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Why won't my dog eat his food but still eats treats and chicken?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 16.53 lbs

My pet won't eat his food. We've been feeding him boiled chicken breast and now he wont eat it. Though he eats his treats and other biscuits.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on August 5th, 2017

Boiled chicken breast can be fed during times of gastrointestinal upset but it is not a balanced diet for long term use. If Akki is behaving normally, choose a good quality dog food for feeding. Quality brands include Royal Canin, Orijen, Canidae or Acana just to name a few. Discontinue feeding treats and biscuits. Feed him on a schedule. Dogs his age can be fed twice daily. Prepare his food at the scheduled time and leave it down for 15-20 minutes. You can add warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. Pick it up after the time is up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat at the next mealtime. Do not offer any other food or treats between meals. Do not switch diets frequently. Doing so may lead to gastrointestinal upset or can create a finicky eater. Be firm and be consistent. Do not allow him to train you to feed him what he wants, when he wants. If he is exhibiting other symptoms (lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain) then have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury.

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Related Answers from Veterinarians

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 2nd, 2018

    Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. I suspect that this could be a preference of food. I would recommend adding in chicken broth to the dog food to see if this entices his appetite more. If he still won't eat the food I would recommend switching to a new food altogether. You can always consider a home cooked diet as well. For a home cooked diet, I would recommend going to ( www.balanceit.com ). I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on February 6th, 2018

    You can try serving the chicken warmed or mix in a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. Other options include cooked/drained ground beef or cooked/drained ground turkey. The Pedigree pouch can be fed if he will eat, since it would be better than not eating anything.

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