What to do if your dog stops eating dry food? This question may arise even for the most experienced breeder. Pet owners often notice that one pet avoids a bowl of dry granules, the other purrs with pleasure, eating every last crumb, and even asks for more. Why does even a hungry dog sniff the rounds poured into a bowl without pleasure, but as soon as he touches them, stops eating?
First of all, it is necessary to understand the reason for refusing dry food and find a solution to the problem. Dog breeders recommend not forcing your pets to eat something they don’t like, but gradually teaching them to eat dry food.
Sometimes, a violation of the usual diet confuses the owners and creates a lot of inconvenience. We'll have to look for other food options. This will not be easy, because it is almost impossible to know in advance what the pet will prefer. You will have to experiment with different varieties of cereals, prepare fresh portions, and urgently find out how to feed a capricious dog with natural food.
Finding the right food for a dog is difficult. In addition, she may refuse to eat vegetables, cereals or dairy products. In dry food, all useful ingredients are selected in optimal proportions.
Why doesn't my dog eat dry food?
In most cases, this problem is faced by owners who have recently become owners of small pets. That is, they purchased or adopted a puppy. The main difficulty is that in their parents' home they received mother's milk as food. In addition, supplementary feeding was introduced.
Why doesn't my dog eat dry food?
- Most likely, the little puppy will be surprised and is unlikely to eat the food offered. This must be done gradually, over 1-3 weeks.
- For these purposes, it is necessary to use the food that was given by the previous owners, mixing it with dry food in a one-to-one ratio.
- If the dog still does not eat this mixture, try soaking the dry food in water, and only then introducing it into the main food. Thus, it is necessary to gradually increase the concentration of food in the puppy’s usual food.
- Within 1-2 weeks, dry food will completely replace natural food and the previous food familiar to the puppy.
Dry food
The puppy refuses dry food - what to do?
It is imperative to ask the previous owners what the baby was given. If it was natural food, you should not give your pet dry food on the first day.
The puppy refuses dry food, what to do:
- Please note that along with feeding dry food, it is necessary that the puppy always has water in unlimited quantities. The fact is that dry food does not contain moisture, so the puppy may develop problems with the skin, teeth and other organs and systems due to lack of water.
- Of course, it is best to feed your dog natural food, but the main difficulty is that such food is expensive and time-consuming to prepare. A working person is unlikely to be able to devote more than 2 hours to preparing food for a dog, which is why he is looking for affordable options that help save time.
- There is no need to suddenly cancel the previous type of food, do it gradually. Partially replace “natural” food with dry food. Choose species for puppies. In the initial stages, purchase canned food of this brand.
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Health problems
This is perhaps the most important reason for loss of appetite and requires the closest attention and sometimes immediate response from owners. Observe your pet for signs of illness (lethargy, fever, discharge from the eyes and nose). If you have the slightest suspicion, you should immediately contact your veterinarian.
It is imperative to check the condition of your pet’s teeth and gums; problems in this area when chewing hard granules cause pain to the dog. Ulcers, inflammation, and minor damage to the gums are easy to see with the naked eye - if this is the reason, then a visit to the clinic cannot be avoided. During the treatment period, it is better to soak the granules in water: this way the dog’s diet will not change, but at the same time it will not feel discomfort while eating.
My dog doesn’t eat dry food well – what should I do?
Try to make friends with your pet, explain to him that now you are not able to prepare food from natural products, so you are switching to dry food. It is also necessary to be attentive and evaluate whether the dog is capricious, or whether the food is causing him some anxiety or health problems. Some dry food may cause bloating in pets if they are not used to it.
Observe your pet after he eats dry food. Repeated bloating or restlessness of the pet after eating indicates that the food is not suitable for the dog.
The dog does not eat dry food well, what to do:
- It is necessary to pay attention to the faction. It is believed that dry food is very beneficial for puppies, as it helps massage the gums and stimulate teething. However, the biggest mistake owners make is giving food with a large fraction to adult dogs.
