Dog Information

Why does my dog refuse to eat canned or dry dog food?

I have a 1 year old beagle who doesnt like to eat its own dog food. The type of food I buy is Pedigree soft food. She did eat this type of food before now justs resists eating it. I've tried switching her to dry food and she ate it for awhile then she resisted it also. I dont know if its because we are feeding her our table food and thats what shes getting accustomed to, or there is something wrong with the type of food we are buying. Any thoughts and answers?

Public Comments

1. Stop feeding her table food. After she gets hungry enough, she will eat food that is given to her.
2. when dogs do that mix the can food with food we eat like rice and they will like it!so they are eating healthy
3. Get her to a vet as soon as possible to make sure there's nothing wrong, be sure to provide all the details.
4. Pedigree is one of the worse dog foods on the market.Look at the ingredients for a moment.Bad very bad.At any rate feeding her table scraps is bad too.Beagles are prone to obesity which can and does lead to diabetes to name just one.Don't feed her table scraps and move to a better grade food would be my suggestion.
5. Try to stop feeding her table scraps, first of all. Also, it could be the food. It may not be the right type of food for her. For instance, our puppy refused to eat puppy chow, but we got it adult chow and it ate it fine. The puppy chow was affecting his stomach and making him ill because it wasn't the right formula and didn't have the nutrients he needed. Try moving him to adult dog food if he's on puppy, and puppy if he's on adult. Basically, just experiment with different types. Hopefully you'll find one your dog will accept.
6. Dude you just answered your own question. Stop feeding table scraps, she will eat when hungry.
7. Well, your dog is smart... Look at the ingrediets listing for Pedigree Choice Cuts: Sufficient Water For Processing, Poultry, Meat By-Products, Wheat Flour (Most dogs are allergic to Grains and can't digest them anyway!!!) , Lamb, Wheat Gluten (this is what was causing the food to be recalled... bad batches from China- hope you weren't feeding this if it was on the recall listing- also a grain, see above) , Salt (dogs don't need salt!), Peas (dogs can't digest vegetables), Carrots (see previous), Sodium Tripolyphosphate (what the hell is that?), Natural Flavors, Guar Gum (uh, should anyone eat this?), Vegetable Oil (why would you put this in dog food? no one should eat this!) , Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Sodium Alginate, Caramel Coloring (hello, do they need food coloring?), Bay Leaves (again- dogs can't digest plant matter, since they are carnivores- lack the enzymes to break down the cellular walls!), Xanthan Gum (again what the hell is this- an artificial thickener?) , Onion Powder (dogs certainly don't need this... comes from a vegetable, and it is just for flavor!), Vitamins (Vitamin E, A & D3 Supplements, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Biotin), Garlic Powder (see above!!!), Sodium Nitrite (For Color Retention) (do they need this either?). Google this: dog + food + grain free This is the closest kibble you will find to what they should be eating. Dogs should eat raw meaty food (including bones and organs), just like wolves. They are Canis Lupus Familiaris. www.rawmeatybones.com
8. she won't starve herself so stop feeding the table scraps
9. Will she eat "human food" consistently without going off it after a while? You could try her on some cooked chicken (no bones!) and rice, to see if it's the dog food, or food in general. If she resists the chicken and rice, I would suggest taking her to the vet asap to be checked over. Pain decreases appetite, so there may be something wrong. If not, try making it more interesting. Put some kibble in a puzzle ball (a ball with a hole in it, which the dogs plays with and kibble falls out), or in a Kong. You can seal the Kong with peanut butter, and even stuff it with leftover vegetables to make it more exciting.
10. I have had a lot of dogs in my life. The ones that lived the longest ate the least commercial dog food. My mom kept a large stew pot on the stove at very low temp and put most of our table scraps in it after dinner. Once in a while she would add water or some rice for filler. Commercial dog food is made from some pretty bad stuff, (animals which have been euthanized with a lethal chemical which does not break down during the processing. That same chemical is in the dog food in it's active form!) , the government standards for dog food are extremely low and it is known by many vets that this is true. Not even so called organic high priced foods (wet or dry) are free from many bad contaminants. These foods shorten the lifetime and quality of life of your dog drastically. A strict diet of just table scraps is not a good diet for your dog that will lead to the same problems as a human who gets obese, heart problems, diabetes, joint problems and many others. But- it just might be a little better than commercial dog food. The best thing to do is get online or go to the local library and research what your dog really needs for dietary requirements including some vegetation (no they can't digest it but it sure helps clean out their insides). Talk to your vet also about food requirements. If he/she recommends a commercial food find a new vet. Get a large crockpot and start a stew with some low cost chicken (boil out the bones) throw a few table scraps in there for fat and "ruffage", some rice and just keep adding to it as time goes by. Watch out for fido gaining weight and exercise him/her a lot, lot , lot! There are zillions of dog food recipies out there. Find a few make a few up. Why not cook for the dog just like anybody else in you family? Good luck with your most precious and loving friend. May you have many happy and exciting adventures together.
11. If you are feeding her table food, she will expect that. Stop feeding her human food and pick one brand and make that the only thing available to her. She will eat it sooner or later. This might sound mean...but she wont let herself starve. She is just being picky! Its like if all you gave to a kid was candy...they wouldn't want anything else, but if all the were offered was healthy food, they would have to eat it!