How to get my dog eat Dry food again ?

My Dog Won’t eat Dry Food Anymore !

Your dog is having trouble to eat and not interested in it’s dry food anymore , Kind of annoying , right ? Here’s how I made my dog eat dry food again.

To get your dog to eat dry food again and enjoy it, start by taking him outside, exercise him, that will make him hungry and then to encourage your dog to eat his dry food, add half a glass of warm water and a tablespoon of peanut butter to his kibble, mix it all together and give it to your dog. Alternatively, add a food topper on top of his kibbles, such as bone Broth to enhance the taste and encourage him to eat it.

These are only two temporary solutions ( that may won’t work !! ) , that’s why I’m gonna help you in this article , try to understand why your dog refuses to eat its dry food, what could be the reasons, and especially how to make so that your dog starts to eat again its dry food and in a healthy way moreover.

How is dry food better for your dog?

Dry food also has its advantages when it comes to feeding a dog, here are some of them:

• Dry food is an easy, fast and clean way to feed a dog
• Many dry food brands now use human grade ingredients, which will guarantee a complete supply of nutrients and energy for your dog
• Kibbles have a crunchy texture, which will keep your dog’s mouth clean and his breath acceptable to that of a raw or fresh wet food
• Finally, the price of dry dog food is lower than other choices even when it is premium kibble, which is a great argument when you have several dogs to feed.

In spite of all this, some dogs refuse to eat dry food or eat it but will gradually refuse it to fall back on the table scraps which is also a bad thing

So let’s see how to get a dog to like his dry food again and finish his bowl.

What can I add to My dog food to make him eat it ?

These foods are called food toppers, you will remove a little bit of your dog’s food and then pour a little bit of topper on it to entice the dog to start eating and hope that he will follow up with his usual food at the bottom of the bowl, his dry food.

Here is the list of food toppers that you can use as appetizers for your dog:

• Just ¼ cup of hot water for some dogs.
• Low-sodium Bone broth ( homemade will be better )
• Goat’s milk or plain yogurt
• His favorite vegetables steamed or boiled and diced.
• A little grated cheese (read this article first)
• Fish oil or canned sardines in vegetable oil (remove some of the oil!)
• One raw or poached and sliced egg
• Pumpkin Puree ( light & without seasoning ) & all cooked orange veggies as well , like carrots, sweet potatoes …
• Dried or cooked meat ( boiled chicken 15 mn and minced )
• Some High quality canned food
• Yams and green veggies like chopped raw kale or parsley
• Peanut butter , just a little in some warm water before adding it
• Peas and green beans and some cooked rice

The reasons why your dog won’t touch his dry food anymore?

Your dog may reject his bowl of dry food and refuse to eat for different reasons, here are the most common ones:

1 -Your dog may be sick

If you are used to see your dog throwing himself on his dry food and eating a large quantity of it, but suddenly he stopped eating !!

You should know that he/she has to make a visit to his Vet, after you have taken him outside and you are sure that he should normally be hungry know! and that there is no apparent reason why your dog refuses to eat his food !!!

You give him all kind of food that dogs love to eat , its favorite food , treats he loves the most and he still refuses to eat?

Your dog is probably sick, such as dental problems and the veterinarian would be a much better adviser than me.

If you are sure that your dog does not show any other signs of illness, or his vet has confirmed it, then we will see what other reasons could cause your dog to fast.

Illness such as Colitis may be the reason why your dog refuses to eat his dry food.

If your dog has stopped eating his usual kibbles, it may also be because he has developed an allergy to an ingredient in his dry food.

Your dog may have a wound in his mouth that you didn’t see!

Finally, the stress and the change in his habits can push him to refuse to eat. If you moved recently or if you just changed your dog’s schedule, his favorite bowl broke and you bought a different one that he doesn’t like…

Something may have frightened your dog in your absence which may have caused him a trauma that cut his appetite!

So before you blame dry food, make sure that your dog is physically and emotionally well

2-Your Dog’s Dry Food (kibble stock) may be out of date

Remember to check the expiry date of the dry food you give to your pets, especially your dog, because he has a very sensitive nose and a very developed sense of smell.

Your dog refuses to eat his kibbles because they may be outdated, he has smelled them, but put down !

A few tips to store your dog’s dry food well and avoid that it gets contaminated or spoiled

Your dog’s dry food should be stored in a specially made container ( See on Amazon the one i recommend ) and put in a dry and elevated place.

You must also clean your dog’s food Bowl every day , and when there is still food left in it, put it in a dry place, away from your other pets , insects and humidity.

