My dog won't eat her food but loves treats. What should I do?

If you are giving Brogan treats and other food (table scraps etc) when she doesn't eat her food it is likely she is just not eating and trying to get something better. I would recomend feeding her dry food only and no treats for a few days. A young healthy dog will not starve themselves. If she is still not eating she may need an exam to make sure she isn't painful. But I suspect she's trying to "train" you into giving her other foods. Dry dog food is what she needs to be healthy with little to no treats.

Add warm water or a couple teaspoons of baby food to his food to stimulate his appetite. Check his mouth and gums for injury or signs of periodontal disease (redness, swollen gums, bad breath, visible plaque/tartar build up). Discontinue hand feeding. This may worsen his being finicky. Changing the food bowl may reignite interest. Prepare his food at mealtimes and leave it down for 20-30 minutes. Pick it up afterwards whether he has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any other food or treats between meals. Zeus will not starve. He will eat when he is hungry as long as you are firm with him. Regular mealtimes are recommended since dogs thrive on routine. If he develops any other symptoms (lethargy, vomiting,diarrhea, loss of appetite), then have him examined by your veterinarian.

What Mia is doing is training you to feed her what she wants, when she wants it. You can turn it around by sticking with one diet and feeding her on a consistent schedule. Dogs thrive on routine. Prepare her food and leave it down for 30 minutes before picking it up whether she has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Offer no food or treats between meals other than tiny training rewards. Be firm and be consistent. She will not starve. You can warm her food slightly or mix in a bit of warm water to stimulate the appetite. Being that she is young and tiny, watch for symptoms of hypoglycemia and offer a dab of Nutri Cal or Karo syrup if she becomes lethargic. Once she perks up, feed her.

Given a choice, most dogs will eat table food before dog food. Discontinue feeding cheese. Feed Sultan on a consistent schedule. Dogs thrive on routine. Prepare his dog food and leave it down for 15-20 minutes. Afterwards, pick it up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat at the next scheduled mealtime. Do not offer any other food or treats between meals until Sultan is eating his own food regularly. You can add warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. Mix well to prevent him from picking it out though.

Immediately discontinue feeding all treats or snacks. Start feeding a high quality canned or dry dog food. Dogs thrive on routine, so feed Zoe on a consistent schedule. Prepare her food at the appointed time and leave it down for 20 minutes before picking it up whether she has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. You can mix in some warm water or a teaspoon of plain baby food (nothing with garlic, onion or raisins/grapes) to stimulate the appetite. The hard part is that you and your mother, will need to be firm. Do not offer any food between meals. Do not worry, Zoe will not starve. Once she realizes no treats are forthcoming, she will eat.

It sounds like she's trained you to give her the good stuff :) I'd first start with a vet visit to rule out a medical cause (Anxiety, intestinal parasites, an issue with her liver processing nutrients called a liver shunt). If everything is normal, then slowly start weaning her off the treats and on to food. It's ok for her to go a day or two without eating a normal amount while you're transitioning her.

You can try mixing a teaspoon of the Luvsome food into the Bil-Jac diet to stimulate her appetite. Some warm water in the dry food may also help. Dogs thrive on routine, so try to feed at the same time every day. Prepare Juju's meal and leave it down for 20-30 minutes before picking it up whether she has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not feed any other food between meals. Be firm. She will not starve herself. She will eat when she is hungry. Do not allow her to train you to feed what she wants, when she wants it.