When your dog stops eating their dry food or refuses to try kibble, it can be concerning, even frustrating. While some dogs are picky pups, others may have a health issue. Before you give up on feeding your dog kibble, it’s important to get to the bottom of why your dog doesn’t want their dry food. Once you have a better idea of why your dog doesn’t want to crunch on dry kibble, we have some tips that will encourage your dog to dig in and eat up.
Understanding why your dog won’t eat dry food can reveal a lot about your dog’s dietary preference. It can also help you determine if your dog needs to visit the vet due to a health condition.
Determining Why Your Dog Won’t Eat Dry Food
When your dog turns up their nose at their dinner, it’s important to determine why. Getting to the bottom of the “why” your dog is avoiding their dinner is the first step to encouraging them to chow down.
Could Your Dog’s Pickiness Be a Sign of a Health Condition?
To rule out a health reason for your dog’s refusal to eat, it’s important to take note of your dog’s behaviour. If your dog stopped eating dry food abruptly, there may be cause for concern.
Here are some of the most common medical reasons that a dog stops eating dry food:
1. Dental Issues
If your dog begins to eat but stops, they may be experiencing dental pain or discomfort. Their interest in food suggests they have an appetite, but their pausing points to pain as they try to chew their dry food. If your dog won’t eat dry food but eats wet food, this could be the reason.
2. Stress or Anxiety
Some dogs feel nervous or fearful while eating. This can be due to a past experience with other dogs, hesitancy due to a new environment, a storm, or general anxiety. To help determine if this is the reason your dog isn’t eating, try isolating your dog in a room. They may eat when left alone. If your dog is refusing to eat during storms, they likely have storm anxiety.
3. Nausea
Like us, dogs sometimes get upset stomachs. This could be caused by many different things, including eating something they shouldn’t have, anxiety, intestinal parasites, or a more serious internal issue. If your dog simply has a temporary tummy ache, they will likely begin eating the next day. Another sign that your dog’s lack of appetite is stress-related is they are drinking plenty of water. Dogs that don’t regain their appetite need to visit the vet.
4. Arthritis
If your dog won’t eat dry food but eats treats, there’s a good chance your dog is simply a picky eater. However, some dogs don’t want to eat from their dog bowls due to neck pain related to arthritis. These dogs will eat kibble off the floor or take treats from their owners’ hands.
