My rescued dog won't eat her dog food. How can I get her to eat?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 5 lbs
I rescued my dig from a shelter. She is aproximatelt 2 years old. My problem is that she won't eat dog food. I have tried several brands, both wet and dry. My pet store associate gave her some samples. She ate them at the store but not when I got home. What do you reccomend?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 11th, 2019
I'm wondering if you are giving Cassie any additional food. If so, do not do that. It will make her not eat her dog food. She needs to learn she has to eat her dog food or she won't get anything. Put her food down in the morning and leave it for 15-20 minutes. After that time, pick it up even if she hasn't eaten anything. This next part is very important, do NOT give her any other food. No treats or human food. Nothing until her dinner. Then again put her food down for 15-20 minutes, picking it back up after that time. As before, no more food until breakfast the next morning. This shows her she has to eat when she is given food or she will get nothing else. She will get hungry enough to eat. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on September 23rd, 2018
I would put food out for Roxie in the morning at breakfast time, and leave it for 15-20 minutes. When that time is up, pick it up even if she hasn't eaten and put it away. This next part is very important. NO MORE FOOD until dinner time. No treats or human food. She needs to learn she has to eaten when her food is down, or she gets no other food. At dinner time, again put the food down for 15-20 minutes, picking it up after that time. No more food until breakfast the next morning. She will get hungry enough to eat when the food is placed down. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on April 25th, 2020
The good thing about dogs is that a healthy dog won't suffer any detrimental effects from going without food for a few days. If you still have some of the food she was eating before you got her or can get some, try that to get her eating. You can dd a bit of wet food, moisten it with low-sodium chicken broth, and/or warm the food to make it more appealing. Determine how much food she should have per day, divide that up into however many meals you want to feed her daily (most people do morning and evening), and put the food down at her mealtime. Give her 20-30 minutes to eat then take the food up and put it away. Don't give treats except as training rewards. When mealtime comes again, give her her meal and another 20-30 minutes to eat. It usually takes a day or two for dogs to figure out that they need to eat their food when it is available.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
I need help getting my dog on a set feeding schedule. She doesn’t eat every day though so I’ve always left her food bowl out for her and would fill up to twice a day
My dog won't eat unless I stand around with him and coax him to eat? I don't have time to stand there for 1 hour,but I just rescued him & he's skinny
We find it hard to feed our dog because she doesn't eat when we give her food, and we sometimes need to "make" her eat it by putting some of her favourite treats in her food. Today she trew up. It was white and foam like, and that means that she is h
My first day fostering a scottie maltese mix and she wont eat her dog food at all. I mixed dry and wet food that came with her. I was told that she always snubbs dog food and will dig everywhere to find people food. How can I help her to eat what is
My dog( 3 years) won't eat. We have tried everyhting. We have tried dogs' food, bones... She is skinny. She doesn't look sick. She plays and everyhting. How could I get her to eat?
We just got her Saturday and she has barely eaten. I have tried changing her food, I have taken it out of the bowl in case the bowl was a problem. The only way dhe will eat is when I use her food for training. Meaning I feed her by hand. I dont know
She’s had a weird habit over the last several weeks of not eating for hours after she’s been fed. She always has food avalible, and eventually will eat when she gets hungry enough, but only maybe eats twice a day. This has been going on for about a m
What is the best food method for my very picky dog? She seems to hate her current science diet kibble, for she only eats it when she is desperate for something to eat, other than that she begs me for a bite of my meal.
My dog has not been eating lately. We out coconut oil in her food. Peanut butter. Olive oil. Chicken (which she only eats and leaves the dog food). We have switched many times and she will eventually eat but only when mixed with one of these above. A
My dog just won't eat his food unless we give him something else with it, usually what's left from what we're eating. How can we get him used to eating his own food?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
