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This post is about when a dog won't eat; they aren't sick and simply choose to fast. If you suspect your dog is sick, please contact your veterinarian. This post was originally published in December 2014. It has been updated with new information.
If your dog won't eat, but everything else is normal – your dog isn't listless, vomiting, and the stool is fine – then this is the post for you. If you notice any changes in behavior or appearance, contact your vet. This post is for dog owners who have otherwise healthy dogs.
When we switched our dogs to raw food, I thought they'd excitedly eat their food. Raw meat is biologically appropriate for dogs. I truly imagined a “finally, she gets it” attitude from our dogs. Instead, I got some hesitancy, a lot of sniffing and licking, and a slow build to their love of raw feeding for Rodrigo and Sydney. Scout, Zoey, and Apollo have always loved their raw, but there were a couple of days – years back – when Scout chose to go back to bed instead of eating.
Why Our Dogs Won't Eat
Each of our dogs has a different reaction to food and it's been fun getting to know their Food Personalities. There are several reasons why our dogs won't eat:
- my dog isn't hungry
- I'm feeding my dog too much
- my dog isn't interested in the protein (Rodrigo and Scout will pass on chicken)
- the food is different (smell or texture)
- the meal is missing something (Sydney used to wait until I added her green beans before she'd eat)
- the raw egg isn't mixed into the food (Rodrigo prefers it this way – or cooked)
- my dog wants to go potty before eating
- my dog is tired (Scout used to be a grump in the morning and sometimes would skip breakfast and sleep in)
- there isn't enough space between their dish and another dog
- my dog wants me to feed them*
- my dog is having a bad gut day**
- my dog is in pain
* When we first adopted Rodrigo and Sydney, I read a lot to help us combat “littermate syndrome.” One book recommended feeding puppies by hand to help them bond to you so I did this with our dogs. As a result, if the dogs see me with a spoon in my hand, they'll wait for me to feed them. Sometimes I do.
** Rodrigo has had digestive issues since he was a puppy and in 2019 he was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Sometimes, he has a bad gut day. When this happens, I feed him a mixture of Olewo carrots, bone broth to soothe his tummy. Kefir mixed with a raw egg and a digestive supplement also helps to calm his gut. These meals have become rare since his EPI diagnosis and the addition of digestive enzymes to his diet.
How I Get Our Dogs to Eat
Feeding our dogs a raw food diet helps a lot. I rarely have a morning where one of my dogs won't eat – it may happen once a year because our dogs are rarely “not hungry.” So on those rare mornings when one of our dogs won't eat, I first try to temp them with food. If they still won't eat, then I need to figure out if my dog isn't feeling well and they need a break. If the lack of appetite is a sign of a health issue; if this is the case, then I take notes for the vet. And sometimes one of the dogs will choose to self fast and in this case, I do nothing.
Tempting Our Dogs to Eat
The best way to temp my dogs to eat is to pour warmed bone broth over their meal (I always have a jar available in the freezer). If they're still not interested, then I watch to see if they want to eat (they try, but then start licking their lips because they feel nauseated or if they just aren't interested. Either way, in my experience, all of this usually clears up within 24 hours. #knockonwood
A few other foods that the dogs will eat include:
- canned sardines
- green tripe
- raw goat's milk
- kefir
If they still won't eat, then I put the food in the fridge and try again in a few hours or at the next meal. And I make sure the water bowls are filled with fresh, clean water.
When My Dogs Choose to Self Fast
When I was new to raw feeding, I was so uncertain. Over the years, I've learned to pay attention to and trust my dogs. If one of our dogs won't eat a protein or chooses to self-fast, then I trust that it's something they need to do. I still pay attention and take notes in case I need to call the vet. This helps me better understand my dogs and their diet and health.
My dogs don't often self-fast because I fast them once or twice weekly. This gives their gut a break while boosting their immune system and more. Read more about the benefits of fasting our dogs.
7 More Reasons My Dogs Won't Eat
Health issues and upset tummies aren't the only reasons my dogs won't eat. Here are a handful more reasons that we should be aware of…
1 – A Change in Routine
I'm an accountant by day and I love a routine and dogs thrive on a consistent routine. But when our routine is shaken up, then the stress may result in one of the dogs not eating or being slow to eat. The last time this happened was when my stepson moved in with us (he's grown and living on his own now). The excitement of having him in the house full-time was a distraction to the dogs making mealtime a challenge. They'd prefer to excitedly greet my stepson than eat their breakfast.
