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Dog Appetite Increase

Veterinarian Reviewed on June 22, 2012 by Dr. Janice Huntingford

Dog Appetite Increase

As much as we are concerned when our dogs stop eating, you should also be worried if they overeat. Dog obesity rates have risen so much in the last few years, and it is often due to pet owners over feeding their dogs.

There are several reasons why your dog’s appetite will increase, some of these are medical reasons and others are simply due to your pet’s lifestyle. You need to find the cause of this appetite increase and find a way to stop your dog from becoming obese.

Causes of increased appetite

There are some very natural reasons why your dog may be eating more: pregnancy, hormones, time of year and Dog Stress And Anxiety can all cause an increase of appetite in your dog. A growing dog will often go through stages of increased appetite, this is perfectly normal and you should encourage your dog to eat as it needs to grow. However if your dog is eating more and not putting any weight on then you should be worried. There could be a medical reason for this, and you should seek professional help if you are worried. You need to find out of your dog is being fed by someone else, if they are snacking or being fed treats or scraps by a family member. If this is the case then your dog will want more, its increased appetite will come from the need to have the treat that he has become used to snacking on.

Avoid feeding your dog table scraps as this can lead to obesity.

Ways to help your dog

There are things you can do at home, to establish why your dog has an increased appetite. You should try these before contacting your vet; if you have no luck yourself in identifying the problem then you may have to ask for help. Establishing if your dog is pregnant or hormonal may be a simple answer to the over-eating. If they are not, then it is possible that your dog may be stressed out. If there is a new family member that has recently arrived in the home, or if you have brought a new dog into your home, then your dog may be eating more to show his or her authority. Dogs have an inbuilt pack mentality, and they will want to eat all of the food rather than leave some for another animal. If this is the case then you will need to reassure your dog that they are still number one. You will need to ensure that your dog’s increased appetite does not lead to obesity. If you think that your dog is putting on weight then you should exercise them more and try to cut out all table scraps and reduce the amount of treats.

Calling the vet

Most of the time you should be able to find out the reason behind your dogs increased appetite on your own. If however you are worried about your dog, then seek the help of your vet as soon as possible. If your dog is eating more but not gaining weight or even losing weight, this is a serious concern. If they also have Dog Diarrhea, Dog Vomiting and excessive drinking then immediate medical help is needed. Your vet will do a full examination to discover why your dog has these symptoms. They will do tests and x-rays to see exactly what is going on inside your dog. Once they can diagnose what is wrong then your dog can be treated. His appetite should return to normal and your pet food bills will too.

Read also: Dog Immunotherapy Treatment
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Our Expert

Dr. Janice Huntingford
Janice Huntingford, DVM, has been in veterinary practice for over 30 years and has founded two veterinary clinics since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She has studied extensively in both conventional and holistic modalities. Ask Dr. Jan

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