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My dog won't eat dog food without human chicken. What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed

I’ve owned a pit bull since I was younger and my dad has been mixing store bought chicken with her dry dog food since she was about 5. She’s 10 now and I’ve been trying to feed her dry and wet food without the chicken but she won’t eat it. Is there a method I can use in order to get her to eat dry (or wet) food again without human food mixed in? She’s getting older and this is bad for her health.

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 13th, 2020

This will likely be hard to do as Coco has been eating it her whole life. Having a little chicken mixed in with her food isn't bad for her health. You can put in some boiled white meat chicken (no bones or skin) with her food. That way, it's better than store bought deli chicken. You can also try to wean her off the chicken. Add a little less every day over the course of two weeks until she is eating the dog food only. I hope this helps.

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