My small, thin dog prefers cat food. How do I get her to eat?

Question

I recently got my chihuahua/dachshund mix from my roommates who felt I would be a better owner and that she likes me better. She is very small, but full grown. The problem is she's very thin, with little fat on her ribs. I have her eating pure balance grain free, which she likes, but she eats very little, even if I mix in a little wet dog food. She'd rather eat cat food, and the cat her food, but I know that's no good. Any way to get her eating? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 10 months and 29 days old | 4 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Grains are beneficial to dogs, and I only recommend putting a dog on a grain free diet if there is a medical reason why they shouldn't have them, such as allergies. If Adel eats very little of this food, it could be that she doesn't like it and may benefit from another food. I personally recommend feeding dogs Royal Canin or Hill's Science diet. Both are high quality foods that dogs find very tasty; in fact, my dogs eat Royal Canin and love it. You could consider switching her to one of those foods to see if she eats more of it, but if you do make the switch, I would do it slowly to prevent GI upset. You can increase the number of times you feed her, and you can also try to tempt her to eat her food by soaking it in gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth. If she does eat it, gradually reduce the amount of broth you add to her food until she is eating the food only.

My small, thin dog prefers cat food. How do I get her to eat?

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