The feeding of your pet is very important for its health. This is why it is worrying when a dog does not want to eat its kibble. In this situation, you need to determine the cause to apply the correct solution.
There are various methods and home remedies that you can use to whet your dog’s appetite. Let’s see in detail how to make your dog eat all his ration and also very happy.
Index of contents
- 1 Why does my dog not want to eat?
- 2 Diseases that reduce appetite
- 3 What to give to a dog that does not want to eat?
- 3.1 Yoghurt
- 3.2 Wet food
- 3.3 Chicken and fish
- 3.4 Cottage cheese
- 3.5 BARF Diet
- 4 Recommendations to feed your dog
Why does my dog not want to eat?
If your dog does not want to eat its kibble / dry food, you need to find out why. These are some of the most frequent reasons for inappetence:
- I think of poor quality. Low-quality dog food contains high amounts of fat and carbohydrates, and little protein. Against this, it is possible that the organism of your dog begins to reject the feed if it does not meet its nutritional needs.
- Repetitive diet. Dogs don’t get bored with food, but they do prefer some variety on their plate. If you only feed yours croquettes, at some point it will reject them.
- Stress. Stress wreaks havoc on the dog’s behaviors. Situations that generate nervousness or anxiety, such as the arrival or departure of a family member (human or pet), change of routine, a move, etc., can decrease your appetite.
- Senior dog. Elderly dogs tend to eat less, since, by decreasing their physical activity, they require fewer calories; this is a possibility if your dog is older. Also, make sure that you provide him with dog food of his age, it is possible that the usual dog food is very hard for him.
In addition to these, there are health reasons that lead a dog to reject its dry feed.
Diseases that reduce appetite
Diseases also cause inappetence in dogs. In these cases, they are accompanied by other signs, such as diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, disinterest in games, signs of pain, gas, among other reasons.
These are the most common ailments:
- Dental diseases
- Intestinal parasites
- Canine Parvovirus
- Cancer
- Pancreatitis
- Anorexy
Dogs decompose quickly when they stop eating food. For this reason, you should take it to the vet immediately if you notice that it stops eating and shows any other worrisome symptoms.
What to give to a dog that does not want to eat?
There are several methods that you can use to whet your dog’s appetite. If you are sick, eating will help you regain strength. On the other hand, if the problem lies in the quality of the feed, these recipes will serve to feed it while you acquire more suitable options.
Yoghurt
Most dogs like yogurt. With the intention of inviting him to eat, you can add one or two tablespoons of yogurt on top of his usual meal. Remember to buy yogurt without sugar or additional flavors for this.
Wet food
Trying wet food is an option to offer a different food, but easy to present, since it does not want preparation. There are different flavors, get the one that your dog likes the most and offer it alone.
In case you don’t want to buy processed cans, you can moisten your dog’s feed (after making sure it’s quality). Prepare a broth with pieces of chicken or meat, without adding seasonings, onion or salt. Then wait for it to warm and moisten the kibbles with it, the delicious aroma will whet your appetite.
Chicken and fish
Adding a little extra protein is another option if your dog doesn’t want to eat its kibble. Choose one of these protein sources:
- Chicken
- Turkey meat
- Liver
- Sardine
- Egg
- York ham
- Canned tuna in water
Make sure remove bones and bones before offering meat to your dog. In a saucepan, cook the selected protein (except the canned tuna and ham) with a little water. Do not add condiments, salt, onion or other prohibited food for dogs.
When the meat is cooked, wait for it to warm and crumble. You can offer this protein alone or spread it on your dog’s regular feed.
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is another healthy method to whet your pet’s appetite. Keep in mind that cheese is not one of the most suitable foods for dogs; however, being an emergency, it can serve as you discover the reason for the lack of appetite.
Cottage cheese contains very little salt and its lactose content is low, characteristics that make it the best option in these cases. Like yogurt, mix cheese with your usual food to give it a more attractive smell.
BARF Diet
Some pets begin to reject processed foods and are inclined to eat only homemade food. If your dog does not want to eat their kibbles or dog cans, consider offering the BARF diet.
This diet seeks to imitate the type of feeding that the dogs would have in freedom. For this reason, it includes a higher proportion of protein, supplemented with between 10 and 15% of vegetable ingredients, in addition to some nutritional supplements.
Recommendations to feed your dog
The mentioned home remedies should be applied under the supervision of a veterinaryn, since the most important thing is to determine the cause of the lack of appetite.
As usual, mixing homemade food with dry feed is not recommended, because the digestion times are different. However, you can do it in cases like this, since the consequences of not eating could endanger your dog’s life.
In addition to food, make sure your dog is hydrated, so offer him fresh water. If you do not want to drink or vomit as soon as you do not, go to the vet immediately.
Don’t change your dog’s diet often. Although supplementing the commercial product with homemade food is recommended, changing brands causes digestive problems and rejection in your dog. Diet changes should be gradual.
Homemade food should not remain on the plate for more than 30 minutes. Then remove it to prevent it from attracting insects or deteriorating from the heat.
Do not accustom your dog to eating pieces that you throw from the table, this will make him prefer human food. Remember that the condiments we cook with are harmful to him.