5 Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Refuses To Eat

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This dog is a fussy eater
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Good eating habits are vital to the health of any dog. Sometimes, some dogs just refuse to eat, causing concern in their owners. The following discusses possible causes and solutions for this very common problem.

5 Possible reasons why your dog refuses to eat

Your dog wants your attention

If you’ve not been spending enough time with your dog, he may feel neglected and bored. And he’ll try to get your attention. One way is by not eating.

Your dog has learnt in the past that he’ll get lots of attention when he’s not eating. He knows that you’ll plead with him and try to coax him to eat, even offering to hand-feed him.

To overcome this problem, spend more time with your dog. Play more often with him and take him out for daily walks.

Your dog is spoilt

Maybe you’ve been spoiling your dog too much. He’s now a fussy eater. You’ll need to be strict with him. If your dog is not eating, simply remove his food bowl after half an hour. And do not offer him any more food until the next meal time.

Your dog will eventually learn to eat at the proper meal time. Otherwise, he won’t get to eat until the next mealtime.

Your dog’s food is not appetizing

Always feed your dog with fresh food. Don’t offer stale, leftover food to you dog. Dogs also eye with suspicion any new food, and they have marked individual preferences for meals that are dry or moist, finely chopped or chunky.

You can add taste appeal with a beaten egg yolk. Also, most dogs love liver and bacon, which can be mixed into their regular feed in small amounts.

The most effective appetite stimulant is aroma. If you have given your dog dry food and raw meat, it may smell better if the meat is seared or the dry food is moistened. A spoonful of brewer’s yeast sprinkled on his meal is another good appetite awakener.

Dog not eating his food

Your dog is fasting

Many dogs skip their noon meal entirely during hot weather. Let your pet follow his natural instinct. Fasting is an instinctive animal remedy for minor digestive disorders, however if he refuses food for more than 24 hours, you should have your veterinarian examine him.

Your dog is unwell

Your dog may be having some medical issues that have caused him to lose his appetite. If there are any symptoms that you should be concerned about, take him to the vet immediately. As a precaution, you may want to have a vet to check on him, even if there are no apparent symptoms.