- The grain size should be appropriate for the age and size of the pet. If these are small dogs, then the fraction should be very small. For larger pets, more massive grains of food are suitable.
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Why does a dog have diarrhea when eating natural food?
There are dogs that have a sensitive gastrointestinal system. Such pets may vomit after eating or experience allergic reactions.
Diarrhea in dogs from regular food can often occur in small and artificially bred breeds.
Remember. Allergies manifest themselves throughout life. May appear in youth or old age. There is nothing strange about this.
If you discover a reaction in the body to food, seek help from a veterinarian, he will help you find the cause and advise on the choice of food.
The dog does not eat dry food after “natural food” - what to do?
If this is an adult dog and you decide to switch him to dry food, you need to act a little differently. Many people believe that dry food is harmful and very bad for a dog’s health. Actually this is not true. It doesn’t matter if it’s liquid food, canned food or dry food. The quality of food depends on the original ingredients and the manufacturer. Elite food for professional dogs contains all the necessary microelements and vitamins that allow the pet to develop.
The dog does not eat dry food after “natural food”, what to do:
- Therefore, you should not immediately discount dry food, considering it to be of poor quality. At the same time, available economy-class food does not contain sufficient vitamins, minerals, and nutritional components. It is on such dry food that a dog can over time acquire a large number of chronic liver and kidney diseases.
- Remember, high-quality dry food cannot be cheap; its total cost will be the same as natural products, or even more expensive. What to do and how to accustom your dog to dry food? The process of accustoming is not carried out abruptly, but is carried out gradually.
- It is necessary, as in the case of a puppy, to mix natural products with dry food. It happens that the pet does not want to consume even such a mixture. What to do in this case? Under no circumstances should you shout at your pet or punish it.
Refusal to eat
The dog refuses dry food - what to do?
Now the opinion of veterinarians has changed dramatically regarding mixed feeding. In most cases, veterinarians recommend feeding your dog using both dry and natural food. However, there are pets for whom mixed feeding is unacceptable.
There are several postulates that will help if a dog refuses dry food:
- Graduality
- Stability
- Confidence
- Steadfastness
How to train a dog to eat dry food?
It is necessary to feed the dog at the same time every day, and it is best after a walk. This happens 2 times a day, morning and evening. That is, at 7:00 and 19:00 respectively. This approach allows the dog to get used to the diet and prevents the feeling of hunger. Immediately after the walk, place a container of dry food in front of the dog for a few minutes.
How to train a dog to eat dry food:
- If the dog refuses food, the bowl is removed. The dog must understand that they will not give him anything else. At the same time, water must always be present in the dog’s diet. That is, there is no need to remove the bowl of water.
- The same should be done in the evening. A bowl of dry food is delivered; if the dog does not eat, the food is removed. This must be done until the dog gets used to it and understands that they will not give anything else.
- Due to hunger, the dog will be forced to eat what is given. Please note that you should not feed your pet from your table. That is, no rewards, treats, or prohibited foods should be given to the dog.
- Only foods that are allowed are given, that is, dry food. Be sure to inform all your household members that under no circumstances should you supplement your dog’s food. So that children do not inadvertently give the dog prohibited food.
Cute dog
How to prevent boycotts in the future: rules for feeding dogs
How to prevent a boycott in the future: what rules of feeding dogs are important to follow? You can feed your dog in any way convenient for you, but some tricks will allow your pet to develop clear conditioned reflexes.
Developing a feeding schedule is one of the surest ways to avoid a boycott. If your dog is an adult, he needs to be taught to eat after walks. While accustoming to the schedule, it is necessary to refrain from treats that the dog receives on the street.
Make sure your pet does not have access to food during breaks. When the dog has moved away from the bowl, remove any leftovers and hide the bowl until the next meal. If there is food left in the bowl, the pet will bite. Such strict rules must be followed for only 2-3 days.
