Tips for feeding a dog with no appetite

When a dog suffers diminished appetite, it can be very worrying indeed.  There are many reasons why an animal will not eat and obviously, should this occur in a pet with a normally healthy appetite, veterinary advice must be sought. 

A lack of appetite tends occur following surgery or illness and this is the time when you would like to see an animal beginning to build up its strength.  Your vet will advise you of the prescription diets that are available for post-operative patients and those that have suffered recent illness.  These foods are specially formulated to serve your dog’s nutritional needs and are palatable too.  Often a dog will accept these foods readily, however, there are times when added temptation to eat is required, so here are a few tips.

A large plate of food can be overwhelming, so offer small portions at each feed.  Mashed, minced and pureed food takes less effort to chew and dogs (and cats!) can be stimulated to eat by warming the food to body temperature.

Serve ‘smelly’ foods such as tinned pilchards or tuna; this works particularly well with cats but it can also tempt the anorexic dog too.

Plastic dishes can absorb nasty smells and some dogs simply do not like the smell of metal, so try placing the food in pottery or china dishes.

Always make food easily accessible.  A weak pet will find it easier to lap from a flat plate without having to lift its head too far.  A larger dog suffering from an arthritic condition might find it difficult to bend down, so placing the food bowl on a stand at muzzle level will overcome the problem. 

Some dogs prefer to eat alone and therefore should be left in a quiet area with no distraction, but others may benefit from hand feeding particularly if they are used to being pampered.
Always keep your dog warm, clean, comfortable and well groomed as this will help to improve the appetite.