My Dog Won’t Eat Dog Food Only Human Food

Written by Tim Rhodes Last Updated: Dec 1 2024

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If you were wondering why your dog won’t eat dog food only human food, then this article is for you.

All of the dogs have unique and specific food habits and preferences depending on each species, age, and size of the animal.

What differs the wills for food selection is usually related to personal taste and the human habits with which it was created.

Many owners have habits and routine habits of delivering snacks or the rest of food to animals and this ends up creating a vicious cycle, where the animal gets used to receiving treats throughout the day and ends up losing interest in their food.

Most of them when eating human food may end up liking it and choose to make it the only type of preference since this food has a greater diversity than its daily rate.

These specific desires can be analyzed with an observation of the animal’s behavioral way, that is, the way they clean themselves, preference for places to sleep, constant barking, high or low hyperactivity compared to normal, or even crying during human meals.

My Dog Won’t Eat Dog Food Only Human Food

To find out why your dog won’t eat dog food only human food keep on reading as we will go into details to resolve this issue.

Why Do Dogs Sometimes Only Eat Human Food?

Dogs, like humans, can adapt and get used to certain types of routines, influencing future decisions.

Feeding the animal with leftover food or sharing personal meals it’s a type of bad habit that ends up generating a future trend so that the animal just wants to eat that way.

Habits like this create a routine making the animal always expect these actions with the same frequency during all meals.

The lack of a food schedule such as snacks throughout the day and fluctuations in meal times can result in a demanding and selective dog.

Since each dog has its preference concerning the type of food they want and the routine is a great ally of dog food.

Breaking this cycle can change the animal’s daily habits, both food, and behavior.

In this way, he had consciously decided not to eat his food while waiting for another type of food.

It’s possible that if the animal is healthy and has quality feed, someone is secretly feeding it with human food.

Another possibility is the lack of nutrients that may be offered in the feed so that some commercial feeds are of low quality and are insufficient for a healthy diet for the animal.

It’s less likely, but some malnourished animals choose not to eat their food because they do not provide enough vitamins and nutrients.

Can Dogs Eat Human Food?

First of all, the idea of ​​“food” is the necessity to provide a balanced diet and continuous development for both humans and dogs.

It’s possible to feed your dog with only human foods or a mixture of these with your pet’s food.

The advantage of this food is the fact that it’s not industrialized, being non-GM, free of preservatives and dyes.

Human foods are considered much healthier because they’re natural and by using them in meals you can have greater control over what your pet is eating.

These foods offered mustn’t be the same as those prepared for humans, since dogs don’t have an adequate digestive system to ingest seasoned foods, which can seriously damage the animal’s health status.

Human and canine bodies are very different in the way they process food after eating, and some foods take longer to be processed by the animal or often cannot be digested and metabolized, creating malaise.

When in doubt about what is good or bad, one way is for the caregiver to think about the possibility of his dog being able to find this food in nature.

The biggest problem involving the supply of human food is the error in the nutritional administration of the diet, which varies from animal to animal, such as pregnant dogs and puppies who need a diet rich in protein and elderly animals who need less of them.

Failing to provide the right nutrients during your pet’s growth and life can end up developing serious health problems like obesity, diabetes, weak immune systems, and even little muscle development.

This requires a balanced diet and the best option for this type of planning is to consult a veterinarian.

Why Is Feeding Dogs With Human Food a Bad Idea?

In general, all the food that humans eat can also be consumed by dogs, with some exceptions such as onions, chocolate, avocado, seeded fruits, and others.

However, the preparation of human food has several ingredients and spices that can be harmful to the health of the animal and can cause bad eating and behavioral habits or even cause allergies and diseases.

Unlike feed, which is food produced specifically to satisfy the energy values of these animals, having no harmful, toxic, or chemical ingredients that directly harm the animal’s health.

The biggest problem with the free supply of human food is exactly not knowing what the right kind of food can be offered and in what nutritional quantities.

Thus, offering human food irresponsibly to the animal can be a problem because it can generate health problems negatively affecting the metabolism process, bad eating habits, and possible allergies or diseases related to toxic and chemical products inserted in the food.

Does Human Food Spoil Your Dog’s Appetite?

It is completely reasonable for the animal to end up preferring fresh and varied food to the same food that is always dry and over-processed.