To achieve results faster, adult dogs are given a break between meals of up to 12 hours. All family members must follow the established rules and refrain from giving treats to the dog outside of the schedule, even if it looks hungry.
How to get a dog to eat dry food?
Feed refusal can be caused by its replacement. Often, owners of large dogs change one dry food to another. This happens when changing food to a cheaper or more expensive option. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that the taste and smell of this food are different. More expensive food does not contain monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer, since it contains an increased amount of meat ingredients.
The amount of meat in good food ranges from 35%. If there is less meat, then the nutrients and proteins in the food may not be enough to cover the daily requirement of nutritional components. Cheap food contains less meat, but more flavorings. Very often, pets refuse expensive food in favor of cheap food due to the presence of monosodium glutamate in it.
The dog is sad
How to get a dog to eat dry food:
- Under no circumstances should you retrain your pet or introduce it to dry food if it is sick or unwell. Often a dog refuses dry food due to stress. This happens during a move, estrus, after pregnancy and childbirth.
- In this case, try to feed your dog natural food for a while, even though you will have to spend much more time preparing the food. Now your pet needs care and attention more than ever.
- It is allowed to resort to harsh methods with restriction of food intake only if the dog is vigorous, healthy and active, and feels well. This means that the dog does not want to eat the food because he does not like its taste.
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Stress
And the last reason for giving up your usual food, which is often overlooked or underestimated, is stress. There are many reasons for its appearance: it could be a change of environment, a move or trip the pet has experienced, or the appearance of new animals or children in the house. Even a neighbor's renovation or changes in the owner's usual rhythm of life, for example, the appearance of night shifts and a decrease in the amount of time spent with the animal, can seriously agitate the dog at first. And anxiety, as you know, easily affects not only psychology, but also physiology.
This cause of malnutrition is one of the most difficult, because often the source of stress cannot be eliminated, so the pet has to get used to innovations and put up with inconveniences. In the most serious cases, you can resort to special herbal sedatives for animals, but using them without the advice of a veterinarian is highly undesirable.
The dog does not eat dry food: reviews
Many owners have encountered this problem. With the right approach and consistency, we managed to establish feeding.
The dog does not eat dry food, reviews:
Oksana . Our girl became a mother and gave us several Yorkshire terriers. Of course, at the initial stage they were breastfed, with the addition of natural milk. However, the time came to sell the puppies, and it was necessary to accustom them to dry food. It was very difficult for our kids to get accustomed to dry food. Apparently they didn't like it to taste. It took about 3 weeks to train the puppies. The task was complicated by the fact that the children were on vacation, and from time to time they spoiled the puppies with goodies from the table. Then the children went on vacation, and the situation became simpler. We switched the puppies to dry food twice a day. We sold the babies, everything is fine, they eat dry food.
Eugene. I am the owner of a German Shepherd. Immediately after I acquired the puppy, I fed him natural food. However, I'm always at work, so I don't have time to prepare fresh food for the dog. I decided to switch to high-quality dry food. I didn’t even suspect that there could be problems with this. Our dog refused this food in every possible way. It was very sad, he constantly whined, wanted to eat, but did not eat dry food. Only iron patience helped me teach my dog to eat dry food.
Violet. I have a Miniature Pinscher who is a very picky eater. I got a job, so I have less time. I switched my pet to dry food by following the regimen. I refused food for a couple of days, but then gave up.
Dry food
If you are a pet owner, we recommend reading interesting articles:
- Allergies in dogs: symptoms, causes, treatments
- Veterinarian advice on keeping dogs indoors and outdoors
- Can I feed my dog dry or soft cat food?
- Newfoundland - dog breed: description, features of the breed
- Should a dog’s food be salted: advice from veterinarians, reviews from dog breeders
Natural food, canned food is much more flavorful and softer than dry food. Accordingly, many dogs, relying on their taste preferences, refuse dry food. In this case, dogs should not be fed mixed food. In this case, it is recommended to completely switch to dry food.
