Dog or Cat won’t eat

It can be due to bacteria, mold, mites, rancid fats, or mycotoxins and aflatoxins.

If your dog or cats stops eating don't automatically assume they are holding out for “human food” or something better. (I share almost everything I eat with my dogs' as long as it is safe and they do not have a food intolerance / sensitivity to it.)

Your animals may refused to eat for a lot of reasons. Start by offering your dog or cat something else to eat. If your dog is refusing something else tasty you offered, they may not be feeling well. For a healthy adult dog there is no harm in them fasting for a day, in fact it is recommended by many veterinarians. But if you have a puppy, diabetic dog, unhealthy senior dog, or cat contact your veterinarian. If he or she eats the new food you offered, there may be a problem with the food you've been feeding. Their refusal may be due to an infestation of mites, or the presence of bacteria, mold, or rancid fats so don’t start by trying to dress the food up to make it more appetizing.

Food Sensitivity/Intolerance

Feeding the best food and ingredients is great unless your dog or cat has an adverse reaction to the food. Adverse food reactions can be caused by a food allergy or food intolerance/sensitivity. Food intolerance or sensitivity is more common than a food allergy.

I highly recommend starting with a food intolerance or sensitivity test from NutriScan to rule out a food sensitivity/intolerance. Food intolerance/sensitivity is different from a food allergy and is much more common.  NutriScan can eliminate the guesswork without putting dogs through weeks/months of food trails. With the NutriScan kit you collect saliva with a small cotton dental rope. You can do this at home. Then ship the kit back to Hemopet for testing. Looking for specials/discounts on their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/DrJeanDoddsHemopetNutriScan/

Rancid Fats

If it’s a dry food (kibble) how is the food being stored?

Foods can be bad when we get them, but often they will go bad due to how we store them. Kibble should be stored in the original bag and placed into an airtight food container, with the bag closed, in a cool location with low humidity. This will require the container to be larger than the volume of food to be stored. e.g. 25lb bag place into a 40lb container, or a 40lb bag into a 60lb container. The bag of kibble if stored properly should be used up by 30 days because as soon as we open the bag we expose the food to oxygen which starts degrading the antioxidants which lead to rancid fats.  Pouring out the food into a food container exposes it to air which can decrease the foods shelf life and nutritional value. The oils on kibble start to degrade as soon as the bag is opened. Over time pouring dry kibble into a food container will result in the fats on the kibble leaving a film on the inside of the container which will go rancid and contaminate any new food poured into the container. The fats in time will turn rancid. “Rancid fats reduce the nutritive value of the protein, degrade vitamins and antioxidants, and can cause diarrhea, liver and heart problems, macular degeneration, cell damage, cancer, arthritis, and death." This can be avoided by placing the entire bag into an airtight food container. (See video above)

Mycotoxins/Aflatoxins

Another serious concern is the presence of mycotoxins/aflatoxins. “A second type of contamination that can affect processed foods, most specifically dry, extruded foods that contain plant ingredients, is aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aflatoxin flavis that has varying degrees of toxicity to mammals and birds. Dogs and cats are highly sensitive to aflatoxin.” [2] “Aflatoxin is a toxic byproduct produced mainly by Aspergillus fungi. Aspergillus lives in the soil around the world and grows on crops like corn, peanuts, rice, soybeans, wheat, and oats.” [5]

Molds produce the toxin aflatoxins which can contaminate plants due to wet weather, insect damage and inadequate storage. “It is known to develop in humid climates, where grain-based foods are more likely to be exposed to moisture. “ [4] “It is known that occasional outbreaks have occurred due to contaminated grains being used in the production of commercial dog foods.” [4]

“Dogs that have survived consumed a smaller amount of the food than dogs that died, Center said. "Some dogs were stealing food from the kitchen counter. Others just stopped eating the food and begged for treats. Unfortunately, some owners used gravy and other mixers to entice their dogs to consume what they thought was safe, quality dog food."“ [1]

Petfoods with plant-derived proteins may also contain more harmful toxins than petfoods with traditional fish and meat proteins, according to new research from the University of Guelph.” …“Smith says pet owners can minimize the risk of mycotoxins by avoiding cheaper petfoods that are more likely to contain vegetable cereals and corn or wheat fillers, and specifically, those with large amounts of rice bran.” [3]

Veterinary Mycotoxin Panel (Urine)

Symptoms of Mycotoxin Poisoning in Your Pet

  • Unusual fatigue

  • Coughing

  • Skin Rash

  • Sneezing

  • Excessive Runny Nose

Bored or Lack of Desire for Food

Dogs can get bored with food just like us. I often recommend clients go to the local independent pet store and get lots of samples of differing foods to see what their dog likes. How to choose a food is a whole other discussion.

Make sure you are storing your pet food properly!

Dog Food 101 - How to Choose

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