3-Stop its bad eating habits to make your dog eat dry food again

You , or maybe someone else in the house (why not the children, Pappy can be !!), secretly gives treats or table scraps to the dog !!

If it’s you, review the way you feed your dog, stick to his only one or two meals a day, and some treats when he’s training or really deserves them… and that’s it !

If the kids feed your dog with cheese and Becon, icecream or any other kind of what we humans eat, without your knowledge, your Pooch will probably never be interested in his bowl of kibble !!

4- Consider making the transition to raw, semi-raw or wet dog food

First , If your dog refuses to eat the kibble or its usual dry food , consider sprinkling some raw food over them .

This may encourage your dog to eat the kibble right after the raw food pieces!!

Instead of throwing bacon or raw meat on the kibble, your picky dog may love it, MEAL MIXERS Free Dried Raw, try also Air Dried Raw dog food…etc.

5-Your dog refuses his dry food because you are no longer the dominant one!

You may not have noticed it yet, but it could be that your dog has only gotten the better of you, and is now behaving like an alpha male !

He refuses to eat because he wants you to feed him by hand for example, or he would only accept treats …etc…

If probably the case if your dog goes through the doors first and you go behind, if he does not come when you call him …

Try this :

First of all, make sure you eat before you give food to your dog, and especially, give him only about twenty minutes to eat and remove his bowl, even if he has not touched his kibble!

This way you can make him understand that you are the boss and he’d better eat !

You must consider a behavioral recovery by submitting it to an Obedience training.

6-Your dog eats his dry food but just doesn’t finish its Bowl!

You may be giving your dog just a little too much dry food, and he just doesn’t finish his bowl! Look at this post to find out how much food you can give your dog, depending on his breed, size, age and daily activity.

7-Changing the dog’s food may cause the dog to refuse to eat

Your dog may refuse to eat his dry food, because you may have bought him a new model, which has a different taste or smell that he is not used to and which he simply doesn’t like ( if he eats it , he surely throw it  up after eating grass )  ( if he eats it , he surely throw it  up after eating grass ) !

You may have bought kibble of lower quality than what your dog usually eats, or of lower nutritional value !

If this is the case, you just have to order the food your dog usually eats and everything will be back to normal.

8- A bored dog may refuse to eat

Sometimes, simply turning the food to play is enough to make your dog decide to eat. You can simply throw the kibbles on the floor, which may encourage your dog to pick them up and eat them. If not, use a kONG to put the kibbles in and get your dog to work for it .

Sometimes it would be enough to change the location of the food bowl so that the dog would be interested in eating his dry food again.

Your dog doesn’t want Dry food anymore ; Try Fresh Cooked dog Food

You can also consider giving your Pooch a slightly more balanced and healthier food than this kibble.

I always advise dog owners to try Fresh Cooked Dog Food, , they have different recipes and a different menu for every day of the week.

So your dog won’t get bored, eating the same food every day !

The ingredients used are of human quality, the recipes are balanced and the dogs love them !

The different ways to introduce and make your dog love dry food:

1- Introduce Dry food Slowly to your dog:

Dogs get used to what they are used to eating and a sudden change in their diet will probably cause them to refuse to eat.

Introduce kibbles gradually to your dog by adding more and more to his bowl, while decreasing his previous food, until you put only dry food in the bowl without your dog noticing the change, and the transit from wet food to dry food.

This process may take longer with picky dogs, so be patient.

You will go from wet food to dry food in 15 days.

Start by replacing 25% of his regular food with dry food for 3 to 4 days until he adopts this new diet and you don’t notice any diarrhea or constipation or any other digestive or behavioral problem.

Then replace 50% of his food with dry food for 4 to 5 days, then go to 75% for a week and finally 100%, that is to say, your dog will only have dry food in his bowl and will gladly eat his new food.

2- Add dry food to his fresh food:

To get your reluctant dog to eat dry food, you can either mix it with his usual food, or wet it with warm water and gradually decrease the amount of water you add to the kibble until the dog gets used to it.

Some parents put the kibble in the microwave for a few moments before serving it to the dog, this operation will strength the smell of dry food, and make the fat rise to the surface of the kibble and make it a little wet which could make it more appetizing and appetizing for a dog that is used to fresh food.

Conclusion

To sum up, if your dog refuses to eat his dry food, make sure that he is not sick, that it is not a new behavioral problem and finally check his food and be sure to change it if necessary !

A last advice : never force your dog to eat, he will hate you for it because you will make him sick, just be patient, your dog will end up eating it’s dry food again if you follow the steps and do the checks I recommended you.