Introduction
imagine you come home to feed your dog, you set down their bowl and they look at you confused without eating anything, is this something you’ve experienced, your dog’s diet is crucial for their health and development, if they refuse to eat it’s essential you take action and find out why My Dog WON’T EAT.
FiverPet helps you do so, by revealing the possible reasons your dog isn’t eating, and what we can do to solve the problem.
1-They’ve become used to the taste of your food
this is a common occurrence for people who regularly let their dogs eat scraps from the table, or even give the dog their leftovers when they finish eating.
in these cases, it’s possible they will reject their feed since they find our human food more appetizing, not only does this create bad habits it can be very harmful, the food that people eat is often high in salt fat seasonings and other ingredients which are harmful to canines, you can establish a mixed diet consisting of commercial feed and homemade food, but the food you offer your dog must be specially cooked for them.
2-They Don’t like commercial feed or it is poor quality
the quality of the commercial feed is also very important, not only do poor quality foods taste different they also lack the ingredients necessary to provide your dog with the nutrients their bodies require, in these cases, it’s not surprising they prefer not to eat it, however, it may happen that the feed is not bad but your dog rejects it nonetheless, in this case, chances are they just don’t like that particular feed,
3-Their Diet is based solely on commercial feed
an entirely feed-based diet is not ideal for a balanced diet either, it is always advisable to offer them some treats based on other meals or establish a mixed diet.
4-You’re offering too much !
it’s important to distinguish between the dog not eating any food, or simply not eating all the food you give them because you provide an excessive amount, small dogs won’t eat the same as larger ones, just as a dog that doesn’t have many exercises or is relatively sedentary will not need the same amount of food.
5-They are sick
although it may be obvious, certain health problems which manifest in dogs can cause a sudden loss of appetite, in these cases, it’s most common that the animal presents other symptoms, such as apathy fever lack of energy sleeping more than usual, etc.. if this is what happens to your dog, don’t hesitate to go to a veterinary clinic, now you know the reasons why your dog may be rejecting their food, let’s see what steps you should follow to solve it :
Offer them a quality feed :
the first thing you should do, checks the ingredients of the feed that you give your dog, since they are carnivorous animals, the dry kibble you provide them cannot be made with corn as the main ingredient, if the one you offer is like this it, means that it is poor quality, look for a brand that includes meat or fish as the main ingredient and in a high percentage, this will not only give it a more pleasant taste, but will also include the nutrients they need and will have lower amounts of fat, to know if a feed is good for our dog, we must always ensure that the percentage of animal protein is greater than the rest of the ingredients.
Respect the portion size is recommended by the manufacturer :
it’s similarly important that you give your dog the amount of feed corresponding to their weight and physical activity levels, once you get them to eat well, you can decrease or increase their food portions within the margins indicated if the dog loses or gains weight. also, it’s best to establish a proper feeding schedule water, on the other hand, must always be available as well as clean and fresh.
Stop Giving Them Your Food :
the next step is to stop giving your food to the dog either while you cook or when you eat, these stronger flavors are a temptation for the dog, but you are offering them food with higher amounts of salt and other components that will only be harmful to them, the first few days of this may be difficult, but you can reward them with some treats for dogs, pieces of ham or other recommended natural recipes.
always do so when you finish eating, take them to the vet if despite following these tips your dog still refuses to eat feed, we recommend that you go to the vet to rule out gum and tooth diseases, dental problems in particular make it difficult for the dog to chew hard kibble.
