Puppies can certainly be little eating machines that might be tempted to eat just about anything. That’s why it is important to keep dangerous items out of your puppy’s reach and to feed a nutritional and balanced diet designed for your puppy’s breed.
If your puppy arrives at your house with a healthy appetite and then later starts to ignore food, make sure there is not a medical problem for the lack of appetite. Look for signs of vomiting or diarrhea, which can be common symptoms of a serious illness. If in doubt, take the puppy to the veterinarian.
Keep in mind that it is not always a medical condition or illness that makes your puppy lose his or her appetite. It could very well be something you’re doing without realizing it.
Excess feeding of treats is a big reason why puppies will refuse to eat their dinner. Many puppy treats are in reality junk food. Children are likely to choose junk food over a nutritional meal and so are puppies. Make sure you feed high quality nutritional treats. Cut back on the number of treats that you give your puppy before meals.
Sometimes it is necessary to change a puppy’s food because it is not agreeing with them or they don’t like it. Try new foods until you do find one that your puppy likes. However, once you find a food that he or she likes, don’t change it unless you must. This can wreck havoc on your puppy’s stomach.
Some dogs have an oral fixation and they’ll eat anything. If your puppy tends to eat rocks, sticks, plants or dirt, talk to your veterinarian to make sure the puppy is not suffering from a nutritional deficiency. If there is no deficiency, try providing toys and puppy-safe bones to discourage the eating of those nasty items.
Be sure that your puppy is not raiding your or your neighbors’ trashcans. Puppies love to dig through the trash and this can be hazardous to their health. If puppy fills up on trash, he or she is not likely to eat the food you put down for them.
Some puppies are prone to eating their own feces and this will have a negative effect on their appetites – as well as yours.
The eating of one’s own feces is known as coprophagy. There are several reasons why a puppy might do this. One is that he or she is imitating behavior they learned in a kennel situation. (This is often the case in puppy mills where conditions can be far from favorable).
If you are not feeding your puppy enough food, he or she may turn to eating their own feces to curb their hunger. Try increasing the quantity of food and see if this helps.
Boredom is another reason puppies may eat their own excrement. Provide toys and be sure to give the puppy adequate exercise.
If this doesn’t help, there are commercial products that can be purchased at pet stores. In addition, adding foods such as meat tenderizer, pineapple, pumpkin or spinach can make a pile of feces smell and taste horrible to the puppy.
Another option is spray the piles of feces with hot sauce. One taste of this and puppy may never try eating poop again.
Overall, a puppy can suffer from a loss of appetite for many reasons and it’s up to you to figure out what that problem is. Start with examining the simple things, like reducing the number of treats, and work your way up to the more serious problems, such as a medical deficiency. Eventually, you will find the problem, it just takes patience and persistence
Related posts:
- Herbal Remedies For Puppies
- Poisonous Foods To Puppies
- Poisonous Plants to Puppies
- Understanding Your Puppies Health Needs
- New Year’s Resolutions for Puppies
