I've had several clients over the past year dealing with food issues and their dogs. While some of these dogs had resource guarding with regard to their food/food bowls (see the video I posted last week on Facebook on the topic of resource guarding, if you missed it!), most actually had inherent issues with the food itself. A couple were puppies who weren't thriving and would turn up their noses routinely at the food they were fed, a few others were adolescent dogs wolfing down their food and then vomiting it back up, and a handful of others were senior dogs who no longer seemed interested in eating. Issues around food/feeding time, food bowls, etc. can occur at any point in a dog's lifetime and you need to be prepared to deal with the issues in a timely fashion so that they don't become bigger problems. Many a finicky eater has been created by a well-meaning owner switching dog foods every couple of days because their dog wouldn't eat what they were offered.
Let's start with a discussion of puppies. Puppies, regardless of breed, should be fed at least three time daily until they are roughly 6 months of age. Some puppies may require more than three meals a day; for example, small breed puppies like Chihuahuas do better with frequent small meals that keep their blood glucose levels even, than with three larger meals. Some puppies will give up on that third meal of the day (usually the midday lunch) all on their own, while others will need that third meal a bit longer. Puppies should be fed puppy food; feeding a puppy adult food will result in your puppy not receiving adequate fats needed for proper brain development. Which is why you don't want your adult dogs eating puppy food; it may taste really good to them, but they don't need those extra fats!
When choosing a food for your puppy or your dog, there are several things to consider. First off, your budget. Pick a food for your canine family member that fits into your budget. There are a wide range of dog foods on the market, all across price ranges, so finding one that fits your budget shouldn't be hard. Basically, you want to pick the best food you can afford. Keep in mind that there are a lot of high performance diets out there for dogs. These diets tend to be quite high in protein, containing more protein than the average dog needs on a daily basis. If you have a working dog, that is one doing search and rescue daily, herding on your farm, etc., you will likely want to feed a performance diet. For the average "weekend warrior" dog, however, those diets are more protein than your dog needs and more expensive for you. Getting too much protein in their diet can lead to dogs who display agitation and hyperactivity as they have more fuel on board than they can burn off. Dogs are omnivores, not carnivores, so including vegetables, fruits, and grains in their diet is a good thing. Grain free diets for your puppy or your dog shouldn't be given unless your dog has a sensitivity to all grains; while some dogs have sensitivities to some grains, most aren't sensitive to them all, and a balanced canine diet includes good quality grains, as well as fruits and veggies.
Which brings me to my next point: If you are feeding a good quality diet and your dog is having loose stools regularly, is uninterested in eating, is vomiting after meals, or is itchy/licking himself all the time, then your dog may have a food sensitivity or food allergy. This is the time to talk to your veterinarian about allergy testing BEFORE you start changing from one food to another which can also create loose stools etc. in and of itself. If you prefer to do the testing yourself, you can get a test kit from www.nutriscan.org. They have two panels that cover all proteins and grains and requires simply collecting saliva from your dog for the test. You will receive a detailed report once the saliva is analyzed allowing you to know once and for all what your dog can and cannot eat. I have one client who had been feeding her dog a duck and potato diet as she knew that to be "hypoallergenic," but her dog was routinely turning up his nose at the food and would often vomit after eating or have diarrhea. Well, it turns out that he's sensitive to duck! Once she changed him over to a fish and potato diet, he's doing great.
Just as people can develop food aversions to foods that have made them sick (or that they associate with being sick), dogs can too. If your dog feels ill every time he eats from his bowl, he's going to resist doing so as long as possible. You may even have to change the bowl when you change the food if their aversion is strong enough! This is why many dogs are fine with the treats they receive and the "people food" they get; those aren't delivered in the dreaded bowl and are in such small amounts that they don't trigger the aversion.
Finally, for dogs on the other end of the spectrum who will eat anything and everything, slow them down. It isn't good to wolf down their food as nutrient absorption will be compromised and eating food rapidly can lead to a large bolus of food in the stomach triggering bloat, stomach upset, or vomiting. Slow feeder bowls can help, as can interactive toys and snuffle mats.
I know I've talked about this before, but it bears repeating. People food isn't inherently bad for dogs. In fact, occasionally getting a bit of people food means your dog has been exposed to those things so is less likely to get sick if he happens upon some unguarded or "free" people food out in the real world. And sharing things like blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apples and carrots are good for your dog. Lean meats (as long as the protein source is one they aren't allergic to, of course) are good too. A bit of cheese now and again is fine as well as long as your dog can tolerate dairy. Just remember to limit cheeses as they are high in fat too.
It's been interesting for me to see the correlations between food sensitivities and certain dog breeds as well. Most of the recent "weird protein sensitivities" I've seen have been in Doodles, for example. And I have a client with a Labrador who has really intense food allergies, being allergic to almost everything you can imagine. So odd as most people think of Labradors as being the canine equivalent of a garbage disposal, able to eat anything because of their "iron stomachs." Go figure.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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