Some owners must put up with their dog’s fussy eating habits for the rest of its life.
Others discover that their dog suddenly gets choosy.
Whatever the reason, persuading a picky dog to eat might seem like an insurmountable challenge. So what do you do if your dog refuses to eat?
Here is a list of 3 solutions that we came up with. You will understand what to do to get your dog to eat once you have completed reading.
1. Consult your veterinarian
Has your dog suddenly begun refusing food or developed a selective palate? The problem could be medical.
Numerous medical conditions might cause your dog to lose their appetite or stop eating completely.
The following are some of the most typical medical diseases that cause fussy eating:
Dental disease ingested something they shouldn’t have
- Allergies
- Infection
- Parasites
- digestive disorders
- arthritis or back problems
- adverse reactions to vaccines
Visit your veterinarian as soon as possible if your dog isn’t eating and is losing weight, or if his coat appears untidy.
Unfortunately, a lot of owners think that their dog not eating means that they are losing weight.
Even a finicky dog won’t starve himself if he is healthy. If your dog isn’t on a diet, weight loss is probably a medical problem that has to be addressed.
Oh, and as always, talk to your vet before making any changes or additions to your dog’s food!
Need to quickly schedule a cheap veterinarian? Visit Vetster, a website that enables you to communicate with a veterinarian anytime, day or night, through video, chat, or voice.
2. Delay feeding your dog today; do so tomorrow.
Owner taking dry dog food bowl from picky Lab who refused it
Okay, so this approach might appear cruel, but many parents of picky eaters vouch for its effectiveness.
The process begins with feeding your dog dinner as usual.
Leave the room and avoid interacting with your dog at this period. Ignore your dog if he follows you.
Take away your dog’s food if he doesn’t finish it within 15 minutes.
You will now have to wait until the next morning. It’s time to serve your dog breakfast after his dinner.
Make sure it’s a fresh meal; never give kibble that has been out all day.
Take away your dog’s food if he still hasn’t finished it after 15 minutes.
Your dog won’t have eaten anything all day long when dinnertime comes around. Your dog will have reached this point and be pretty hungry, as well as aware that he won’t be receiving any more food.
Your dog will be given only one option: to eat his meal!
This approach is effective since a healthy dog won’t starve to death. If there is no other option, your dog will cheerfully accept a dish that he dislikes since it is better than an upset stomach.
And as for your dog becoming hungry, don’t worry about it. The majority of dogs can spend many days without eating.
3. Change to a more appetising meal
Giving a picky Jack Russell Terrier a different kind of dry dog food to eat
You might be able to get your picky dog to eat by only switching to a new food.
Your dog can’t speak, which is a sad fact. Simply bark. Your dog may be attempting to tell you that he doesn’t enjoy the flavour of his food by refusing to eat it.
Be careful to steer clear of comparable tastes while switching. Since the flavours of these two dry dog meals are so similar, switching from Purina One Chicken & Rice to Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice, for instance, is unlikely to convince your dog to finish his meal.
You ought to experiment with a totally new flavour instead. Let’s assume that your dog dislikes the taste of chicken. Instead, you might want to try beef, venison, or fish.
The good news is that more delicious meals doesn’t always have to cost more. Changing to a less expensive kind has proven successful for many picky dog owners — cheap doesn’t always imply bland!
That applied to Chop, a picky bulldog. Chop’s owner switched from Iams Chicken Flavor to Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula because of a limited budget.
Chop adapted to the new food right away, and by moving to a less expensive brand, his owner was able to save money.
It’s interesting to note that many owners of picky dogs who switched to dog food made with fish claimed success.
They observed that flavours of smelly fish, such salmon, tuna, or whitehead, were considerably more likely to be devoured than more conventional flavours, like beef or chicken.
The following were the top 6 fish tastes suggested by picky dog owners…
- Want salmon and ocean fish
- Freshwater Fish from Acana
- True Instinct With Real Salmon & Tuna by Purina
- Salmon from the wild by Diamond Naturals
- Lamb & Mackerel Ziwi
- Fish Salmon
Have a delicate nose? These dried foods have a distinct fishy odour. As you scoop out your dog’s food, you might need to hold your breath. However, it will be worthwhile when you witness your finicky dog devour his meal!
Just be careful not to frequently change your dog’s food. Changing your diet frequently might have unforeseen consequences:
Just be careful not to frequently change your dog’s food. Changing your dog’s diet frequently might have an unexpected consequence of increasing his likelihood of refusing food.
