dogs not eating right?

Question

i have 4 little doggies and they all seem to be eating in the same manner. meaning they always leave half of their food.
they are all fussy eaters so i do worry about them not eating enough. i also feel very sad to waste the food if they don't eat it. so i do leave it during the day for them to pick at. i know i shouldn't but i am worried thye don't get enough to eat and then i don't like wasting food. can i keep the old food and mix it in with the fresh?
thanks.

Answer 1

Depending on the size of the dog will determine how much to feed in a day. You need to establish their own bowls. For my pets they are given 1 cup of food a day. They get 1/2 a cup in the AM then 1/2 in the PM. They ALWAYS have water through out the day. When you determine how much food they are to have in a day figure out who isn't eating.....it may be the food they don't like, you may have to switch their food out slowly....too quickly and they'll have diarrhea. Also when you put down the food give them 20 min to eat it, once the 20 min is over pick up their dishes....they're done. Do the same in the evening, it won't take them long to figure out that they had better eat when the food is down otherwise they get nothing until the next feeding.
If you are determined to cook for them then try always boneless boiled chicken, plain rice, soft carrots, green bean.
Keep in mind once you start this it will be very very difficult to switch them back to kibble.
Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

I don't know about dog nutrition, but I do know about cat nutrition and your cat will not be healthy on dog food. It doesn't contain taurine which is essential to a cat. Aslo I'm sure it's full of grain, which is basically carbohydrates and your cat can develop diabetes and become fat. You need to be strict for their own sake and feed them high quality species appropriate diet. Feed them at the same time in different rooms. Take the food away after 30 minutes if they don't eat it and refrigerate it. Try again in a few hours. No animal will starve itself just out of being fussy about their food. The cat would be harder to adjust, but the dog will give in pretty fast. Pour some tuna juice over the cat's food, it should make it more appealing. You can try mixing it gradually, but you need to make a change or you are risking your pets' health in the long run. More about cat nutrition here:

Answer 3

What about a different food. Dogs have a preference to food too. Look at the back of the dog food bag for the recommendations for feeding amounts. Maybe feeding too much?

Answer 4

Yeah i would suggest giving them half of the portion they ussually get, if they leave half again see your vet, they might a have a phsycological issue. Sorry but i am not so sure if you can mixe the old food in tieht the new food. maybe they are trying to bribe you for human food? if they do keep stern. Good luck. Kata

Answer 5

I think that it's not good to leave it over night but for the day it's OK I wouldn't leave it there all week and add fresh food a plate of stel food, You want the best for your dog nothing but the best. I know that I would give my dog old food.

Answer 6

Well, take your dogs to the vet and ask them if your dogs are under weight or if they are okay. If they give you the okay, feed them twice daily and in smaller quantities at a time. I guarentee you that they will learn to eat all of their food if they know they are not going to be able to grase on it all day. I had to start doing this with my dogs and now when I feed them they are ready to eat and they know that will be it for a while until I feed them in the afternoon.

Answer 7

if you look on the bag of dry foods they have recommended serving sizes for the size of your dog. based on that serving size is that how much you are giving them, or are you feeding them more? if they are eating a lot less then you should probably talk to your vet. it could be a health issue, but they might just not like the brand of food you are buying. some dogs just dont like certain brands. you can try a few different 1s to see which 1 they like.

Answer 8

Just feed them half, if they want more they will let you know.
If it is wet food you sure can mix it w/ the fresh if refrigerated, but dont use it after 3 days. Also, if it is dry just put back in the bag. You'll scoop it out next time.

Answer 9

Yes. as a matter of fact, if the food is canned, it should be good for a day of two (if indoors) and if the food is dry it would be good for a week or more and there should be no need to mix with "fresh" food uless you just want to. good luck.

Answer 10

Wouldn't do that if I were you, just give smaller portions.