Tips on How to Get Your Dog to Eat

[davlin47]

Hello

Tips on How to Get Your Dog to Eat

Hello

* Sometimes a change of flavor is in order - but keep in mind that changing flavors every day is not a good idea. Dog prefer eating the same food most of the time. If he does get bored try one change at a time, like switching between chicken or lamb every few weeks.
* If a change of flavor doesn’t seem to work try changing brands. Just remember to do this gradually. Any sudden change will upset his stomach and cause diarrhea.
* Do not add homemade gravy containing onions. Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions.
* Do not leave dog food sitting out in hot weather. If he still refuses his food after half an hour try putting it in the refrigerator and try again a little later.
* If your dog has been eating dry food all his life then begins to shy away, it may be due to problem teeth or gum disease. Have him checked by a vet and try adding water to soften his food.
* For overweight dogs, cut back on treats and add some extra mileage to his walks. It will increase his appetite and burn off excess fat.
* Use common sense. Know your dog and his habits and always consult your vet.

Keep sharing and reading

Thanks

 

[Derrel]

Make your dog a special treat like Sunday breakfast...years ago I had a sweet sheltie named Valerie...on Sunday mornings I would fix her a special treat, which was almost always a locally-made butcher shop sausage similar to a Bratwurst, but much better tasting, pan-fried and then chopped into coin-sized chunks,along with a lightly fried egg, all served mixed into her normal kibble.

On Sunday mornings she'd start pacing a bit as soon as the sausage was being diced and cooled on the cutting board, and by the time I was mixing the cooled food into her kibble she'd be snorting impatiently, as if to hurry me up and get the danged food onto the floor!

 

[PatrickHMS]

We feed our dog a different diet (posted about that elsewhere on here recently), but our dog has more manners than most people I know.

If we are fixing something for him, he usually seems to know it, and will watch us very intently until we feed him his.

He will not eat his food until "mama" sits down for her meal, he will look at his, we know he wants to eat, but he will not just eat before mama begins.

If he is going through a doorway and sees mama coming, he will wait and let her go through first, then follow her through if he was going thataway.

I could set my plate, or a steak, or some kind of food right next to him and he will not bother it unless I tell him he can have it.

We have an extended cab pickup, when we bring groceries home, some of them go in the back seat area, where he sits when he rides with us. He will sniff at the stuff, but will not bother them otherwise, even if we are not in the vehicle.

Never seen anything like him, the most patient, mannerly, sweetest animal I have ever had or seen. And smart, there are some places we go that we have to spell in front of him, and he has most of those spellings figgured out. I know that he cannot spell, but he knows and recognizes the patterns of what the letters we say are related to.

But when you do it in front of a stranger, it gives them the appearance that he can actually spell...lol

Wierd dog...

 

[mrodgers]

My tips on getting your dog to eat.

Make sure your dog is a yellow Lab. She will eat her food..... and anything plastic, metal, wood, the chairs, socks, the kid's stuffed animals, other clothes, the kid's bookbags, homework, school books, leaves, grass, apples, candy, magazines, computers, pumpkins, guitars, telephones, clothshangers, laundry baskets, kleenex, the toilet paper roll, board games, the kid's halloween costumes, tennis balls, squeeky toys........

I feed my dog about a cup and a half of food. I think one time she even looked up with her eyes at me while eating. That was as long of a time I've ever seen her pause eating.

 

[Overread]

My tips on getting your dog to eat.

Make sure your dog is a yellow Lab.

Our old lab tried to eat the carving knife once!! (and only once).
They really will eat anything. Unlike a husky - gah they are picky eaters - unless its the bone from the lamb.. then its gone!

 

[Rekd]

My white lab pretty much eats anything except lemons or other citrus.

I imaging if he didn't eat I'd just not feed him for a day or two.

 

[Renol]

My dog (a lab/poodle mix) will eat most things you give her, provided they're crunchy. She loves things like snap peas or the thick stalk parts off of lettuce. She'll stop eating if we tell her to, but if you do anything more than a simple pat on the back she'll get nervous and pee. And if you forget to feed her she'll wind up throwing up. Fun fun.

 

[Phranquey]

Certainly don't have feeding problems with Pugs. Like mrodger's Lab, these things will eat darn near anything they can get their little mouths around.


I have a friend who has a Great Dane, and they also have their own horse farm. One time I was over there, the dog decided to go out & eat horse crap, then proceeded to come back in and puke all over the living room carpet.....we were all gagging back on that one.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Assuming your dog is not sick, it will eat whatever you put in front of it. Eventually.
Dogs are animals, their first natural instinct is survival. When they get hungry they will eat.
With pets it is the owners responsibility to make sure what they are being offered is nutritious for a dog. Otherwise, don't sweat it.

 

[Chiller]

If this message helps one person, then it has worked. My German Shepherd suffers from Degerative Myelopathy, which is the deterioration of the nervous system. It starts to eat away at his back legs, and eventually takes over his body.

He was having trouble eating a while back, and his strength was starting to fail. This disease causes them to drag their back paws, wearing all the nails off, and with the lack of strength he could not life them properly,and sometimes his toes would bleed. I was not sure how to get him to eat again, and I noticed that he could not chew his food properly. Funny as it might sound, I bought a Slap Chop, and now chop his food, into smaller bits. I also mix in half a can of tuna, and a ground up hot dog. For the last 2 months, he has eaten every bowl of food, leaving nothing, and has gained 8 lbs back. His strength is back, and I may have given him a few more months of life. Kane was given 6 months to live...7 months ago. He does not have long, but every day with him, is better then a day without him

Every day is a challenge, with walking, eating, but as long as he has the heart, so do I. Please keep an eye on every habit your pooch has, and get him checked right away. Never give up.

 

[PatrickHMS]

Chiller,

Your post wouldn't let me thank you by checking the box, so let me thank you for your post this way.

From someone else who loves their dog like crazy...

 

[skieur]

After the dog food scandal a few years ago, we switched from grocery bought dog food to the Pet Store dog food. It proved to be more expensive, but it contained less fat and filler and made our dog go "crazy" even when she smelled it being put into her bowl. She also lost a few pounds, down to a healthier weight and looked and acted younger. Most neighbours and other dog owners are shocked to hear her age. The general comment is: "I thought she was a very young." She is 9 years old and a larger dog.

skieur