Help! My Dog wont eat!!

[jace1884]

me and my family just got a year old beagle 3 days ago... for his food we got him IAMS dog food, but right now, he seems to reject it everytime... The only time my dog eats is when there is real food around. As of right now, ive just been feeding him cooked rice, vegetables, and some cooked meats... Ive tried mixing the dog food with the real food but he seems to sort it out of the way... Anyone help me try to get him to eat some dog food or suggestions on how i can make him eat is greatly appreciated!

[sambucca/whiskey]

Well you may have a huge problem getting this dog to ever eat kibble if you gave him a diet of human food put him in a room with his food for 20 minutes take it away put him on a schedule eat now or wait till next feeding only no free feed NO HUMAN FOOD. You can also find much better and more palitable food than IAMS.

[sharon]

Im no expert in this but my pup was also very picky with his food so I fed him canned g=dog food, atleast that was wet and I guess quite close to human food. You can give that a try then later on slowly add dry kibble with it until he gets used to that.

[Dax]

What's a picky eater.... when there was only one, she'd turn down steak - now that there's competition everything gets eaten.

It will take more than a few missed meals to harm you dog plus it's an important lesson" Eat while it's there or you miss out.

I would try to find a dog food that he likes first. My petstore always has samples on weekends to try. Use them as a treat bag or place a few on the floor to see which he chooses.

If you plan on only giving dog food - then stick to your guns and only give dog food. Don't leave it so he can pick at it. Put it down for 15 minutes- then it's gone.

[goombaya]

Exactly right.

You must be firm. Assuming that there isnt anything medically wrong with the dog, you must feed the dog - than remove the food if it isnt eaten.

You should reduce the portion. By reducing the portion, when he does eventually eat, he'll remain hungry thereafter, and he'll be more likely to eat the next meal offered.

I have found that offering different foods, canned foods, table foods, only works temporarily. Eventually they get tired of the new treat and stop eating again. Thus its important to get the dog used to eating when it is offered not eating only what he finds appetizing.

There is nothing wrong with your dog missing a few meals while he figures it all out. I cant say this often enough or strongly enough... no dog will starve itself to death.

If your dog just has a smallish appetitie, switch to a super premium dog food. One that is more dense and requires less actual kibble to provide a full days worth of food. Innova and Canidae are good examples.

hope this helps. we sure do get this one alot around here.