The supply of fresh foods such as meat, fruits, and vegetables is highly recommended by many veterinarians, as they have many benefits such as antioxidants that prevent cancer, amino acids, and nutrients.

Unlike humans, dogs do not have a taste as accurate as ours and are moved by smell and social interaction that occurs in the environment.

So don’t try to ban human foods from your dog’s diet, as he may find it even more attractive since he is not allowed to eat it.

Instead of trying to prevent the animal from developing a taste for these types of food, try to find a happy medium in which human food and feed mix, making the meal even more nutritious and attractive.

It is worth mentioning that a balanced diet requires a veterinary consultation for professional feedback.

How To Properly Add Human Food Into a Pet’s Meal

There are very simple methods that do not require so much effort, such as using an ice cube tray to freeze small portions of food, then use the microwave to heat, and thus add to the dog’s food making it tastier.

Avoid giving fatty meats, seasoned foods, pasta, foods with many calories, and in case of major doubts always consult a specialist doctor.

This idea does not apply to offer food from under the table, because in this way a bad habit is created in the animal, which can generate a loss of appetite concerning the feed and creating a lack of control of the scheduled times for the animal to feed.

In case you want to offer some kind of extra food for the meal, it is best to separate the food and offer it later along with the ration during the animal’s mealtime.

What Are The Possible Causes That Prevent Dogs From Eating Food

Several causes make the animal lose interest in its food and end up looking for another food option.

Often these reasons are linked to the habits of the owners about the way of raising their animal, such as offering food at inappropriate times or excessive snacks throughout the day.

However, they’re other factors that must be taken into account, such as:

• The feed pot must be hermetically sealed so that the smell and texture do not change or lose their characteristics and the animal begins to show undone concerning the feed offered daily
• Agitated environments can leave the animal stressed and uninterested in food, being the best option to feed the animal in a peaceful, pleasant, and silent place
• The height of the feeder needs to be comfortable for the animal so that the elderly or large animals do not have difficulty accessing the food
• The weather, as in humans, can affect the animals’ appetite, especially on hot days, so the best place to offer the meal is in a cool and airy environment
• Animals also have a change of mood-related to emotional problems such as anxiety and even depression, which can be triggered by emotional stress, for this, the most advisable is to schedule a medical appointment to rule out this possibility
• The container where the meal is can also be a problem, since predictable and dull pots can cause disinterest in the animal, being the best way to look for other types of feeders that provide greater food enrichment
• The choice of the type of feed is of great importance to providing the best food for your animal, so giving the right feed concerning age, size, and breed is essential for a healthy diet

Do Dogs Need Variety?

It’s common to note that when the owner buys a new feed the dog is happy and excited about the new option, however over the weeks this enthusiasm may decrease, and the animal’s desire to continue eating also reduces.

This is very common because when opening the feed package the food starts to spoil due to the way it’s produced that when it’s exposed to the air the oil that covers it starts to dry out.

This is very common because when opening the food package, the food has a layer with protective oil on the dry food that begins to dry, causing the food to change its flavor, texture, or even become spoiled.

This problem can also be aggravated if the package ration is exchanged for some other container that is not well cared for, washed, well stored, away from hot places, or closed properly.

It may be that the dog is no longer accepting the feed because the food has spoiled or because he doesn’t like the flavor and brand chosen.

Therefore, always take care of the container in which the feed will be kept and try to offer other flavors and brands of feed.

What About Free-Feed?

A very common type of habit among owners is that they do not have fixed times to offer food, leaving it free for the animal throughout the day without having a type of planning or schedule.

The exposed food for a long time outdoors can lose its characteristics such as aroma and texture, besides being able to attract insects, bacteria, and dust.

This factor makes the food not look as desirable, not so tasty, and ends up losing its nutrients, so the animal begins to lose interest in eating what is offered as a meal.

Besides, the animal’s organism is unable to adapt to a regulated “hunger schedule” routine, influencing other behaviors such as defecating and also making it difficult to monitor feeding and behaviors such as loss of appetite.

What To Do When The Dog Does Not Want To Eat

For an ideal parameter, what is certain is that the animal feeds two to three times a day with meals spread throughout the day and at fixed times.

The methods for getting the animal to eat again vary before the reasons they stopped eating and for that an analysis of the animal’s behavior and health is essential.