2 – The Addition of a New Dog
The excitement of new energy in the house can lead to decreased appetites. When Apollo joined our family, the dogs were easily distracted by him. We also had a shake-up in pack dynamics that we had to work through. It didn't take long for everyone to settle down.
3 – Dental Issues
If a dog is in pain, then s/he may not want to eat. And the first thing I think about is dental issues. My dogs enjoy recreational and raw meaty bones which come with the risk of dental issues. Thankfully, we haven't had a negative experience, but the risk is there, especially for aggressive chewers. Also, there's just age that may impact dental health.
Over the past year, both Rodrigo and Scout have lost teeth for no apparent reason. They kept eating, but I pay closer attention to everyone's teeth now.
4 – Traveling with Dogs
We've only traveled with our dogs once. Years ago, Johan and I took Rodrigo and Sydney for a long weekend on the lake. It was heavenly. But, for the first night, Rodrigo and Sydney wouldn't only eat frozen yogurt (made for dogs). There were just too many new experiences, sights, smells, and sounds. Too many distractions. But once they settled in, they were happy to eat the following day,
5 – Vaccinations
I'm an “anti-vaxxer” when it comes to my dogs. I believe in puppy vaccinations and the one-year booster. After that, I don't vaccinate because I believe vaccinations have a longer life than what we're told – 7 years versus 3 years. Check out Dr. Jean Dodds of Hemopet – Vaccination Protocol. She has a lot of great information about vaccinations. I sat in on a presentation that she gave and it was very eye-opening.
6 – The Food is Bad
As a raw feeder, there have been days when the food turned. I couldn't smell it yet, but the dogs could smell it. This is rare, thankfully, because I've learned how long various foods can sit in the fridge before going bad.
7 – I've Rewarded Pickiness in the Past
And, finally, a reason why my dogs won't eat is that I've rewarded their pickiness in the past. I used to be a short-order cook for my dogs. If they didn't like something, I'd pick it up and try something else again and again. Unlike people who genuinely have picky dogs, I was creating picky dogs. Once I stopped doing this, the dogs stopped being so picky.
When I Consult Our Veterinarian
I only consult with a veterinarian if my dog's lack of appetite is accompanied by other symptoms of illness. But I do pay attention, especially if their lack of appetite goes beyond 48 hours and isn't helped by my tips and tricks (noted above).
I maintain a journal where I keep track of my dogs' monthly weight changes, notes on their lumps and bumps, and other information that would be helpful to their veterinarian. This isn't a special journal – just the basic lined journal you can buy at any office supply store or online. A journal is also helpful for pet insurance claims. If the lack of appetite turns into something bigger, you want to apply any associated vet bills to the claim.
Hi Carol – why don’t you give your dog table scraps? Adding fresh food to a dog’s bowl is a great way to improve their diet. I don’t recommend things like turkey or chicken skin (too fatty), cooked bones, or onions; but there are many foods that we eat that we can share with our dogs.
Our 7 month lab mix used to snarf food down. In the last month, he has gotten to where he eats sparingly. We went away for 6 days and my sister watched him. He ate perfectly for her! I guess during Christmas we gave him too many table scraps….just wondering if that is all it is? We have done our best since returning to not give table scraps….he just barely eats again?
Many dogs self fast. Fasting is great for the digestive tract, giving it a break from constantly digesting food and allowing the immune system to restart. If your dog isn’t starving and the fasting isn’t a problem for her health, then I would let it be. I have a friend who has two dogs that self-fast and will go up to three days without eating. And, according to scientists, many dogs can go up to 30 days without eating and just drinking water. You can learn more about fasting here: https://keepthetailwagging.com/5-benefits-of-fasting-raw-fed-dogs-ad/
If you want to make sure your dog is getting some sustenance daily, I recommend making bone broth for her or adding raw goat’s milk to her diet. Here is my recipe for bone broth: https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/bonebroth.
If you have a local goat farm, you may be able to get goat’s milk affordably there; otherwise, Answers Pet Food is available in many independent pet stores.
Our problem is unique. Dogs not eating is not new but Preiti our female pet who is 11 years old has come up with something odd. No Vet has solved this problem. Her blood work is excellent. She is active, sleeps well, no vomiting. In other words she is a healthy dog.
