Canine Health: Helping Your Older Dog Get Over Eating Issues

I have a 15 year old Rottweiler-Shepard mix that is just beginning to start showing her age. The most significant symptom has been a loss of appetite that requires me to coax her a bit to get her to eat anything, which is unusual considering that she was a very good eater throughout the 10 years that I have had her. It can be difficult to make sure she is eating regularly enough for the medications that she needs to take, and of course there are concerns about the amount of nutrition she is getting.

From this experience I have learned a few things:

- Feeding Tips

1 - Appetite levels will vary throughout the day, with my dog's appetite level being at its lowest in the AM. I still offer food in the morning just in case, but I don't worry if she isn't motivated to eat anything. If she doesn't eat, she generally makes up for it with a healthier appetite for her evening meal.

2 - Never mix your dog's medications into their food. I used to do this before the loss in appetite, but now I keep them separate. Some of the herbal medications on the market have a bitter taste and will affect how the food tastes, creating another reason why some dogs don't want to eat their food. It's just smart to not add another issue to the food situation or make her feel nervous about eating her food because it tastes different.

3 - Give your dog a break from the foods you normally offer every now and then. My dog eats a raw meat diet, but sometimes she likes it when I mix it up with lighter options, such as brown rice and cottage cheese with a little bit of chicken broth mixed in.

- Medication Tips

1 - I started using cream cheese to disguise my dogs medications. It helps the pill to go down easily and so far she hasn't even realized she's taken the pill. Peanut butter also works in the same way if your dog prefers this flavor.

2 - It can be a challenge to get your dog to take powdered herbs, especially if they have a bitter taste. Sometimes I've been able to get away with baking them into biscuits and serving them in a warm broth, but she doesn't always go for it. I have also tried putting the powder into capsule form, but depending on the medication it can take a lot to get the amount your dog needs.

3 - Our vet told us to use water to dilute the herbs and then squirt the solution down our dog's throat with a turkey baster. I'll be honest, we haven't tried this method because I'm sure our dog would resist, but it's worth a try if nothing else works.

If you have any other ideas that work with your dog, I would love to hear about them. Do you have any tricks that you use to get your dog to take medications or to get a fussy eater to eat?

Jamie is a pet health expert who strongly believes that the raw dog food diet is the healthiest and most responsible decision a pet owner can make for their pet.