Picky dog won't eat new food, can't find old. What should I do?

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!

For a dog that is used to eating fresh food, it can be a challenge to get them to eat kibble or canned food. One of my dogs is very picky and LOVES The Honest Kitchen products. I currently feed her 1/2 kibble and 1/2 The Honest Kitchen Keen. She has not missed a meal since I started feeding The Honest Kitchen. It is more expensive than kibble, but is very good quality food. Since I see that you are in CA, another option would be Just Food for Dogs. That would be a fresh food diet that is premade. Both companies are excellent, so see if Pepper likes either of those options. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You can try mixing the two foods together if you switched abruptly because some dogs do not handle a quick transition well. Mix the old food and new food together in a bowl for a week or two to gradually switch her over. You can also try things like soaking the new food in warm water to soften it or with a low sodium chicken broth to try to make it more appealing initially, then gradually decreasing the amount of liquid added to the food. Some pet stores also have a satisfaction gaurantee if you pet will not eat the food, so you can also call and find out if the store offers this and will let you exchange the product if she still refuses to eat it.

Even with the vitamin supplements, this is not likely a complete and balanced diet. There is not anything you can give him to improve his appetite. This is likely behavioral and nature. It’s hard to get a pet adjusted to eating pet food once they are used to eating something like human food or jerky treats. You may try cooking his food or try different commercial diets to find one he likes. If you want to cook his food, you will need to contact a veterinary nutritionist to make sure that the diet is complete and balanced. A recent survey found that the vast majority of the homemade diets found online were unbalanced. Any food you choose needs to be AAFCO tested and certified. This information will be on the packaging. You will also need to decrease the amount of jerky you are giving him. Best of luck.

You can mix the 2 together and slowly decrease the amount of soft food he gets to get him used to dry food again. You can add a small amount of chicken or beef broth to the food to give it a little more flavor an entice him back to dry food that way

My favorite brands of food are Acana, Origen, Lotus and Hobest Kitchen. You can see if they are available in your area. Some of the freeze dried raw diets such as honest kitchen are very palatable to picky eaters. I also find that adding fish oil and warm water to dry kibble can be very appetizing. It is also a very healthy supplement for them.

This can be difficult. Finicky eaters are not uncommon with small breed dogs. Fixing this depends on how stubborn both you and Freya are. A dog who is healthy will not starve themselves to the point of illness. You can pick a high-quality food, I recommend the brands Royal Canin or Purina pro plan. Offer the diet and don’t offer her anything else. It is likely she will refuse the food and may do so for a couple days but eventually she will eat. You can try adding in canned food or meal toppers, a very small amount of shredded boiled chicken or some plain brown or white rice to make it more appealing. An alternative is to look into a diet more like fresh pet or Nom Nom pet food. These will be more like meals humans eat and you may have more successful. When you have a finicky eater, it is crucial not to offer any human food or food from your plate. Treats must be minimal. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.