Dog Food Taste & Palatability - How To Make Your Canine Likes His Food

Day after day it is a battle to get your dog to eat. He turns up his nose at the kibble that you know is good for him until you dress it up somehow. Some days you drop a little egg onto it, other days it's a spoonful of cottage cheese or a dab of peanut butter. Finally he'll eat, until the next battle. What can be done to get him to eat his regular food without the bribes that you've been adding?

Many commercial kibble products may seem unpalatable to our dogs because they have a relatively low fat content. Foods such as cottage cheese and peanut butter have a relatively high fat content compared to his kibble, which adds a more desirable taste. It's the same principle behind why human beings find ice cream tastier than skim milk, in most cases. But adding fat is not the only way to make your pet enjoy his food more. There are ways to dress up the dog's food without adding too many calories.

Sometimes adding a new texture to your dog's food will make it seem more palatable. Adding frozen green beans or baby carrots to your dog's food will add a different crunch to his food as well as a different flavor. Baby carrots contain a moderate amount of sugar. Their sweet flavor will also appeal to your dog. Even with the sugar content, whole baby carrots will merely pass through your dog's system. Your dog can not digest uncooked whole carrots, so they will add roughage without adding calories. Other fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables also work in the same manner. Canned pumpkin, without any spices, can also be added to your dog's food to make it more appealing.

Warming your dog's food may also make a difference in its palatability. Many dogs dislike the texture of dry kibble. In the case of canned food, they may dislike the feeling of cold food or food that is at room temperature. To remedy these situations, add a little water or low fat chicken or vegetable broth to his food to add moisture content (or to replace the moisture being lost) and then warm it in the microwave. Neither liquid will add a lot of calories to his diet. They will, however, make the food more enjoyable and encourage him to eat.

There may be many reasons why your dog finds his dog unpalatable. He may dislike the temperature or texture, as mentioned above. He might be using his refusal as a manner in which to fight a dominance battle. There is also a possibility that he does not feel well and is using his lack of desire to eat as a message to you. A little experimentation on your part may reveal what your dog is trying to say.

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