My healthy dog is a picky eater and won't eat. What can I do?

Some dogs are simply picky eaters and will only eat their dog food when they are really hungry. Often these dogs learn that if they wait to eat their food, something tastier will be offered. I would recommend visiting your vet first to make sure Marshall is in good health with no evidence of weight loss or gastrointestinal disease that could be affecting his appetite. If he is maintaining his weight, it's probably fine for him to eat when he's hungry and you don't have to worry about tempting him to eat or mixing his food with table scraps.

Some dogs are simply picky eaters, but if you feel like Blue might be underweight it might be a good idea to check in with your vet. From your picture I feel like his body condition looks ideal, however a physical exam is the best way to determine body condition. If Blue is in good health and not underweight it is probably safe to go ahead and 'wait it out' by leaving food out and allowing him to eat when he's hungry. You could also try mixing in canned food to encourage him to eat, but this could encourage the picky eating a little.

It may be that Milo is just being a picky eater. If he's receiving any people food or treats, it is best to stop those for a few days and only offer his food in his bowl. Dogs will not starve, and once hungry enough he should start eating again. However, if you are seeing any signs of illness in addition to his refusal to eat, such as vomiting or diarrhea, this may indicate an underlying issue instead which should be checked out by your vet.

Kudos to you for being so concerned about Buddy! :-) As long as Buddy is at a healthy body weight, he is likely getting plenty to eat. To make sure he seems to be a healthy body weight, run your hands over his ribs to assure that you can easily feel (but not see) his ribs. You should also be able to see a "waistline" when looking down at him. I can't see Buddy well enough in the pictures to help you determine if his weight is appropriate. Some dogs are naturally picky or have been conditioned to eat less dog food because they know that treats or more appealing food is coming. I always recommend offering food twice daily as you are doing, but some dogs choose to only eat once a day. Avoid midday treats or snacks to try to train Buddy to eat at mealtimes and continue avoiding table scraps. Make sure that Buddy is being offered a high quality kibble (I generally recommend Science Diet, Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin foods) and if you choose to switch foods, be sure to do so by mixing old and new foods together over 5-7 days. If the canned diet seems to tempt him to eat, you can continue mixing a bit in with the kibble, but I would recommend avoiding Beneful and looking for a higher quality canned option. Feel free to request a consultation or post additional questions if you have further concerns! :-)

There is a great calculator in the PetCoach library. Find it here: https://www.petcoach.co/healthy-weight-calculator/ It can be used to estimate Parker's ideal weight. You can also ask your veterinarian to show you how to assess Parker's body condition score (BCS). A BCS and body weight paint a more accurate picture than one or the other. In the meantime, continue to feed as you have been. Dogs thrive on routine, so try to keep a consistent schedule for feeding. Prepare his meal then leave it down for 15-20 minutes before picking it up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any food or large treats between meals. Tiny rewards for training or good behavior are allowed. These treats should take no more than 1-2 seconds to eat. Do not despair, he will not starve. Parker will eat when he is hungry. Try to avoid switching diets as this may cause gastrointestinal upset or create a finicky eater.

Hi there! Scooby sure sounds like he's becoming a very picky eater! A lot of dogs do this, and the more you give in, the more they will demand new and different foods mixed in and people food. The best way to break the behavior is to offer him his food, and no matter how long he takes to eat it, wait it out. Eventually he will realize that that's what he's getting to eat and that's it! If some people still have trouble at this point, I tell them to try balanceIT.com. it is a website that teaches you how to make a home cooked diet for your dog and also offers a supplement you can add into the food to make sure that they ate getting enough of the minerals and vitamins that they need. From the way it sounds, no matter what you add to scooby's food he's going to want something different in a few days, but you can try some plain low fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or pumpkin mixed into the food, or even just some warm water to help bring out the fragrance. Also make sure of course that scooby is up to date on his vet visits, vaccines, dewormings, and other preventive care, and that he is not having any signs of illness like diarrhea or vomiting. If he absolutely will not est, a vet visit is in order, but it doesn't seem that way.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. As long as Jacky is not sick and is otherwise normal, I would recommend switching to a different food altogether and consider canned food as well. If you still find he has a picky appetite, I would recommend adding chicken breast or broth to his current diet and see if this helps increase his appetite. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.