My 6-year-old pit bull only eats once daily. How can I increase her appetite?

I'm glad to hear that Molly is such a spunky older girl! Not to worry - feeding her once per day is perfectly reasonable. I generally recommend twice daily feedings for adult dogs simply because most dogs prefer eating more often, but it sounds as though Molly has made her preferences perfectly clear! Some dogs are just less food motivated than others. As long as she eats a good dinner, there's no cause for concern.

What a great question. It’s the age old debate about whether we should feed dogs once a day, twice a day, or three times a day. Honestly, it depends on the dog. if the dog is healthy and happy, and he is keeping his weight at a healthy amount that is not too heavy or too light, I see no reason with feeding him only once a day. One recommendation I would also add to you if you do intend to only feed him once is to keep his food elevated and use a special type of feeding bowl that forces him to eat slowly. There are certain bowls with prongs in them that force your pet to eat slowly. The reasoning is that large breed dogs like yours can sometimes have gastrointestinal problems like bloat, etc. if they inhale their food without chewing. Feeding only once a day can sometimes cause a dog to ravenously eat so you have to be careful. But again it depends on the dog and most that I have come into contact with that are only fed one meal a day still do fairly well. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope I have helped. Have a nice day.

Hello. If Emma seems to do well with a once-daily feeding, then this may be all that she needs. Not all dogs eat twice a day, so as long as she does not seem to be losing weight, once a day is fine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Trig-z. She could be eating slower because something is bothering her mouth. Things to consider include dental fractures (especially if she chews on rocks or bones) and tooth root abscesses, especially if she has not had teeth cleaning recently. She could also have a systemic illness such as liver disease or kidney disease, but these typically cause inappetence or vomiting. If these signs persist longer than 2-3 days, or if her signs worsen, then she should be seen by her veterinarian soon. Hope this helps and best of luck.

As long as Rosie is acting normal and is not losing weight this might be normal behavior for her. However if she has any drooling, odor from her mouth, vomiting or is losing weight I would be concerned about something else going on such as an infection in her mouth, inflammation of her stomach, or even kidney issues. If you notice any of those signs she needs to be checked out by her veterinarian.

If she has not been recently dewormed I would start there as worms can cause improper weight gain. How much to feed depends on what food you are feeding her. Be sure she is eating a high quality PUPPY food and follow the instructions/recommendations on how much to feed by what the packaging tells you.

Poor Luna! Is she underweight? If not, I wouldn't be overly stressed about how much she is eating. Also some dogs are simply scared of eating from dog bowls. I would just feed her from the floor or in a paper plate. If she is underweight, I would talk to your vet about doing a GI panel. It is a blood test that checks for Vitamin B12, folate, and two different pancreatic enzymes. Sometimes this will guide the vet to what she may be deficient in and once you fix that, their appetite will increase. You could also talk to them about just putting her on an appetite stimulant if you want to try a more conservative method first. Finally, if all of this is normal, I would consider finding a holistic veterinarian who specializes in acupuncture and Chinese herbs. There are some great things with alternative medicine to help with appetite. I hope this helps!