why wont he eat???
why wont he eat???
i have a 3 yr old collie ger shep cross. he has never had a huge appetite meaning u could leave an entire bowl of food and throughout the day he would help himself when he wants but would finish it in a day. well starting last wk he hadnt eaten any of his food at all so i thought it was the brand as they were sold out of his usual although when be brought it home he ate it the first day. so anyways i got hisusual and he wouldnt touch it. however he has no problem with the cats food and at one point when he hadnt eaten for 2 days i gave him a can of good quality moist dog food which he gobbled up. so we figured out it wasnt something wrong with him so much as being picky! once in a while we will give him scraps, but healthier ones and we are thinking that he has just gotten picky about his food as he has no probs eating anything else!! so other than suggesting a vet visit which is being done has anyone elses dog gotten this way due to the fact of giving them "scraps"? or tinned dog food that tastes better?
Re: why wont he eat???
You're doing the right thing by taking him to the vet to make sure nothing is physically wrong. Make sure the vet takes a very close look at the teeth, mouth, and gums. Any problem there may make a dog not want to eat dry food.
Assuming there isn't a health problem of some kind, most dogs will eat when they are hungry enough, but some can be picky. Simply mixing in a small amount of canned food (or even water) into the dry may solve the problem. Sometimes, it takes a while to find a food a dog likes. It may be the taste, the texture, the smell, or the size of the kibble. My Angel isn't picky with the food itself, but is very picky about the size of the kibble - she likes them very small. One thing to consider is where you are storing the food. Could it be picking up the smell of something he wouldn't like or have become contaminated with a cleanser or insecticide, or something like that?
Assuming there isn't a health problem of some kind, most dogs will eat when they are hungry enough, but some can be picky. Simply mixing in a small amount of canned food (or even water) into the dry may solve the problem. Sometimes, it takes a while to find a food a dog likes. It may be the taste, the texture, the smell, or the size of the kibble. My Angel isn't picky with the food itself, but is very picky about the size of the kibble - she likes them very small. One thing to consider is where you are storing the food. Could it be picking up the smell of something he wouldn't like or have become contaminated with a cleanser or insecticide, or something like that?
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
Re: why wont he eat???
i'm lost: do you have a problem with feeding him the canned food...it is the same as dried but with moisture added...if he likes only that, why no give it to him?????
Re: why wont he eat???
What type of "scraps" are you giving him? Dogs should rarely be given people food or table scraps, since many of them can contain fats, predisposing to pancreatitis, obesity, or GI tract upsets, bloat, etc. Also, scraps fed on a too-frequent basis can in fact, cause a pet to become finicky and avoid their regular pet food.
..........Traci