If your dog won't touch his food bowl at all, this can be a cause for great concern. Loss of appetite is a symptom of many serious illnesses, so if your four-legged friend is also losing weight, you definitely need to go to the vet.
The situation is different if the dog has an appetite but is not hungry for its standard meals. Then he spurns his normal food, but is very interested in other sources of food such as treats.
Why is that? And how can I get my furry friend to regain his appetite for a balanced diet?
7 reasons for a dog to only eat treats
1. The dog the food doesn't taste good
Although dogs have significantly fewer taste buds than humans, they can still be quite picky: sometimes the animals also have an aversion to certain ingredients.
Then they like to switch to tastier alternatives that they know and love: they often go for treats.
Solution:
A solution then is this to change food or to make it more appealing to the dog. For this it is often enough to add a little egg, for example Salmon oil to trickle over.
Veterinarian Gregor Berg about picky dogs and what you can do. Source: Dr. Berg Pet Food https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJKF-yRzmMU
2. Feed intolerance
An allergic reaction can also cause the four-legged friend to spurn his actual food. Often this is one Feed intolerance against one or more ingredients.
The body then rebels, sometimes the dog instinctively makes a connection and then refuses to eat. Of course, there is still an appetite: treats that have been put together without hesitation will be eaten with pleasure.
Solution:
Here it is actually only possible using one Elimination diet to ensure that the allergen is found and avoided in the future. Many manufacturers also offer particularly compatible ones for this purpose hypoallergenic foods to.
3. Problems with Dietary change
But changing your diet is a thing: dogs are creatures of habit and often notice very quickly that they are suddenly being served something different.
Some then become skeptical and initially refuse the food. But since their appetite still exists, they still enjoy eating treats.
Solution:
This problem usually resolves itself and goes away after a few days. In order to increase hunger, it is advisable to avoid other snacks during this time.
4. Spoiled feed
If your dog spurns his bowl, you should pay close attention to the food, especially on hot days: it can also spoil particularly quickly and become inedible for your four-legged friend.
This especially occurs when the dog is given free meals. Wet food spoils much more quickly than dry food.
If this happens, it is only logical that the four-legged friend prefers other meals and only eats snacks.
Solution:
Don't leave the food outside all the time on warm days, but only during meals. Wet food must be stored in the refrigerator from time to time, dry food should be tightly sealed.
5. Too much food & too little activity
Unfortunately, many dog owners make the mistake of offering their four-legged friend far too much food. The manufacturers are not entirely innocent of this, as the feeding recommendations are often set significantly too high.
If there is not only an oversupply of normal food, but also a lot of treats, the animal sometimes has it too free choice. He often takes what he likes best, i.e. the snacks.
Too little activity in combination with treats can also be to blame: the dog then has enough calories from the snack and sees no reason to eat normal food anymore.
Solution:
You should adapt the food ration to the dog's needs. More exercise also helps.
6. Wronger food bowl
In some cases it also plays food bowl a role: This must be chosen with caution, otherwise meals will be difficult for your four-legged friend:
- A bowl that is too large/high will result in the food becoming inaccessible.
- Some cheap models (especially made of plastic/plastic) also have a very unpleasant, chemical smell that spoils your meal.
Then the dog uses other food sources that have nothing to do with the bowl. This includes not only treats, but also other foods that are within his reach. The only thing that really helps is buying a suitable model.
Solution:
If you notice that your dog is having problems reaching his meals, the only thing that helps is to buy a new, suitable feeding bowl.
7. Dental disease
And finally, health can also play a role. Unfortunately there are many dogs who are under Problems with your teeth suffer. These include, for example:
- Plaque & tartar
- Periodontitis, chronic inflammation of the gums and periodontium
- Broken teeth
- Teeth change in puppy/young dog age and
- Caries.
Due to our furry friends' high pain tolerance, these problems are often initially invisible to us. The first sign is the refusal of food, especially dry food.
Many treats are significantly softer and belong to the group of semi-moist foods. They are then a comparatively pain-free alternative for the dog.
Solution:
Advanced dental diseases can actually only be stopped by a veterinarian. In addition to medication, dental surgery is often necessary, usually under anesthesia. In the meantime, one can Soak with water make the dry food a little more tolerable.
Don't forget dental care
To avoid things getting this far, you should take preventive action. To do this, you not only have to inspect the teeth regularly, but you also have to take care of your mouth.
There are a variety of different options for this Dental care products for dogs. Depending on the teeth and disposition of the four-legged friend, a different type may be best suited.
Treats: Only good in moderation
Some dog lovers think that it's not so bad if their four-legged friend eats treats instead of regular food. After all, the idea is that your stomach will be well filled with snacks.
But that is a fallacy: Treats are a nice change and play an important role in many educational concepts, but they cannot replace traditional meals.
Not a complete feed
This is mainly because most treats have an unbalanced composition. For them, the focus is on taste; the nutritional value is not that important to the manufacturers.
This means: Almost all snacks are only intended as supplementary food. When declaring the nutrients, it becomes apparent that they are often missing many important vitamins and minerals.
If the dog eats almost exclusively treats, this often has a similar effect to a human diet that consists primarily of snacks and sweets: the bones and musculoskeletal system are not optimally supplied and the blood values deteriorate.
It threatens Overweight
If you're not careful, if you eat too many treats you can quickly become overweight. Snacks can be real calorie bombs, and a healthy daily ration can be exceeded in no time.
The consequences of obesity in dogs include cardiovascular problems, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, chronic organ changes (e.g. fatty liver) and joint problems due to excessive strain.
Always deduct snacks from the daily ration
If you give treats, you should find out exactly the nutritional content of the snacks you use. This makes it possible to make the daily ration of food balanced:
The more treats the dog gets, the less normal food he needs.
Also Dog food is suitable as a treat
With a little skill you can too regular dog food as a treat establish. Semi-moist croquettes are particularly suitable for this, but one or two dry foods are also very tasty and can serve as a nice change.
The advantage is obvious: As a reward, your four-legged friend will receive complete, balanced food, so you don't have to worry about nutritional deficiencies.
Healthy snacks as an alternative
Also very helpful healthy snacks be. Vegetables such as carrots are very popular and offer the four-legged friend lots of additional vitamins and fiber. At the same time, they promote teeth, making them suitable as a low-calorie alternative to chewing bones.
In moderation, it is also possible to give fruit as a reward. However, due to the usually quite high fructose content, you shouldn't overdo it.
But be careful: not every vegetable can be eaten by dogs.
FAQs
When should you give dog treats?
Treats are particularly suitable as a reward after work is done. They are therefore used particularly in dog training. However, you should avoid giving it too often due to the high calorie content. Furthermore, a snack must be given very quickly – the dog can only perceive it as a reward if it has been received about two to three seconds after an action.