog's food composition to see if you are offering a quality product or not.
- nausea: Although it's not very common, some dogs can get sick of eating the same thing. This is even generally related to depression and it can make you discouraged in general, and not exclusively with food.
- overfeeding: on the packaging of any commercial food, a nutritional table must appear clearly indicating, according to weight, age and activity level, the amount of food to be offered to the dog. Maybe you're putting too much food for him, so it's good to check what the proper amount should be.
- Introducing other types of diet: If you've recently offered your dog a diet other than chow, this may be the reason. Many dogs reject their usual foods for much more palatable foods, such as homemade diets and moist foods. That is, if you notice that he doesn't want the ration and when you give him another kind of food, he is showing you that when he refuses the ration he will get something more appetizing.
The type of food is important, read our article on choosing my dog's food. In addition, in the video below you can see how many times a dog should eat a day:
How to make your dog eat dog food
Before starting with the feed reintroduction, it will be essential that you make sure that your best friend's food is of quality, adequate to your needs and nutritionally complete. If you are unsure about a balanced diet, don't hesitate to visit our article on dog feeding: types and benefits, and of course it's always a good idea to consult your veterinarian.
The process that we will show below should always be applied to a healthy dog, never to a sick animal, and it needs a certain degree of rigor to be effective. remember that you can't let your dog eat it all what he wants, in that way you won't do him any good.
Steps to reintroduce the feed
Here is a step-by-step guide to what should be done in order to your dog eat feed again:
- Completely eliminate wet food, homemade recipes and human food from your diet.
- Calculate the amount of food your dog needs to eat each day and divide it into two meals, which you will offer in the morning and in the afternoon, always at the same time.
- Serve your morning meal in the bowl and wait 15 minutes, if he hasn't eaten, remove it.
- In the afternoon, serve your food in the bowl, wait 15 minutes, and if you haven't eaten yet, you can remove it.
- The next day, following the same process, the dog finally, because of hunger, goes to eat.
While this may sound a bit strict, it's the best way to get your dog to eat his usual food again and stop waiting for other types of food that might be more appetizing. However, remember that it is important that they make an occasional change to their diet. Weekly, we recommend changing one of the rations to a moist food, but without making this food part of your daily diet.
Extra tips to get my dog to eat dog food
Sometimes dogs refuse to eat, especially when dry food has been mixed with wet food. While it may be a positive trick to encourage sick dogs to eat, the truth is that combining pet food with homemade or moist food is not appropriate, as digestion times are different, producing inadequate fermentation in the stomach and thus the occurrence of gases, etc.
Here are some tips on how to get your dog to eat kibble:
Mix the feed with a little warm water: this way, the food will be softer and you will help him to hydrate, as well as being more appetizing for him in the cold season.
Mix the feed with broth (no onion and salt): By replacing water with broth, you will give it extra nutrition. Also, it will be much more appetizing for the dog.
Keep a proactive routine: each dog has its own exercise needs, so taking walks and participating in outdoor activities will be crucial to maintaining your dog's muscles, activating his metabolism, and ultimately providing him with a healthy and appropriate lifestyle.
Don't overdo the rewards: during your training sessions, avoid overusing the rewards as they could eventually satiate your dog. You can split each snack in two, use light prizes, prepare dehydrated vegetable snacks, and even stay in front of it to reinforce it with just your voice and caresses.
Do not give leftovers: as we mentioned earlier, there are foods that are harmful to dogs, but there are also foods that are not very suitable. Abusing cereals, fruits, or dairy products is not good for your best friend, so avoid them.
If you still have questions about what to do or know other tips, comment here for us. You may also be interested in the article with the best vitamins for dogs.
