Why is my dog not eating is a question that I get regularly from clients. In cases where illness has already been ruled out, there are several behavioral reasons why your dog doesn’t want to eat.
If your dog is eating treats but not food, the reason could be you! I have come across involved dog parents so dedicated to training that they are wearing a treat pouch 24/7 and reinforcing far more behaviors than necessary. In these cases, the dog has been grazing all day and is no longer interested in meals, no matter how tasty they may be. Obviously, the solution to this scenario is to stick with a scheduled training session for treat reinforcements versus an all-day thing.
Feed Different Dog Foods
At the top of the list is that the dog is bored with their food. Dogs need variety in meals, too. Your dog may eat the same food day in and day out at each meal and never complain but not all dogs want to exist this way without some sort of backlash. If your dog is refusing breakfast but eats dinner, I would suspect this cause. Your dog is eating to stay alive. I don’t think that anyone wants their dog to feel like that, right?
My suggestion to clients when this is the obvious issue, is to find three or four types of kibble (it’s always kibble that this scenario applies to) that fall in line with the kind that is already well tolerated by the dog, either protein wise or brand wise. If they can vary proteins and the dog both likes the food and digestively tolerates it well, that is even better.
Rotate meals. One thing for breakfast and another thing for dinner. Vary again the next day. Repeat. This will help prevent boredom with meals.
My Dog Doesn’t Want to Eat
Another behavioral issue that can result in not eating meals is too much owner-created attention to eating meals. Basically, micromanaging meals creates anxiety on the part of the dog and results in not eating meals. Your dog won’t eat while you are anxiously waiting for him to eat. I did this with my heart dog, Merlin. It resulted in learning far more about dog nutrition and kibble than I ever anticipated, along with a future of either feeding a raw diet or home cooking for all dogs from him on. If you think that you have created a situation like this, the wonderful Applied Animal Behaviorist, Kathy Sdao has a webinar on this subject.
Why Is My Dog Not Eating?
Behavioral reasons that I hear “why is my dog not eating?” can include:
- Anxiety/stress over a change in routine, family dynamics, etc.
- Recent change in food/diet.
- Stress resulting from a vet visit/vaccinations (report this to your veterinarian if your dog received vaccinations or medications at the visit).
Illnesses That Cause a Dog to Stop Eating
A variety of medical reasons can cause your dog to not want to eat. All would require a consultation with your dog’s veterinarian, in some cases, sooner rather than later. “Why isn’t my dog eating” can be a medical emergency if it’s a sudden change. Reasons for not eating that require veterinary care include:
- Pain
- Illness
- Blockage
- Bloat
- Dental issues
- New medication
Sometimes we need to be detectives to keep our dogs healthy and happy, just another skill we need to develop to be good dog parents.
