My senior dog won't eat dry food, losing weight. What to feed him?

Hello and thank you for your questions about Lady. If lady will only eat the dry food but you are concerned she will not drink enough water, you may try adding warm water to the kibble. If she will eat it that way, then you know she will get the extra water as she eats. You may also try a different brand to see if she will eat their senior canned formulas. I recommend to stick with other high quality brands like Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Eukanuba and Nutro are also good brands. If she will eat these diets, you could mix water with the canned food and add it all to the dry food to almost create a soup. If Lady will eat it this way, you can be sure she is getting planty of water. I hope this helps to give you some ideas and that you find something that works for you and Lady. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Schazi may not be eating this food because she doesn't like the taste, or she could be ill. Not eating is one of the first signs of illness in dogs. I'm not sure when she had her last vet check, but it would be good to have her seen by a vet just to make sure everything is ok with her. If she doesn't have a medical illness, you may have to try a a different brand of food for her to get her to eat. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. First though, call the vet to make an appointment for a health check. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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 Skyler. Great question! I recommend Royal Canin Small Adult 8+ dry dog food. This helps maintain a healthy weight, has small, highly palatable kibble, and enhanced palatability. I would feed this to her. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If a medical issue has been ruled out, you can try highly palatable foods such as lean meats mixed with rice. Otherwise, there are certain brands in the market that are highly palatable such as Purina Pro Plan shredded blends. You can try adding chicken broth to his food. You can try those things but if nothing seems to work, he should be re-evaluated by a veterinarian to ensure that there is not a medical issue going on with him. Good luck and have a great day!

I would recommend putting Motzart on a commercial senior diet. Some preferred brands are Royal Canin, Hills and Purina. I would not recommend a raw diet, especially at this age because Motzart will not be getting a balanced diet and will be at risk for diseases such as pancreatitis, bowel obstructions, and infectious diseases like salmonella and E. coli. If you are interested in home cooking a properly balanced diet for him I would recommend checking out the website balanceit.com. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Provide food that is high in calories, like puppy food or a food that’s designed for active, athletic, or working dogs. Higher protein and fat pet foods are best. Underweight pets should be eating foods that are around 30% protein and 20% fat if they’re eating dry kibble; 7% protein and 5% fat (or higher) if you’re feeding a wet food. Intersperse your pet’s diet with small amounts of high-calorie supplemental canned food or canned products made of 100% meat sources. These will have a high protein and fat content, like 100% pheasant or bison, for example. They won’t say “complete and balanced” but rather “for intermittent or supplemental use” because they’re not meant to replace regular feeding. Some moist foods may be easier to digest, so your pet may retain more nutrients, and more importantly these products tend to be more palatable and tempting to a pet who isn’t eating enough. Any diet changes should be done gradually over a week's time as to not cause any GI upset. Hope this helps. Best wishes.