Feeding The Finicky Dog
Is Your Dog Finicky?
I often question is there really such a thing. Generally speaking, healthy dogs are opportunistic creatures and most of them would eat trash and roadkill. I tend to believe if your dog is acting finicky, we need to explore the why.
How Food Can Make Your Dog Seem Finicky
There are a variety of reasons your dog may stop eating his food.
The food (kibble) is going rancid. Mold? Storage Mites? https://welloiledk9.com/wellfedk9/storing-kibble
Is the food cold? Too hot? The wrong protein, some ingredient he doesn’t like
is the texture weird or boring?
It doesn’t agree with the dog’s digestive system and he knows it. Many will skip foods that make the uncomfortable until they are forced to eat anything available because that’s all that’s offered.
Intolerances are pretty common in dogs — and they can develop over a period of time. https://welloiledk9.com/intolerance-testing-for-dogs
Starchy Carbohydrates, preservatives, synthetic vitamins & minerals, food dyes, or other poor quality ingredients could be cause inflammation in your dog’s body.
Your dog has eaten this food for so long, it’s boring.
Your dog simply does not like what’s being offered.
Did your pet food brand change the formulation? You know, when the sold out to the candy company or new ownership?
Health Reasons Your Dog May Be Finicky
We all have off days. Sometimes it can be stress, anxiety, or depression. This is pretty common when change occurs, when you leave your dog at the kennel or with a pet sitter, loss of a friend etc.
Did they just receive vaccines, flea and tick products, new shampoo, new cleaning products in the home, or eat something they should not have? New Mediations? All can cause your dog to go off food — some with far more serious consequences.
Evaluate the quality of poop. Are they vomiting? Diarrhea? Nauseus?
Is the weather changing? As temperatures get colder, your dog (even fresh fed dogs) may desire warming proteins and foods or cooler foods in summer (Learn More about 5-Element theory)
Have you done blood work? If this has been going on more than a couple of weeks, it may be time to get a veterinary work-up done. Lab results may give us some clues.
It’s important to understand that if your dog starts to feel nauseous after eating, they may refuse that food when offered again. This may be why it seems that your dog eats new things, but isn’t willing to eat it again after a few days. There could be issues with the liver that need to be addressed.
Could there be a blockage of some sort? Again did they eat something they shouldn’t have? A kid’s toy, socks, underwear, rawhide, cooked bones, etc. These will be cause for concern as they may not pass through the digestive system. Monitor for 24 hours and vet care as needed.
Did a guest in your home bring food in their suitcase, xylitol in their toothpaste or cookies? You may need to make your dog vomit, offer Milk Thistle, and Frankincense essential oil as you head out to the vet for emergency care.
Senior Dogs will not tolerate missed meals for long. So for them we may need to work a little harder to entice them to eat.
Puppies usually don’t miss meals. So we need to look out for common puppy health issues — Giardia, Parvo
Too many treats during training?
Lethargic, Temperature, Pale Gums, Breathing changes, etc — all may warrant an emergency vet visit.
What’s Else May be Wrong?
Plastic Bowls or Metal Bowls — sometimes the bowl freaks the dog out. Try a different bowl or a feeding mat.
Did the environment change or is there an association with a particular space / room?
Fasting The Dog
If the average healthy dogs goes off their meal for a day, don’t panic. And don’t try to zhuzh up something for them. Let them fast for the day, maybe offer some bone broth, and keep plenty of water available. Your dog can skip meals for a few days and not
Tips To Get A Finicky Dog To Eat
While I do believe in fresh food, or even fresh food toppers for kibble, I don’t want you trying to use low-nutrient ingredients to get your dog to eat. It would be like offering a kid dessert before they eat their meat and veg. But there are a few things you can try:
Bone Broth for moisture (Volhard feeders, try it instead of water)
If you are a raw feeder, gently cook their food
Make something homemade — a day or two of a homemade recipe will be fine. It’s over the long-haul that you’ll need to make sure you have a well-balanced menu.
Kibble feeders try a Fresh Food Topper, gently cooked hamburger, chicken, turkey, etc
Stir in Kefir or Yogurt
Add some fresh protein — gently cooked if needed.
Add An Egg — raw, scrambled, boiled
Change the protein you’re offering
Kibber feeders you can change protein choices within brand.
Intolerances are possible and can develop over time
Essential Oils on the belly like Ginger, Fennel, or Peppermint w/ carrier.
if you’re loading up the bowl with supplements, stop them for a day or so and see if that changes their opinion of the food. You may have adjust your delivery method.
Supplementation may need to be explored to support digestion, liver, probiotics, etc.
Are they hungry?
What Not To Do
No Treats until they eat their meal. Many dogs will hold out for junk food or fill-up on treats and not nutritious food.
No hand-feeding unless your dog is very sick and/or very senior and you’re desperate to get them to eat anything. Don’t spoil the puppies and healthy adult dogs.
No processed deli meats. Too many preservatives & too much sodium, nitrates, etc.
Remember, we do not recommend free feeding. That is leaving a bowl out all day and refilling it when it’s empty. It’s easy for us to not be fully aware of how much or how little our dogs are eating and when. Further, it taxes the digestive system by having food at different stages of digestion simultaneously, all day, everyday.