Why is my puppy refusing to eat Pedigree food? What should I do?

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. You can try adding warm water to the dry kibble, offer her canned dog food (alone or mixed with the dry food) or offer the original Pedigree diet. Once her veterinarian is back to town, she will need to be seen if her symptoms persist. You need to determine if she is ill or if she is having trouble adjusting to the new diet. I hope this information helps!

You can try baby food, low fat yogurt, canned food, or even boiled chicken and rice. You can try pedialyte or Gatorade as a water supplement to help. If she is still uninterested or you notice vomiting or diarrhea then she should be checked for an infection or obstruction

Thank you for posting the food! I can certainly understand being concerned about this food, it is not a good quality food in my opinion. And from your previous post, it does sound like it was upsetting her stomach. I would consider switching her to a different food slowly. You can give her a high quality food like I mentioned previous, such as Royal Canin or Hills Science diet, but other good quality foods include Iams and Purina Pro Plan. To switch food, you mix the new food and old food together, gradually increasing the amount of the new food and decreasing the amount of the old food until your puppy is eating the new food only. This help prevents GI upset.

Don't listen to sales associates about food choices. They are not trained in animal nutrition. Ivorie probably doesn't like the new food, and I would not recommend Merricks. Pedigree is fine for her, keep her on that. I hope this helps!

You are correct that Royal Canin is a better food for Darcy, and it's a good you are making the switch to it. It could be that the combination of the Pedigree and Royal Canin is causing the diarrhea, and she's not eating because of an upset stomach. I wouldn't be worried just yet, and I will give you a home remedy to try before having to take her into the vet. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet, just the Royal Canin dry only. The diarrhea could also be caused by intestinal parasites, and I would make sure she is up to date on her deworming treatments.

Have her seen by your veterinarian. The odor may be due to periodontal disease that needs to be addressed she may need her teeth cleaned and/or may lose teeth. Severe periodontal disease can be painful which could affect the appetite. Discontinue feeding milk as it can lead to an upset stomach. You can feed her Pedigree if that is all she will eat. Try soaking it with warm water to stimulate the appetite. The "best" food in the world is useless if a pet won't eat it.