The problem is that she stops eating for days at a time and I am not sure if she will get back on her own as we give her a drip and then two days later she gets back to eating well. Stops again and this routine goes on This time even after the drip she has not started eating She has lost a lot of weight. This we notice since August of this year
She drinks a lot of water. I though it could be anorexia
After going through HELL with my dog, I spoke extensively to my 89yr old mom who has had hundreds of poodles over the last 60yrs…yes hundreds, because she bred them and showed them and sold them…they are absolutely notorious for being picky eaters. She has tons of experience that would otherwise cost you dearly at a Vets office, including TONS of expensive testing, feeding them through tubes, and drugs that will eventually create more serious problems.
She said that she has never had even one dog starve itself to death. What they do is hold out to see if anything new and exciting/better comes down the pike (once they catch on to the idea that you are eager to please them and are trying every different thing that you can think of to do so)…and they can hold out a LONG LONG time regardless of how hungry they are or how frantic you get. Many of the ones who do that are “alpha” dogs…that is, dogs who want to train YOU to comply to their fickle will. Half the time they don’t even know what exactly it is that they want…but they do know that they’d prefer something ELSE…usually something that YOU are presently eating in front of them lol!
She said to just buy a really high quality kibble (although I am loathe to feed kibble)…but I digress…Costco sells a USDA certified Organic dog food that is on line that has never had a recall. Put out a cup or so of kibble and stir in a couple tablespoons of warm bone broth (home made is best) and maybe some ground flax seed, and some type of fresh meat or cooked liver or raw egg yolk or anything to further bump up the protein. Let it sit out an hour…even two at most.
If the dog does not eat, pick it up and put it into the fridge. Totally ignore the dog while the food is out…even crate the dog for awhile if necessary so it has nothing else to do but eat (if it chooses to do so). DO NOT give anything else except water for the rest of the day or evening either. This is the hardest part…ask me how I know.
Next morning repeat…using the food not eaten the day before. If the dog still wont eat within those one or two hours, (thinking it is just a matter of time before YOU cave in), then throw it away in front of the dog…let the dog SEE you throwing its food into the garbage can. Look the dog in the eyes and say “All gone”.
Keep repeating this until the DOG CAVES and is trained to stop using psychological warfare against you.
My mom said that each meal eaten or each meal rejected is a personal choice that the DOG is conscience in making. The dog can CHOOSE to hold out and go hungry, or otherwise CHOOSE to eat what you put in front of it…it is really that simple. Just make sure that the food that you set before them (ONCE a day), is of the highest quality and rotate the proteins often. I would also add to give the dog a SMALL spoon of raw butter OR 1/4 Cup of raw milk just before bed IF they are already into the second night of rejecting their food…amount depends of course, on the weight of the dog…mine is 18lbs. If you cant find raw…give something else like a small chunk of cheese.
It will stop the stomach acids from causing “hunger vomiting”….but won’t ruin their appetite for the morning…because it is not enough to satisfy.
Hunger will build and build until the dog KNOWS it MUST eat. It will also learn WHEN the opportunity to eat happens in your household…and WHEN it does NOT…and dogs actually thrive on routine. This only works if you do not cave in due to your own fear or sentiments. Put it entirely on the dog to decide, because survival is built in regardless of “preferences”.
Debra,
Forgot to tell you that 30%+ of dogs that get tested for Giardia will have a false positive reading…and many if not most dogs naturally carry it anyway…even many humans do because they can get it from their dogs. Unless your pooch has a lot of severe inflammatory digestive/bowel issues, gas, and with lots of chronic unexplained diarrea, then don’t worry…most dogs show no obvious symptoms of having it and most of the time it causes no problems unless they are very old and/or have a poor immunity system.
My Vet has given my dog so many drugs that have tons of side effects (If you bother to look them up on line because they NEVER include the paperwork about the drugs or offer you actual “informed” consent, or patronize and roll their eyes if you dare to question them)…I am amazed at what they will give w/o knowing and/or caring about the side effects that are often worse than the disease. After all, a sick dog is a cash cow…rather than a healthy one.
