Appetite

How to Get Back your dog's Appetite

When it comes to picky picky eating habits,...
cats don’t necessarily have a corner on the market. Many people find that dogs, and especially smaller dogs, have a tendency to turn their noses up at the food dish. Sure, some dogs would still eat a tin tea tray(if you melted a little cheese on it). But more and more people are finding that dogs who used to have healthy appetites are suddenly eating like supermodels. And of course many cats are still eating like birds (pardon the pun).

Dawg really believes that this is the result of sheer boredom...
caused by bland, over-processed, low-quality pet foods. Imagine for a moment that you were stuck eating the same thing, day after day. Now imagine that what you were being forced to eat was a diet consisting strictly of dried up “mystery” pellets that didn’t even resemble real food. It’s easy to see why pets will suddenly stop eating when in fact they should be welcoming each meal with voracious excitement. It is the main driving force in their lives. A pet with a passion for food is a pet with a passion for life.

If this description reminds you of your pet,...
the first step that I would recommend would be to switch to fresh, real, and natural pet food. Whether you choose a raw pet food base, that you add to fresh meat and veggies, or a recipe that you make from scratch -- dogs and cats will have a much healthier appetite on real, natural pet foods. It’s important to keep mealtime exciting for pets. Once you’ve got their systems accustomed to a fresh diet, try out different fruits and vegetables to see which ones they like. Try adding healthy leftovers to their food dish. And feel free to mix in things that you know they like such as tuna juice or chicken broth. Also, allowing all of the food to soak together in the fridge overnight will help ensure that the meat’s flavor gets absorbed into the other food items, making the meal all that much more exciting and tasty for your pet!

If your pet appears finicky to fresh raw pet foods,...
fear not. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Remember to switch slowly. There is no need to rush. When starting out on a new natural pet food diet, begin with as small as 1/8 teaspoon mixed in with their existing diet. The smaller the amount of new pet food being introduced at each meal, the better. Then, very, very slowly start to increase the amount of the new pet food each day while simultaneously decreasing the amount of old pet food being served. The same is true for added vegetables. Don’t add too much of a new pet food all at once, and try one new thing at a time so as not to overwhelm your critter. Chop veggies into very fine pieces or put them into a food processor if need be. Another helpful tip is to use a 5 to 10 minute feeding window. (Their bodies were never meant to have food available 24 hours a day.) If they refuse to eat, put the food in the fridge and try it again later. If they still refuse then wait 'til the next day. They will get the idea after a few days. Be very, very patient. This will make for a smoother transition, which, in turn, will also be easier on their digestive systems.

OK, you are increasing the amount of the new, ...
good foods so that nearly all the old pet food is not used. Now your chum the dog, will be able to enjoy other good, fresh human-grade food (as well as Dawgs natural dog treats). Remember, the only reason dogs have a bit of trouble with scraps from the table is because their bodies are used to only digesting bland pet food pellets everyday. Once they’re transitioned to fresh pet foods, they’ll love to try other healthy table scraps. Just stay away from things that are difficult to digest like onions and citrus fruits -- and of course no junk food or chocolate, and the like.