A Small Dog

When a Small Dog Refuses Food

Posted on 09. Feb, 2009 by Jeff K. in Small Dog Behavior, Small Dog Care

Let me start this article with a bold statement: No dog in its right mind will allow itself to starve to death if food is available. We will get back to this statement a little later.

Back in the 1980’s there was a comedian who carried the stage name of David Sleaze, Punk Magician. Though he was a flash in the pan, he made a pretty good name for himself for a short time by putting a ridiculous and foul twist on the traditional magic show. The Punk Magician did nothing unusual as far as magic tricks go. Most of his routine was corny and purposely bungled. It was the patter that went along with his routine that distinguished the Punk Magician from a traditional act. Most of the patter involved extremely foul language–a parody of the punk rock musicians of the time. His standard refrains, (with foul language removed,) after each magic trick was this: “It’s magic. I’m fooling you and you don’t like it!”

I bring this up because the Punk Magician’s patter so aptly applies to a small dog that refuses to eat the food you provide. Except in rare circumstances when your small dog is actually sick, his refusal to eat is a magic trick. Here is why.

When Garbanzo goes off his kibble here is what most of us do:

1. We take Garbanzo to the vet.
2. The vet cannot find anything wrong, but “just in case,” recommends putting Garbanzo on either:

A rice and cooked ground beef diet, or

An intestinal disorder specialty food, or

A premium-priced pet food that is probably no better than the balanced kibble you had been feeding.

Lo and behold, Garbanzo finds his appetite again.

Or, believing a trip to the vet is unnecessary,

1. We change Garbanzo’s dog food on our own to something we think may be more appealing; or
2. We give Garbanzo tasty snacks to make up for the calorie deficit;
3. We do the rice and cooked ground beef diet on our own; or we add non-dog food type items to his bowl such as cheese, lunch meat, bacon, diced carrot, etc.; or
4. We feed Garbanzo table scraps.

If your small dog stops eating and has other symptoms of illness, even subtle symptoms of illness such as decreased activity, taking him to the vet is absolutely the right thing to do. In all other cases, in which you are absolutely certain your small dog is not sick, it is time to take a closer look at the circumstances:

1. Has anyone been sneaking table scraps to your dog lately?
2. Have you upped the ante on treats to the point at which he is getting nearly a full meal between meals?
3. Has he found a source of food outside the home, such as garbage or wildlife?
4. Has your dog’s living situation changed significantly?

Examples.
You have just returned from vacation or from a business trip.
Your dog has just been placed in daycare for the first time.
A new pet or a new baby enters your life.
There has been a break in your dog’s daily routine, such as a failure to get his daily walk or other exercise for a few days.

If any of the above is true then three other facts about your dog’s failure to eat are true:

1. “It’s magic. Your dog is fooling you and you don’t like it!”
2. If you panic and try to remedy the situation too early by giving your dog some other food alternative, he will eat whatever is new because dogs love variety in their food.
3. Your dog will not intentionally starve himself to death. When he gets hungry enough, provided he has not found a new variety of food, he will eat his standard fare.

You might ask, what’s the big deal? What’s wrong with giving him what he wants? The answer is this. Dogs may love variety, but variety does not love dogs. The surest way to give a small dog digestive upset is to quickly change what he eats. Yes, some dogs are garbage disposals and can handle anything that goes down the gullet, but most cannot. Additionally, if you do resort to cooking the dog’s dinner; or paying the big bucks for designer dog food; or switching to feeding table scraps; you are spending time, money and effort on a project that is neither good for you, or for your dog. Once your dog learns it can manipulate what goes into its food bowl, the dog will find new and inventive ways to get you to change the menu early and often. “It’s magic. . .”

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Tags: feeding time, kibble, rewarding my dog