My dog won't eat dog food and has skin issues. What should I feed?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry Sashe has these issues on her skin. Skin issues can be caused by many different factors including parasites (fleas, ticks, mange, etc), bacterial infections, yeasts, allergies, self-trauma, and other causes. To determine the cause you will need to see a vet where they will take a sample (skin scraping) and look at it under the microscope. This is the first test. Sometimes biopsies need to be taken to get an answer. Different problems have many different solutions, so there is not a 'single solution' that will fix skin issues. I recommend you have Sashe to the vet, and a dermatologist might be required if the initial tests don't show an answer. Skin diseases can be very simple, or very complicated. I hope Sashe feels better soon! Best of luck!

Honey has decided what her diet will be, but that's not her job . . . it's yours. Stop feeding her all different foods. The changes probably upset her stomach, making her feel even less like eating.. Put regular dog food in a bowl on the floor without fuss and leave it for 15 minutes. After that time, pick it up whether she has eaten or not. Do not give her anything--no treats, snacks or human food--until her next scheduled mealtime. Then repeat the process. It may take several times for her to realize that there will be no otrher food, and that she must eat what you have given her. Remember that you are not starving her–she is CHOOSING not to eat when she does have access to food. This is a battle of wills. When she is hungry enough, she’ll give in and eat, and your problem will be solved. Do not weaken or "feel sorry" for her. It will only make it harder to correct. She must have a nutritionally complete diet, and what you are feeding her now is not sufficient. Good luck!

Not eating or more than just a day is definitely concerning, particularly if this is highly unusual and she's turning away things like chicken. I would be concerned about some sort of infectious or inflammatory process going on, a primary or secondary gastrointestinal issue, or one of her organ systems (liver or kidney) acting up in some fashion. If she also isn't taking anything to drink, I would definitely be worrying about dehydration setting in. If she hasn't taken anything for you by the morning, get her into the veterinarian for a check up. Unless they are able to make a determination which is obvious based on physical exam, they will want to likely run some diagnostic blood work and perhaps imaging. Hope this makes sense.

It can be normal for some dogs to be picky eaters, especially if they are rewarded with human food if they wait long enough. It is not normal however for Yuki to be losing weight. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian to rule out a medical problem first - if she seems otherwise healthy you can then discuss trying to find a commercial dog food that she likes (canned food might be an option), or discuss talking to a nutritionist to formulate a balanced home cooked diet.

I am sorry to hear Scully isn't eating well on her own. It is hard to say what is going on with Scully without knowing more details. Some dogs may get picky about their food and wait for their owners to put something tasty on top of their normal food. Some dogs refuse to eat if their stomach is upset. I would want to make sure there isn't something going on internally with Scully. She could have some gastrointestinal issues that are causing her to not feel well and not want to eat, like intestinal parasites. I would recommend you take her to your vet to be evaluated. In the mean time, you could try a bland diet, like boiled chicken and rice, as that is easily digested and easy on the stomach. I also like probiotics for dogs as this can help restore the balance of intestinal bacteria and often can entice dogs to eat as many of the canine ones are flavored. I hope Scully is back to her normal self and normal meal routine very soon!

You could mix some wet and dry together to see if that helps him eat more. Also, have your vet test a stool sample for parasites to make sure he doesn't have any, especially if he starts losing weight or has any vomiting or diarrhea. If his body score is normal than he is probably getting enough calories and nutrients. You could bathe him with a moisturizing dog shampoo and see if that helps his skin. Also, adding Free Form Snip Tips to his diet may help keep his skin and coat healthy. http://www.petcurean.com/blog/body-score-chart-for-dogs/

This is a great question, and one which does not have a simple answer, as there is no one pet food that is best for all dogs, even within a specific breed. Certain types of specialty dog foods, including grain free diets may be linked to heart disease in dogs, so I recommend talking to your vet about potential risks for Lilly and her sibling. I recommend a small breed adult food until they reach 7-8 years old, and then switching over to a senior formula slowly over the course of a week. You can mix a small breed adult wet food in with the dry if you think they'd prefer it, and a skin support formula such as the one below with omega 3 fatty acids can help support the skin https://www.royalcanin.ca/products/catalog/Royal-Canin-Veterinary-Diet-Canine-SKIN-CARE-SMALL-DOG-dry-dog-food/223038 See the links below for more information: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm https://talkspetfood.aafco.org/rightpetfood https://www.hillspet.ca/en-ca/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/how-to-transition-my-dogs-food If your dogs are overweight or have other health issues, I recommend speaking to your vet as there may be other diets they recommend that can both help the skin and help manage their other conditions. I hope that helps!