My dog only wants bones in his food. How do I get him to eat?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I understand your frustration. Soska will not choose starvation. I would put her meal down and give her a set amount of time to eat it then pick it up. Do that for several days to a week and see if she starts to finish her meals. Keep treats to a minimum. If after a week she still isn't finishing her meals then try adding water to the food to make it more tempting. You can try a different type of food after 2 weeks in case she doesn't like the food. If she continues for several weeks Soska should be evaluated by your Vet for any medical reason for her poor appetite. I hope this helps. For my dog it simply took adding water to his dry food and now he eats it without us having to sit with him.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few things you can do to make his food more palatable while he gets used to it. For example, you may add low sodium chicken broth, veterinary approved gravy which you can get at your pet store or pieces of boiled chicken to it. Good luck!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Riley. It sounds like he may be acting picky. I would put his food down in the morning for breakfast and leave it there for 15-20 minutes. After this time, pick up the food even if he hasn't eaten it. Do NOT give him any other food. This is very important. No treats, human food, nothing. He needs to learn that he has to eat when you give him food, and he won't get anything else. At dinnertime, put his food down again for 15-20 minutes, picking it up after that time. No more food until breakfast the next morning. He will get hungry enough to eat. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Causes of a decrease in appetite are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infection, he ate something gross that is upsetting his stomach, he ate something that is stuck, food allergy/intolerance, Inflammatory Bowel disease, Addison's disease, new treat/food/table food. Sometimes this can be behavioral as well, he is waiting for something better like the Pedigree. If there is not other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy then that is likely the problem. If you recently got a new bag of his food the company may have changed the formula or there is a issue with that bag of food. If you really don't want to feed him Pedigree then hold your ground. Offer his normal food, you can add water to it to make it more tempting, and if he doesn't eat it then pick it up. Do not offer treats or any other food and then he is not fed again until his next meal time. You can also consider feeding him once daily. If he is otherwise sick, please repost with his symptoms and we will provide advice. I hope this helps and I wish you and Puku the best!

Dogs tend to try and hold out on the "healthy" stuff especially if more interesting things such as treats are available. If he is refusing to eat it is best to stop all people food and treats for a day to encourage him to eat his food instead. Most dogs will get hungry enough after a day to give their regular food a try.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Norik is acting fine and this is the only meal he skipped then I would still try to offer him food in the middle of the day. You can try adding water to the food or a teaspoon of canned food. Dogs rarely will starve themselves. Don't stress and just offer more food later! If you have to go to work then put a small amount with him or offer food at his next normal feeding time. I hope this helps and good luck!

I can certainly understand how this could be a concern for you! To get Mogly back on his dog food, you can try mixing it with the boiled chicken, but if he picks out the chicken only and leaves the dog food, you are going to have to get strict with him. Feed him only dog food, and put his food out for 20 minutes maximum. Give him no other food. After 20 minutes, take the food away until the next meal time. Do not give him any addition food at all, no treats or human food. Put the food down as his next meal time, and give him 20 minutes to eat it. Mogly should be hungry enough that he will eat it. If he doesn't take it away after 20 minutes, and don't feed him again until tomorrow morning. A healthy dog will not starve themselves for more than three days. It's very important to make sure you only offer him the dog food and nothing else, and this should help stop him from being picky and back eating his dog food.