By Samantha - January, 15th 2014

Everyone knows that most dogs will eat whatever smells good to them. Some of those people would be surprised that there are actually a lot of dogs that are quite finicky when it comes to chow time. Dogs are not usually born as finicky eaters but tend to become so due to different reasons like illness or maybe a bad feeding experience.

Below are some reasons on why your dog can develop a finicky tendency when it comes to eating:

Creatures of Habit
“If you start off feeding a dog dry food, it will eat it. If you switch to wet food, the dog will prefer that,” says Trisha Joyce, DVM, a veterinarian at New York City Veterinary Specialists. “Going back to dry food can then be difficult. The pet may protest, or go on a hunger strike.” If you’ve been feeding wet food and need to switch to dry, begin by combining the two foods, with one-quarter dry and three-quarters wet. The second day, go to half and half, and so on. You can also add a bit of hot water to dry food to make it more aromatic. Or buy a gravy supplement to make it more palatable.

The Dangers of People Food
“In my experience small dogs tend to be more finicky,” Joyce says. “I think this is possibly because they’re used to being catered to by their owners. They sit on their laps and eat chicken, and quickly figure out that people food tastes better than dog food.” Unlike dog food, which is specially formulated to meet your pet’s nutritional needs, human food alone usually does not provide your dog with its daily protein, vitamin, mineral and other nutritional requirements. And proportion control is a problem. Some dog owners serve too much food, and obesity can become a problem. “Some dogs have an ‘off’ switch, but most don’t,” says Joyce. “They’ll pretty much eat as much as you give them.” Her advice: no table scraps.

Keep on Schedule
If you feed your dog at the same time each day, it will tend to have the most dependable appetite. Dogs also eat better when kept away from treats, which don’t offer much nutritionally, and can interfere with their appetite at meal times. And keep in mind that your dog is a social animal — it may prefer to eat with the family, and can be fed at the same time as everyone else, if possible.

When to Worry
So, what is the most common cause for a normally ravenous dog to skip a meal? It’s the doggie version of the stomach flu. “If your dog skips one or two meals, and has another symptom like diarrhea that comes on abruptly,” Joyce says, “it’s probably gastroenteritis, an upset stomach, from something it ate.”

If your dog skips more then just a few meals and is experiencing other symptoms like vomiting, excessive urination or lethargy take them to the vet right away. Kidney, liver disease and sometimes tumors can be the cause of a loss of appetite.

What do you feed your dog when they aren’t feeling well?

Article Source: The Dog Daily

Image Source: Flickr

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