Overcoming Picky Eating in Dogs: Effective Solutions!

Top Six Common Reasons for Dogs' Picky Eating and Anorexia

1. Physiological Anorexia

This often occurs during specific periods such as teething, estrus, pregnancy, and just before giving birth. Generally, dogs experiencing physiological anorexia show no other symptoms besides a lack of appetite, with normal spirits, body temperature, breathing, and bowel movements.

Teething Anorexia:

Parents can offer more semiliquid foods to their dogs and supplement with pet goat milk powder to aid in tooth development, helping them quickly navigate through the teething phase.

Estrus Anorexia:

Increased hormone levels can lead to decreased appetite and signs of restlessness. This type of anorexia usually resolves once the estrus period ends. Maintaining good hygiene and ensuring ample water intake is sufficient.

Pregnancy and PreLabor Anorexia:

Feeding easily digestible foods to supplement nutrition is recommended.

2. Parasitic InfectionInduced Anorexia

Common parasites like roundworms and liver flukes can cause anorexia in dogs. Regular deworming, both internally and externally, is crucial to prevent parasitic infections.

3. Endocrine DisordersRelated Anorexia

Anorexia caused by endocrine imbalances often comes with additional symptoms such as widespread hair loss, pigmentation changes, hypersensitivity, and mental disturbances.

4. Pathological Anorexia

Dogs may exhibit varying degrees of anorexia when suffering from diseases such as canine distemper, parvovirus, viral enteritis, upper respiratory infections, intestinal dysfunction (intussusception, adhesions, enteritis, peritonitis, etc.), and fractures.

5. Normal Anorexia

Dogs may show anorexia when they are in a low mood or have become tired of a particular food's taste. This type of anorexia typically does not accompany other symptoms.

6. Dyspeptic Anorexia

If a dog's anorexia is due to overeating or overindulgence, leading to indigestion, parents can give the dog digestive aids and allow it to fast for 1224 hours.

Six Strategies to Address Dogs' Picky Eating and Anorexia

1. The Fast Method

Dogs are more tolerant of hunger than fullness. If a dog is consistently picky and refuses to eat, a 12hour fast can be implemented. During this time, provide plenty of water. Generally, the dog's appetite will return the next day.

2. Meal Time Control Method

Parents should train their dogs from a young age to develop good eating habits, ideally using commercial dog food as the main meal. Encourage dogs to eat attentively, and if they do not finish within 30 minutes, remove the bowl. Offer food again at the next mealtime. Avoid allowing dogs to eat whenever they want.

Suggested meal frequency: 4 meals a day for puppies under 3 months, 3 meals a day for puppies between 3 and 8 months, and 2 meals a day for dogs 8 months and older.

3. Exercise Method

Increasing physical activity and exercise can boost a dog's appetite. Dogs often feel very hungry after exercise, naturally increasing their appetite. Small dogs can be kept active with toys and playtime at home, while large dogs may require more outdoor exercise to ensure adequate activity levels.

4. Treat Control Method

Many parents give their dogs treats, but excessive treats can lead to picky eating. It's especially important to control the amount of treats given to small dogs. Treats should be given sparingly.

5. Change Dog Food Method

Just as eating the same gourmet food every day can become monotonous, a single brand of dog food may not provide a complete nutritional profile. Switching to a different brand can help improve this situation. We recommend not feeding dogs the same brand of dog food longterm, even if they prefer it, and occasionally offering a different flavor.

6. Food Variety Method

Parents can stimulate a dog's taste buds with different types of food to stimulate their appetite. Regardless of the cause of reduced appetite, it's important to keep changing the types of food offered. In addition to commercial dog food, occasional offerings of meat, boiled eggs, vegetables, and milk powder can be beneficial.

When choosing and giving treats to dogs, consider the following principles:

Pay attention to the ingredients and appearance of the treats, avoiding those with excessive dyes or additives, and those with overly bright or unnatural colors.

Do not allow dogs to develop a habit of having treats every day.

The best time to give treats is as a reward after a dog has done something pleasing.

Excessive treats can lead to obesity, so they should be given in moderation.

Do not give treats to dogs that are not eating, or use treats to replace regular meals.

Tip: For more information on correcting a dog's picky eating, watch "How to Deal with Picky Eaters."