Why is your dog not eating? A guide to fussy eaters

Why is your dog not eating their food?  

Changes in health and or behaviour can be the reason why your dog has stopped eating their food. Let’s look at both of these. 

Health

A few of the most common reasons that our dog’s can stop eating, some more serious than others, are:

• Stomach upset: Including diarrhoea and/or vomiting and changes in drinking habits
• Dental issues: Ulcers, gum problems, cavities or mouth injuries can  make it painful for your dog to eat
• Vaccinations: If your dog has just received their boosters, they may feel a little under the weather and can go off their food as a result
• Infection/gastrointestinal issues: Internal issues may be causing your dog some pain and suppressing their appetite
• Pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease: A continuous loss of appetite could be a sign of a more serious condition

A loss of appetite in dogs could be a side effect of a number of medical concerns not listed above. Always consult your vet if you notice changes in your dog’s eating habits and are concerned.

Behaviour

There are a variety of behavioural reasons that your dog may not be eating, from anxiety-related concerns to something more simple like their learning history (i.e. have they been fed something more valuable in the past when they haven’t eaten?!)

Dogs may go off their food as a behavioural reaction to certain scenarios such as: 

•  A house move/routine changes: This can unsettle pets for a few days as they can feel unsafe in the new environment and may need a few days to adjust
• Travel: Travelling can be a serious cause of stress for some dogs, whether it stems from travel sickness or fear of the car itself
• Stressful environments: A loud, unsettling environment can lead to a suppression of hunger in dogs. Dogs are experts at reading and picking up on our emotions, so if there has been a lot of activity, such as arguing, loud children, or lots of visitors within the home, your dog may avoid eating for a while
• Fireworks/storms/general noise sensitivity: Loud and unnerving noises can send our pets off their food – remember they cannot rationalise like we can, so many dogs feel unsafe during such events
• Separation from owners: For dogs who are anxious about being left home alone, or separation from their guardian, they may avoid eating their food until their human returns
• Aging: – As dogs grow older and enter their senior years, we often see a reduction in appetite due to decreased activity levels, changes to their sense of smell/taste, or sometimes age-related health concerns

If you are concerned about your dog’s feeding habits, it is important to consult a professional for help, whether that be your vet for medical concerns, or a qualified behaviourist for behavioural issues.

Top tips to encourage your dog to eat

If your dog’s lack of appetite is not caused by a serious underlying medical or behavioural concern, there are a few things you can do to help stimulate your dog’s appetite and make mealtimes a little more exciting again!

1. Warm their food: – Slightly heating your dog’s food or adding a little warm water or bone broth can help to release mouth-watering aromas, therefore making the food a little more appealing
2. Food toppers: – Adding toppers to your dog’s food can increase  the value of their  food, particularly if they’re on dry food. Examples of good food toppers may include broths, sardines or sprats.
3. Quiet environment:  Please try to ensure your dog is being fed in a calm, low-stimulation environment to limit distractions or unease around their food. This will allow them to eat in peace at their pace.  Sometimes simply changing the location of your dog’s food bowl is enough to encourage them to eat again, and some pups may prefer to have 360 vision to eat in comfort! If your dog moves their food to a specific area of the house, consider putting their food down in that same  area next time. 
4. Your body language: Most dog’s want to be left in peace whilst eating. If you’re hovering or making eye contact with your dog, this can signal stress and can be extremely off-putting for your pup, potentially resulting in them eating too quickly or avoiding eating at all  
5. Watch the treats: In busy households, dogs are sometimes being fed too  many high-value treats throughout the day, and then turning their nose up at their meals! This  results in your dognot receiving all of the nutritional requirements from their complete meals  
6. Ditch the bowl: Instead of putting your dog’s food into a bowl, you can try scatter feeding  into your back garden to allow your dog to scavenge and forest for their food, as they naturally  would have in the wild  
7. Interactive feeders: Can help slow down the feeding process and allow your dog to engage their brain a little more when feeding. Mentally enriching food items can stimulate your dog during mealtimes, tricking their brain into thinking the food is of high-value as they’re having to work for it. This can make  the feeding process a little more exciting whilst tiring your dog out at the same time 

Examples of mentally enriching food accessories include:  

• Puzzle feeders: Your dog’s food can be placed into the puzzle toys to encourage them to work a little harder for their food 
• Enrichment boxes: Wrap your dog’s food up into scrunched up paper and cardboard tubes and place within a cardboard box. Consider closing the lids of the box to make it a little more stimulating  
• Enrichment towels: Place your dog’s food onto the towel and roll the towel up. To make it more challenging you can also tie a loose knot into the towel. Your dog has to use their ‘problem solving’  brain to figure out how to access the food
• Food wobblers: Place your dog’s food into something they can knock around whilst trying to obtain the food

Is it time for a diet change?  

If your dog is completely disinterested in their food, it may be time for a diet change. Consider the  value of your dog’s diet; dry kibble can have the lowest nutritional value and can contain unnecessary filler ingredients that can be difficult for our dogs to digest. You may want to consider a switch to a slightly higher-value diet such as raw dog food.

A raw food diet is designed to provide all of the proteins, vitamins, and minerals that dogs need. . Our food  contains high quality meats, calcium rich bones, seasonal vegetables and berries, as well as healthy fats.