My dog was having chronic ear infections, eye infections, and had rashes/blisters/pus on her tummy early on due to the living conditions she came from…and having tons of curly inner ear hair too. I read all the side effects from the drugs that my Vet gave me, including 1 out of 60 dogs experiencing deafness within 3 to 10 days of using the ear drops and freaked out. Instead, I tossed the meds and clean her face/eyes with warm water every morning, use diluted Povidone Iodine to clean her ears with a cotton ball, and put some on her stomach too. Infections were gone within 10 days and have stayed gone with this daily routine. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old.
Debra,
Your dog sounds EXACTLY like mine:
Mine ate everything I set in front of her until around 4 months old. I fed her a mostly Raw food diet…some things I cooked. She was given the best food…organic, fresh, human…no kibble for her. She ate like a pig…then, suddenly, got pickier and pickier…refusing eggs, beef, steak, pork, lamb, bison, venison, turkey…anything except perhaps, junk food! She jumps around and plays with her food rather than eating it!
I cooked several meals a day for her…tried all kinds of different ways to cook and entice her to eat…even adding butter and whole raw milk or cream. She’d go 2 to 3 days with no eating, but only drinking water…still does.
She is SUPER active even when not eating. Then suddenly, she will eat everything in her bowl when I least expect it. She is with me 24/7. I give up…even had dark thoughts about giving her away because of all the focus on her damn problem. Then one day I decided that this is going to have to be HER problem if she wants to live, not mine, and I do the following now:
Now days, at 8 months old, I quit worrying about it because it was too distracting and causing me too much stress. I put her food back in the fridge after an hour or so if she wont eat…then heat it up again at dinner time. If she wont eat it, it goes right back into the fridge until we have done this for two days. Then I throw it out and start all over again. She will have a noisy stomach at night, and even vomit bile/acid and still refuse food. So I have given her a slab of raw butter (never turns that down) at night to keep her from vomiting when she has gone two days w/o eating because I do not want to listen to her stomach growl or her “hunger vomiting”.
This is expensive and a waste…but she also won’t eat kibble or canned food either. I even tried boiling rice and chicken (the kind of simple diet that even most sick dogs would eat)…she ate it ONE time and then never again…ditto for everything else. Is she waiting to see what is new on the menu??? Shall I take her to France or Sweden to see what culinary delights they have to offer he lol!?
The one thing she WILL always eat is fried calves liver…but I cannot give her that more than once a week because of all the Vit A. She throws it out of her bowl and then plays with it for five minutes, then scarfs it down…no diarrea. She will also eat a boneless chicken thigh if I fry it with the “correct” seasonings…but only every two to three days, and rejects anything else in between…unless it is something she should not have like my coffee or scones or something that is utterly crap…I have to literally HIDE from her when I eat crap. She chews on bully sticks daily…nice clean teeth. I have spent $9 on 6oz raw cheese for her…only to have her reject it after a few days too.
She is a purebred miniature poodle. My 89yr old mom has been raising Champion Poodles since the sixties and she said that “they will eat when they are damn well good and ready to and not a minute before…unless it is a good stinky cheese or a piece of forbidden chocolate of course” lol! My pup is very lean but no bones are sticking out that I can tell (yet)…but she has tons of curly hair. She weighs in at 18lbs which is a decent enough weight, although I do not know how the heck she even managed that. She is “supposed” to weigh in at around 22lbs when fully grown…and I think she is already full grown. I was hoping to put those 4 extra pounds on her in case of illness…but that looks impossible to do because of her “issue”.
I hope it helps you to know that there are many others out there who have dogs like yours and mine. Nothing wrong with them that a Vet can tell…but it is best to just let them live out their life being picky and if they die sooner rather than later…it is all on them. So enjoy them while you can.
