Finicky Eaters and Nutrition

For the most part, our dogs have been good eaters. Currently, we have faced challenges in getting one of our aging dogs to eat well. Meeting with owners over the years, I also know that some dogs can be rather finicky eaters. Today I wanted to share some thoughts for getting (or keeping) a dog eating well, so they can receive proper nutrition.

• Vet Check - If your dog is not maintaining proper weight, or has shown sudden changes in appetite, consult your Veterinarian. There are MANY health issues that can cause eating problems. If an underlying health issues exists, nothing will solve an eating problem until that problem is addressed.
• Regular Schedule - There are many benefits to getting dogs on a regular feeding cycle, usually 2 meals a day. Keeping those times regular can help develop cyclic appetite drives. Free feeding dogs can cause problems with house training, monitoring calorie intake, and maintaining healthy appetites.
• Toppers - Adding somethings special to the top of your dog's normal food or kibble can provide variety. Not only do most dogs enjoy such perks at mealtime, adding additional meat or veggies can improve overall nutritional diversity.
• Varying Base Food - Aside from adding "toppers", changing foods can sometimes be helpful. Although some dogs with sensitive digestive systems may need slow transitions, varying food (or at least protein sources) can add interest to meals for your dog, and add nutritional diversity as well.
• Goat's Milk - Our older dog was really getting to a point of not eating any commercial dog food. This was a concern not because of inconvenience, but because commercial foods have an important balance of required nutrients. We found that one meal a day of The Honest Kitchen, re-constituted with fermented goats milk (available at Mutts + Co), really jump started his appetite. Goats milk is a natural appetite stimulant.
• Calories - As our dog is aging, keeping weight on him has been a challenge. We also wanted to up his calories. We've found he likes ravioli. We cook up some meat and cheese ravioli each weekend, refrigerate, and warm up 6 or so each day for a lunch time snack.
• Prescriptions - There are prescription products available that can stimulate appetite in dogs. If the above items are proving ineffective, your Veterinarian may be able to offer additional help.

There can be many reasons a dog may not be a robust eater. For us, this became an evolving problem with an aging dog. Coming up with solutions to getting him eating well took some trial and error. I hope some of these suggestions may be helpful for others.