Ways to stimulate a dogs appetite?

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Could it be shedding Mine wouldn't eat for a couple weeks while he was shedding now he throws a munch as soon as the food hits the bowl..
You may wanna try to add a FEW shakes of Garlic to his food I found that if you allow them to think they are getting table scraps then they will eat much better if adding the Garlic MIX it well so that way it is just a hint of it enough for him to smell it but not enough to get used to it..

Good luck to you I hope you find the answer.

 

[Imp]

Funny thing just happened. I took my DH his evening meds. and a small glass of water to take them with. For some reason Jax was very interested in that little glass of water, so after DH was done we let Jax smell the glass; which got him all the more excited. So I took the small amount of water remaining in the glass and with Jax watching me, poured it into his water dish (which was just filled with fresh cool water. Jax drank like he has never drank water before.

Grit,

There's your answer.

Put the dogfood on your best Sunday China. Have DH take a few bites. Then put the plate on the floor.

He'll eat like he's never eaten before.


Imp- I'm with Jax. I like my imp chow with yogurt too.

BTW- I'm with the other posters. Jax is normal, and you're a good dog mom.​

 

[Ridgerunner]

I really like a lot of the advice on here. Probably because it is a lot like what I do. I have one that does not always eat all I put in front of her. She eats until she forgets what she is doing, then I put it away until next meal time. She is such a mental giant that, for the sake of future generations of dogs, I would never allow her to breed, even if she was not already spayed. What a nitwit! At last her mental competence is consistent in all phases of her life.

I feed twice a day and most of the time she cleans her bowl. When she doesn't, she waits until I allow her to eat the next regularly scheduled meal. On the rare occasions I have treats for the two, they get them when it is convenient for me, regardless of whether this specific one finished her last meal or not. There is never a question of the other one finishing her meal. The vet considers both to be in good shape.

 

[allanimals21]

all three of my dogs get fed once a day. If they don't eat it thats their problem. They have all learned that if they don't eat it something else will. He will eat eventually. I wouldn't baby him to much on it.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Quote:
sorry if you already know this, but a lot of people don't so i thought i'd mention it: it's preferable to try to give them two meals if they'll eat it, especially big active dogs because they can develop bloat (which is deadly for dogs). it's caused by eating a single large meal once a day, which raises the chances of the full stomach twisting on itself. if your pup chooses to only eat once a day, just be careful with him and don't let him jump or run around for the hour or so right after he eats, since that's what can cause the stomach to twist.

This has never been a problem for us, probably because we feed late in the evening and then everyone settles in for some tv or sleep. I do not feed grown dogs in the morning or before a workout for this very reason. But if you've got dogs who only want one meal a day--and there are a lot out there who do--the best way to handle this is to feed in the later part of the evening. Many folks do not sit down to their evening meal until 8-9 pm and that is a good time to feed the dogs, too, after you eat and at the end of their day. And remember I am talking about GSDs and Dobies, not Danes or St. Bernards, or other giant breeds.

JMO

Rusty

 

[PotterWatch]

One of my dogs is a fairly picky eater as well. He often doesn't eat his food at mealtimes. Sometimes he goes an entire day without eating his food. I figure he will eat when he is hungry. He is a very active dog in general and he also goes mushing a few times a week with me. He is a lean but healthy weight so his eating habits seem to work just fine.

 

[gritsar]

Well they both refused their breakfast. For Kane to miss a meal is shocking.

I think both may have tummy upsets from their comfortis doses last night. Told DH I don't care if it works excellently, if it keeps upsetting their stomachs we will be switching to something else for fleas.
We would probably switch Jax to a once-a-day feeding, except Kane still needs two meals a day, so we offer food to both of them.
We do NOT allow playing, running around or wrestling for 30 minutes before a meal or two hours aftertheir meals. Bloat scares the bejeebers outta me.

 

[Lorije1]

Any size dog can bloat - it is more common with large dogs with deep chests - ie Danes, Labs, Dobies, etc

My dogs get fed 1x a day once the weather starts warming up... in the cooler weather I give them an extra 1/2 cup in the morning. My old dog will eat anything and everything anytime you put it in front of him. Rio does too, now. He had a picky time as a younger dog and I did much the same as has been mentioned here - take up the food after a few minutes, no treats to fill him up. I also worked him so that next meal time he would be more hungry. The exception was when it seemed to be related to teething or growth phases... then he took it easy

 

[Tala]

Quote:
I feed them in their crates before bed, and sometimes before I leave for work, so they are always crated for a while after their meals.

Dusti is perfectly fine on one meal a day, so if she leaves food in her dish, it just gets re-offered to her later. Hawk would eat the bowl if we let him (although he's some better now) so SOME days I feed twice a day, and some days I don't. There is no reason or pattern to it, just whatever I feel like that day

The general rule in the raw feeding world is that if they are holding their weight steady then whatever you are feeding them must be fine

If your old guy is holding a steady weight, I wouldn't worry if he skips meals. Dusti used to eat so little that I wondered how she survived!!! But she put on a little weight over time so she certainly wasn't starving herself!!!!!

 

[redhen]

I feed mine 2 x a day.. just so they dont have soooo much food in their bellies at one time... (hoping to help aviod bloat..

)
My male eats 10 cups a day... so... thats alot to feed him all at one time... thats why i split it up..