Help, my dog is not eating!

My dog is very picky and is not eating, do you have any tips? At Riverwood, we often get questions like this. Often with the key question of why my dog is not eating and what you can do as an owner. In this article, we answer why a dog sometimes leaves his food. And what you can do if your dog stops eating.

Why isn't my dog eating?

Your dog may have several reasons why he stops eating, such as illness or stress. Below is a description of the most common causes of your dog not eating anymore.

• Your dog is sick. Your dog may be suffering from something that has caused him to lose his appetite. Often your dog also suffers from other symptoms such as: diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever or excessive drinking and/or urination. If you suspect that your dog is sick, or when in doubt, Contact your veterinarian.
• Your dog is stressed. For every dog, stress is different. For example, one dog may not want to eat because he is experiencing stress when he is home alone, while another dog is stressed by new housemates, for example. New furnishings in the room where your dog gets his food can also cause stress.
• Your dog is in pain. Pain in your four-legged friend can cause him to refuse to empty his food bowl. This is the case, for example, when the animal has problems with its teeth. Here you can think of a broken or rotten tooth.
• Your dog has eaten something wrong. Here you can think for example of spoiled food. This can cause your dog to suffer from abdominal pain. Because of this the animal will lose its appetite. When your dog starts to feel better again, his appetite will return.
• Your dog is getting too much food. Your dog does eat his kibble in the morning, but in the afternoon and/or evening he leaves it. In this case, the animal is simply getting more energy than it needs.
• Your dog eats a lot of snacks. Too much food in the form of snacks or a prey animal while walking. This can be a reason for your dog to abandon its food. Your faithful four-legged friend simply has no appetite because of this.
• Your dog is in heat. A bitch in heat can be so upset the first time she is no longer interested in food. Even females that are in heat more often can suffer from this. A male dog can also be upset during this period and leave his food.
• Attention seeking dog. Dogs are very smart animals and quickly figure out how to ask for attention. If you give a lot of attention to your dog when he refuses to eat, the dog may leave his food more often to get attention. Therefore, try not to give your dog extra attention if he does not eat once.
• A spoiled dog. Owners often make the food extra appealing in the form of canned food, snacks, frequent food changes or adding broth. If you then place a bowl with only kibble, your dog may wait to eat until you add another treat. 

What do you need to do if your dog does not eat?

First, you need to rule out disease or pain. For this, it is best to contact your veterinarian. The same applies when your dog stops eating and drinking.

When you are sure that your dog is not sick and is not in pain you can look further. Here's what you can do to get your dog eating again:

• Make sure the room is quiet. For example, check that there are no new objects in the room where your dog gets his food. It may well be that the animal is afraid of this new object.
• Pay attention to the feeding routine. When you feed your dog put his bowl down for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, has your dog still not shown interest in his food bowl? Then take it away. You don't give your dog kibble again until the next meal time. Depending on the number of meals your dog gets in a day, this will be in the afternoon or evening.
• Different way of feeding. Consider a toy into which you put the food. The toy can cause your dog to regain interest in his food.
• Warm water with the kibble. This causes strong aromas to be released, making it more likely that your dog will eat. However, let the kibble with warm water cool well first.

It's also possible that your dog simply doesn't like his kibble anymore. Would you like to switch to Riverwood, but would you first like to try whether your dog likes our kibble? Then order a trial pack, an inexpensive way to get acquainted with our delicious foods! Fill in the questions and find out which variety suits your dog best. Order a sample pack here.