My 9 month old recently stopped getting excited to eat. She would just lay there as I prepared the food for all 4 of my dogs. Have been making their food using steamed chicken or turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans. The other 3 dogs eat as fast as they can. But the baby decided she just didn’t want it. She acted as if it was herd to pick up. After several days of hardly eating and I tried to feed her just about anything safe for dogs, she only picked and only from my hand. I switched bowls to plates and nothing is grabbing her attention. Took her to the vet. They checked all her teeth. No temp, no diarrhea. They took X-rays and sent out blood for tests. She’s acting totally fine but just won’t eat. Stools are normal and she drinks normal. She acts like she wants to eat but will only lick off my fingers. She will protect her bowl from the other dogs. Tried feeding her alone, she’s not interested. Vet sent her home with a appetite stimulant and a anti nausea medication. That evening, she ate from her bowl her turkey and sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Next day she’s back to not eating. She will push on her food with her nose or pick up a piece and try to go hide it. Vet calls saying lab work is back and there are some concerns with her blood protein. Also tested positive for Giardia. Took her right back to have urine drawn for a urinalysis and got the pills for the Giardia. Thru say to make sure I give the pills with a meal. If she won’t eat then how can I make sure they are taken with a meal. The staff did not give me any answer. Got her home and she would not eat. Spent almost 2 hours trying to get her to eat anything and it was just heartbreaking. Finally she licked enough so I have her the 2.5 pills for the Giardia. Went and blought more food, she’s not interested in anything. I found a can of cooked lentils so I opened that. She ate a small plate on her own. She also loves lettuce so I offered her that dad she was grabbing it from my hand. She ate a big plate of lettuce. So far in 2 days I’ve spent 754 at the vet for all these tests. Today I’m waiting for the results of her urinalysis. Vet said she may have a kidney issue. She had NO diarrhea and the vet keeps asking me how she’s doing with the diarrhea. I’ve told them so many times that she pees and poos normal. They said the next thing would be a ultrasound which is 1000. My dog acts 109% fine except for the eating. She runs and plays and bites all her toys and will eat a bully stick till it’s gone. I’ve invested so much at this vet office and it’s droving me crazy. Will see what they say about her urinalysis soon and go from there but was just really interested to hear comments. I don’t mind paying to get the diagnosis but when is enough enough?
The other 3 dogs are totally happy and healthy and are all over 8 years. They tell me that all. 3 now must be tested for Giardia as well but none have ever had it and do not have diarrhea. Each test is 60 bucks.
Hi Alicia
If my dog stopped eating, my first step would be to call our veterinarian. I simply don’t trust Google searches to diagnose my babies and I wouldn’t want to risk them getting sicker when a vet could catch something right away and help.
Best of luck.
My 11 month old chihuahua stopped eating over the past few days. He’s acting normal and nothing has changed (routine, food, travel, etc). He used to yelp and get so excited when I was getting his food and would eat it very quickly when I put it down, but a few days ago he hesitated and it took him an hour or two to finish it. Then the next day it took him a few more hours to finish his food, then as the days went on it took him longer and longer and now today he is just not eating at all. I gave him his food at 9pm last night like normal and this morning at 10am the food was still there, not touched. I don’t know if I should call the vet or not because he IS acting like his normal self, just not eating.
Until recently my 7 year old Boston terrier named Elly; has NEVER turned away food. I give her science diet brand (hard food) 2x a day. Elly loves food and loves doing tricks to get her food, playing. She’s a very outgoing and happy Boston. Recently we had lost our other Boston Daisey. She was 15 years old and had lived and been with Elly since she was a puppy. It was around this time that she starts being picky about her food. Well simply put she just did not want it. I tried giving her scrambled eggs on top of her food. She barely ate the scrambled eggs and literally picked out all the other pieces of hard food and put them next to her dish! So I’m like okay you dint want the hard food. I tried canned food of the same brand. She would eat it but not really. The vet did the usual tests. They said they checked her mouth. BUT every time I try to give her something hard she doesn’t want it. If she eats anything it has to be soft! I dint know if it’s a tooth problem or if she’s depressed. But I know this is not my dog. She’s never skipped a meal in her life. Oh and yes she’s been having regular BM and no vomiting, no gas. She’s just seems a little blue, like she seems sad. I have another appointment with the vet today and I’m going to tell them to do X-rays and whatever we have to. But I just want to know if any of you have ever experienced a similar situation or even any thoughts about this..it would be comforting. This dog is everything to me so anythung would be helpful 🙁
That sounds just like our Labradoodle, Daisy. We adopted her in January this year and it has been a struggle since day one to get her to consistently eat. The shelter said she seems to do best with dry and wet food mixed. We have tried every brand, or it seems. We finally tried the Merrick Texas Beef and she ate it consistently for a week and we were elated. The past 10 days she is back to being picky. There are no other issues going on, she plays and is fine.
Without knowing your dog, I’d suggest a vet visit to rule out anything healthwise.
My dogs eat a raw food diet and when they won’t eat, I find that putting a food topper (sardines, dried liver, or dried mussels), bone broth, or raw goat’s milk make their meal more interesting. I switch up proteins weekly to keep them from getting bored, and I pay attention to things they absolutely won’t eat because I see this as my dogs letting me know that the food isn’t working for them – for instance, one of my dogs won’t eat chicken. It turns out that he has a chicken intolerance.