It’s necessary to observe if the dog is going through some stress or change if the environment is favorable and comfortable for him if a ratio provided is adequate and of good quality, if there is an excess of food supply for the scheduled time, or if he may be affected by a disease.

It’s necessary to keep an eye on the feeding behavior of your animal, because although some animals do not eat for a while and this is normal, after 12 hours of fasting the animal’s physiological parameters begin to change, as in the case of blood glucose and if that becoming a habit indicates possible problems in the pet’s health.

How To Make Dogs Eat Their Food

Several types of diets can be chosen when feeding the dog, the most recommended being the combination of:

• Quality feed
• Wet food
• Homemade diet
• Awards and treats

In an attempt to make the animal only feed with his food, human food offerings must be stopped so that the animal can get used to just what is offered in the food jar.

Always place in the pot the necessary amount that the dog must consume as shown in the table on the product label.

For food reintroduction there are some ways to do it:

• Offer quality rations, high nutritional value and different cans of wet food
• Mix the wet food with a little feed in the feed pot
• Increase the amount of feed as the animal gets used
• Fail to provide any kind of snack at unconventional times and especially those derived from human food
• Always leaves fresh water available to the animal

For the animal to be more interested in the feed, an alternative is to make it more appetizing and this can be done with the addition of wet feed, as they have a much more present smell attracting the animal’s attention.

The animal needs to feed on the feed since it was produced specifically with balanced nutritional values ​​of proteins, minerals, omega 3, and omega 6.

It’s worth mentioning that the constant change of brand and flavor feed is not healthy, not recommended, and has specific methods to do this.

The importance of choosing good food is very big so make sure you only provide your dog with high-quality food.

What Is a Food Topper For Dog Food?

A food topper is a type of wet food that is placed on top of normal dog food and when mixed it provides greater attractiveness for having more flavor, in addition to providing health benefits to the animal.

This food is rich in vitamins, superfoods, and probiotics, and what differentiates it from normal food is its nutritional value.

We can also use this feature as a complete meal and not just as a side dish.

Although people who want to avoid the supply of human food use this method, it’s an excellent option for supplying nutrients to your pet.

So in addition to being available in stores, we can also produce this food at home in a non-industrialized and cheaper way.

For this, it’s necessary to consult a nutritionist veterinarian.

What Are The Possible Solutions?

After knowing a little more about the possible causes of loss of appetite for food and methods to get around this problem, there’re still some alternatives that can be used.

It’s worth remembering that the rejection of the animal by the feed may be due to several factors that are not always related solely to the food.

In this way, the problem may be related to animal behavior and in this case, in addition to consulting a specialist, some changes can be made such as:

• Increase the attention given to the animal, as well as the exercises
• Invest in environmental enrichment and training
• Do not punish the animal for loss of appetite, but be patient
• Offer snacks as a reward
• Do not accustom the animal to food scraps from your meal

If feeding is one of the problems, an alternative is to start producing homemade food with the help of a balanced diet.

Although it requires a longer time, making the food itself lets the owner know exactly what the animal is eating with greater control over food monitoring.

The dog may be avoiding eating his food for reasons like:

• Allergic reaction
• The feed is of low quality and does not provide the nutrients correctly
• The taste is not pleasant
• For just getting tired and wanting to try new foods
• The temperature, texture, or taste is different from normal, etc

Anyway, when changing food, always do it gradually and look for foods with nutritional values ​​similar to what was previously offered.

Final Thoughts

The lack of appetite can be something normal at one time or another, but we must always be attentive to the health of our animals, because if this scenario becomes constant it may indicate a more severe problem.

Animals tend to change their behavior during hotter days, due to emotional or physiological issues and the accompaniment of their health will tell you a lot about possible causes that make them stop eating.

Also, when dogs age, their eating habits change and they often match, especially if they get used to the same regular feed day after day.

Bringing new food options and different types of enrichment, such as homemade food, topper food, and changing the type of feeder is essential for improving their well-being.

New habits like physical exercise, attention, and food variety are some of the examples that make the animal more interested in food.

Changing habits is also essential, such as restricting access to human food during times that are not part of the meal, as well as administering the number of snacks that are offered throughout the day.

Always remember to consult a veterinarian if our dog won’t eat dog food only human food and follow the instructions correctly and little by little the food reintroduction will occur successfully.