My dog stopped eating kibble after moving. Is wet food a good option?

Hello, and thank you for your question. Stela is a beautiful dog. It is possible that she is just being picky. I would try to very gradually mix in the dry food into her wet diet, for example each day feed a bit more kibble and less wet food. I generally advise against raw diets, as they can harbour bacteria and cause serious illness in both dogs and the people who handle the food. Try sticking to commercial kibble and wet food, with the goal of transitioning onto kibble over time. Experiment with different brands, and hopefully you will find something that she likes! If she seems at all unwell (low energy, vomiting, diarrhea), then I would worry about a medical cause for the low appetite, and recommend taking her to the vet. They can check for things like a gut infection, parasites, food allergies, etc. I hope this helps, and that Stela is feeling well!

Thank you for submitting your question. Minxy is such a small dog that she needs to be eating regularly. If her appetite change came after adding the canned food to her diet, I would stop that. She may not be liking it. If you added the canned food to encourage her to eat, then there is a primary problem affecting her appetite. Since she is so young, I would have her evaluated by her veterinarian. She may have intestinal parasites. If she does not have any medical problems, I would try a different diet and your veterinarian can recommend a probiotic to add to her food. Some of them are flavored and will entice a dog to eat. I hope this information helps!

Offer a canned food that has a strong odor. Warming it slightly, mixing in a teaspoon of baby food or mixing in water from a can of tuna may stimulate her appetite. A pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser may decrease any anxiety related to the move. An "allergy friendly" diet would be difficult to recommend without knowing everything your dog has allergies against. What you can do is discuss allergy testing and hydrolyzed diets with your veterinarian. Read ingredient labels for possible allergens.

Most commercially available canned foods are still balanced diets. As long as Zoey is eating a food formulated for growing puppies, she should still be meeting all of her nutritional needs. However, being a small breed dog, she is naturally more prone to developing dental issues as she ages. Dry food is a bit more abrasive to the teeth, which will help to decrease tartar formation. You can try mixing a small amount of dry food with her wet food to try to tempt her to eat it. Otherwise, be sure to brush her teeth daily to maintain oral health. Be sure that you are feeding a high quality brand of food (Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Royal Canin are some of my favorites), and keep Zoey on puppy food until she is 1 year old. Anytime you change flavors or brands of food, mix the old and new foods together over 5-7 days for a slower transition to decrease the incidence of vomiting and diarrhea. Wet food should be just fine provided that you stay on top of brushing her teeth. :-) I hope that all goes well!

Hello and thank you for your post! In regards to these types of meals, they are meant to be full meals. However, most of these are high in fat and can cause dietary indiscretion. I would be concerned about weight gain with these meals. I typically prefer more balanced foods such as Science Diet, Royal Canin, Eukanuba or natural balance.

It shouldn't be a problem to switch Cointhee to all canned food if this is what he is willing to eat. Canned food will be better balanced then chicken and rice so it's definitely the preferred option. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Cointhee continues to improve!

As long as she eats and is not losing weight, don't stress out over it. It is true that smaller breeds can be a bit more finicky. Switching foods would not be recommended as it can lead to gastrointestinal upset and reinforce her finicky nature. Instead, try mixing in a bit of warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate the appetite.