If you are feeding a raw diet, I suggest rotating proteins and whole foods more often, making several batches of bone broth, and seeing if your dog likes sardines (great for Omega 3 fatty acids) or goat’s milk or kefir (both great for digestive health).
I have a 14 1/2 yr old Boxer Terrier mix. She would go 2-3 days without eating and then eat her dog food. We tried putting water on it. She’d eat it like that for a week then go back to not eating. We changed her dog food thinking she was tired of the same food. That worked for a week or so and then she stopped. I started making her chicken, rice and vegetables. She ate it for a week and is now not eating it either. I even tried different vegetables. I even sprinkled dry peanut butter and a scrambled egg on top and she still won’t eat it (she can smell peanut butter a mile away). I’m at my wits end. Today I found out that she had peed in the living room before I got there to let her out. She has never had an accident in the house. Any suggestions?
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you so much for your response. Solidarity is so lovely to have, especially in these moments where we want to pull our hair out! Truly, your thoughtful response means a lot to me.
As a follow up, I have been able to get Zion eating more by feeding him more frequently and much more variety. Some days he wants rabbit, some days beef with tripe, some days buffalo… And, on hot days, he doesn’t really want to eat at all. Having options has kept him engaged and like he has a say in his diet. But, most of all, accepting that his needs are changing and allowing that has provided greater peace for us both.
All my best.
She may not be jealous, she may be hurt that she’s being ignored.
I noticed our dog seems not excited to eat her meal unlike before. There’s no changes in her routine. I feed her everyday. She still likes to play, her stool seems pretty much the same, it looks like that there’s no problem but when it comes to food, she seems uninterested. I feel that she’s jealous because we have a baby in the house and all our attention is on the baby. I don’t know. 🙁
Hi Michelle…
I have two Great Pyr mixes; four dogs total. I do listen to them when they tell me something about their diet that they like or don’t like. If it appears that a food is making them sick, they’ll lick their lips – this is showing that they want to eat, but whatever is in their dish is turning their stomach. So I take that food off the feeding list for them. For instance, two of my dogs won’t eat chicken or guinea hen because it gives them digestive issues. Smart dogs!
If you’ve been to the vet and your dog is healthy, then I suggest you continue feeding him what he will eat and trying different proteins now and then. I know raw feeders who feed 100% green tripe and their dogs are healthy. I prefer variety with my dogs, but they do get a lot of tripe.
I have a Great Pyrenees, and he will be 10 in 2 months. He’s always been on a raw diet, and done great. He is unbelievably healthy and active, especially for his size. But, slowly over the last year, he has become more and more picky about his food (ignoring certain flavors / brands) until now he is turning his nose at all raw food and only wants green tripe and some occasional kibble. He’s been to the vet and everything is just fine. Sometimes he’ll go to his bowl and lick his lips like he’s hungry, but he just won’t eat what I give him. Is this a Pyr thing? Or, any other thoughts?
Thank you so much.
Hi Caitlyn – you should go to the vet immediately! Your dog may be experiencing a blockage.
My dog is pretty old and isn’t eating. She’s a Boxer and around 11 years old. Even if she does eat she pukes it all back up. What should I do?
Good point, Seth.
I think stress can play a big factor as well. My dog isnt to fond of strangers and I am currently getting some work done on my home. I think with different people coming in and out all day it has effected his appetite.
what if a dog doesnt get used to the change in their routine? if the dog is unhappy in its new way of living would that cause a dog to not want to eat? you know like maybe there depressed, could that be a reason why a dog would go from having a healthy apetite to practically none at all?
My female, Sadie, will go two or three meals without eating, she seems fine, not sick, very active but she just doesn’t want to eat (I feed them twice a day morning and evening). Then all of a sudden she’ll eat like she’s starving a couple days and then back to not eating, though she loves her treats (I make homemade pumpkin and peanut butter treats), she’ll eat those any time. My male, Toby, is always hungry, if he skips a meal it’s because he don’t feel well. Once when Sadie was sick the vet had me give her just boiled chicken and rice, and she loved it and would jump up and down and couldn’t wait to eat, but once she was well I went back to her regular food (I feed them Blue Wilderness, which is very good food, wet and dry mixed). I thought well maybe I’ll just start giving her chicken with her food, then after a while she got bored with as well. She has done this since she’s been 6 months old, she is now 7, you never know when she’ll eat and when she won’t. It was good to hear from others whose dogs are the same way about eating, I don’t feel quite like she’s the only one now.
