Why doesn't my dog have an appetite?

Question

My dog is a Pit Bull/Lab and is a little under a year old and she is very picky about what she eats. I've feed her dry food but she doesn't like any of the brands, and I've fed her canned food which looks good enough for a person to eat but she will only eat very small amounts, she never finishes the whole thing.

Answer 1

Some dogs are pickier than others.  Example, I have a 12lb beagle terrier mix and he eats more than my son's 50 lb husky and they are both right on as far as weight for their size goes.  If you dog isn't looking under weight and gets play and exercise and acts well then I wouldn't worry about it.  If she is sickly and under weight and has some other issues then it's time for the vet.  Also you can try many different brands of food.  Our guys eat Canidae and Wellness and Nutro Ultra Holistic and they both love it.  Don't feed cheap food from the grocery store or walmart.  Also don't feed Iams, Science Diet or Eukanuba, contrary to beliefs, these are all corn based crappy foods that have by products (ughhh) in them and wheat (allergies) and soy (more allergies) and other garbage in them.  Other good foods than the 3 I've already mentioned are Innova, Merrick, Eagle Pack Holistic, Orijen, Blue Buffalo.  These can all be gotten at pet feed stores.  Go with good quality foods and you won't have to worry about nutrition.

Answer 2

well actually it just depends on the the breed of the dog. Like my grandma's dog does not have an appetite either, but there must be certain foods that he likes. All dogs like meat, so try giving your dog meat. If he doesn't eat it then try  giving him scrambled eggs. Even though dog food is healthy you can't do anyhting if your dog is not eatong it. My black lab loves to eat everything and its just based on te breed of the dog.

Answer 3

Our two young beagles (about 11 months old) are kind of like that. We discovered they didn't like the puppy food we bought for them, but they ate the dog food we feed our two outside dogs. I would definitely try to get it to eat dry food, because always feeding it canned food could end up being more costly than feeding another person. The reason yours has almost no appetite could be it is finding little things to eat in the house or outside. All the time we see our beagle puppies digging like old pieces of dog food out of the grass, or chewing and almost eating sticks.

Just try as many different brands as you can, and try both dog and puppy food. Your dog is sure to like something!

Answer 4

Maybe it has to do with the state of her teeth? It could be that it isn't in good shape. Or it might just be that she's incredibly finicky. Did you every give her human food that might spoil her taste? But truthfully, if this has been going on for a long time and nothing else seems to be the problem, it might just be that she doesn't eat a lot. Does she seem underweight (can you see her ribs)? If this really bothers you, though, you should take her in to the vet and get her checked, just in case.

Answer 5

that's odd cause pits will usually eat anything. ok you want her on dry food? if so when ever anyone cooks any meat in the house house keep in (use an old pickle jar or whatever) then put a spoonful on her dry food and mix it up really well. odds are she will only eat what has the grease on it at first but after a while she will start to eat it without it.also there are sauces in the dog food isle which you can put over the foods to tempt them into eating their dry foods. and don't worry the grease kept in small doses is not as bad for her as you may think, it will actually help with dry skin and make the coat shinier.

oh if she is underweight, go for the cheap dog food such as dog chow by purina. its not bad for them, my vet approved it to help put weight on mine, something about cheap food that dogs just love. we went from a 60 dollar bag a week to the 20 dollar big bag of dog chow or puppy chow in the blue bag and they never leave food in the bowl. although puppy chow will fatten them up if they don't play alot.

Answer 6

Has she always been this way or did this just begin.  If this just started something may be wrong and she may need to see the vet.  Or if she has always been this way she is just a pickey eater.  My dog can be picky so I mix different things in his dry food (plain yougurt,cooked rice,raw egg) also if it is hot my dog will sometimes not eat very much