I have to hand feed my dog

Question

I have 3 dogs of different ages, the latest addition being a puppy. Two eat in the kitchen within view of each other and the third eats in another room. Everything has been fine u until a few weeks ago when my middle dog started to not eat from his bowl. He eats in the kitchen with the girl puppy. Now they all play together fine and there doesn't appear to be any aggression between any of them but my boy will not eat his dog food unless I take it to him in my hands. He'll try to eat bread and other non dog foods. He is drinking normally, bowel movements as expected. Any idea's before we visit the vet?

Answer 1

I'd stop feeding anything but the dog food. Separate all the dog for feeding, don't let them eat out of each others bowls, and take it up after 30min if it hasn't been eaten. Repeat this twice a day. If your dogs aren't used to a schedule and having their food taken up, they may miss a meal or two, but will eventually learn to eat at meal time. This will help you a lot in the end, with controlling weight and when you have to take them out to the bathroom.

My grandmother had a similar problem with her dog. She kept several types of dog food in the house and if the dog didn't eat a whole bowl full in a day, she'd say the dog was tired of that food and swap it out for another brand. The thing was, though, that she was feeding the dog a loaf of bread and two packs of sliced ham a week.

I'm not saying that's what you're doing, but it's something to watch out for. He may just not be very hungry and may be filling up on snacks. As for only eating out of your hand, that's just a quirk he's being allowed to get away with. If he's hungry he'll eat out of his bowl.

If you get on this schedule and he hasn't eaten after two days, then you should consult a vet. However, from what you said, he's eating fine, just not out of his bowl, so I'd give this a try first. Good luck.