My dogs eat like royalty too. Lol. I’ll make them a pot roast or brisket. Hamburgers. Pork chops. Roasted chicken. They’ve never had a problem with eating. They’ll eat the “good ” food, but also eat their dry dog food. And are very active. They go out every day. They go on all vacations with us. Labs and a pit mix.
I have a boxer male 10 years this year, a Moodle male 10 months and a lab mix female 7 months. They are all part of the family, get to come inside as they please and I have a big yard for them to play. My boxer (coby) has always been thin, only a big eater when he was a puppy. He used to refuse to eat when the family would leave for any period of time (the longest we left was 7 days and my uncle had to come with pies and sausage rolls so he would eat!) food has never been a huge thing for my boxer he never obsessed over it like most dogs. They get a variety of meals, including roast chicken, lamb with the works of cooked veggies and gravey (from my aunties work) to just average canned food and raw chicken (yes our dogs usually eat like kings). My boxer being the eldest is a very emotional dog for my father passed away two years ago, and although always being a major sook, went through a period of depression. He is fine now, although after all the time still eats a minimal amount of food! We get comments that he is thin but he is just not a big eater! My male Moodle is getting the same habits but since he is young we are making sure he eats till he is full for he is quite light as well. My female dog is the opposite, she is actually a bit chubby and eats like there is no tomorrow, never stopping. I used to give the wet fresh food at night and always leave biscuits out 24/7 but my lab was getting a bit too fat. I don’t know if it’s a male dog thing but it worries me because I know all my dogs are healthy, I just don’t want my boys to get too thin!
Great post! There’s some really helpful information here. Thanks so much for sharing this!
I use a natural toothpaste – whatever is currently available at my local pet store or I buy online if I remember to add it to cart. Currently it’s Petrodex but I have also used Cain & Able and Triple Pet. I keep our used toothbrushes and use them for the dogs. We buy hard or medium bristles but they are quite softened by the time we ourselves are through with them. I brush at least once on alternate days, most times once daily. On the days I don’t brush, I use a dental gel. The gel is also useful after meals to prevent food buildup. Currently using Mercola Dental Gel – smells really good!
That sounds like heaven (except the tooth part). I would love to travel more with our pack and wish we had a vacation home that we could take off too.
I’ve started examining our dogs’ teeth just in case. I worry that I won’t know about a broken tooth until it’s too late. What do you brush your dogs’ teeth with?
It always cracks me up when someone tries to give one of our dogs a treat (approved by me). I know they won’t eat it until they settle down.
That’s an interesting fact about that breed. I had no idea. That just goes to show how important it is to read up on a breed and know their history.
Pyrs have really slow metabolisms so not eating is a pretty frequent thing in our house. It’s not a big deal right now because they need to stay lean as they continue to grow, but as they get older I’ll have to start adding something tempting to get them to eat consistently 😉
Change in routine is a pretty common reason. I used to do a lot of dog sitting and dog fostering in my home, and many of the dogs wouldn’t eat on the first day or two. They seemed to be feeling fine, they were just too busy checking everything out. It’s like they didn’t have time to eat! I guess, I’m like that too when I travel. If my schedule is off, I might realize, oh it’s 2 p.m. and I haven’t even had lunch yet.
If a dog won’t eat, I usually just put the food away and offer them food at their next usual time. It’s rare they’ll skip more than a meal or two.
Hardly anything puts our pair off eating, not travel, visits to the vet, change in routine, etc. Something has to be REALLY wrong for them to not eat. Even when my female had a major slab fracture on her back molar (from boarding for 3 weeks) and we were feeding kibble back then (more than 5 years ago), she still didn’t show any hesitation with eating except for maybe being 2 seconds slower! We only discovered it when I brushed her teeth 2 days later. She is sometimes a little bit slower due to different textures ie she prefers a firmer texture compared to sticky or watery texture but that’s the extent of it. My male eats everything with the same enthusiasm. They go away with us regularly so are used to changes in routine and staying overnight in different places – no change to appetite there either.