And some dogs eat to live. A wise owner once described her non-food motivated dog to me this way. However, these words came only after a great deal of worry and many tests (all with normal results) to find the cause of her dog’s apparent lack of interest in food. It turned out that she had previously owned a Labrador Retriever that lived to eat. This meant she was used to having a dog that was very enthusiastic about eating and always struggling to avoid obesity. So, she was concerned when her new Standard Poodle was the complete opposite in terms of food motivation and staying very trim despite feeding unlimited amounts of numerous different dog foods!
Just like people, dogs vary a lot in terms of their love for food, as well as their metabolic rate and food preferences. There are some breed generalizations, such as most Labrador Retrievers living to eat and many Standard Poodles eating to live. However, individual dogs can vary widely between breeds and even within a single breed. I’ve noticed that the increasingly common “Doodle” breeds (Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, etc) are highly variable in their food motivation. If they tend more towards Golden and Labrador Retrievers, they often are very food motivated and it can be challenging to prevent them from becoming overweight. However, other Doodles behave more like Poodles and don’t seem to care much about food – eating only what they need, rather than because they enjoy it. Food motivation is influenced by genetics, but also by training, early life exposures, diet, whether it’s a multi-dog or single-dog household, and many other factors.
You should talk to your veterinarian if:
- Reduced food intake or being picky about food is a new behavior for your dog.
- You recently changed foods or opened a new bag/can/batch of food.
- You see other symptoms of illness, such as lethargy, depression, weakness, slowing down on walks, or other abnormal behaviors.
- Your dog has lost weight unintentionally.
- Your dog’s body condition score is less than 4 on a 9-point scale (a score between 4 and 5 is considered ideal).
- Your dog has lost muscle mass over the back or elsewhere on the body (see muscle condition score chart).
If any of these describe your dog, you should talk to your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your dog has an underlying reason for not being enthusiastic about eating, such as dental disease or another medical issue.
If your veterinarian has determined that your dog has no underlying medical issues, you may have a dog eats to live. Clues that this is the case:
- Your dog is otherwise normal, acting happy and healthy, and has a good energy level.
- Your dog maintains a fairly consistent body weight, although it may vary a bit and may be at a lower weight than you would like (note that a healthy, optimal weight for dogs is often lower than what most owners think it should be).
- Your dog’s body condition score is at least a score of 3 to 4 on a 9-point scale, and
- Your dog has no muscle loss over the back or other parts of the body.
If your veterinarian has determined your dog to be healthy and your dog fits the profile above but they’re still not enthusiastic about eating or having trouble maintaining weight, these tips may be helpful.
Tips for non-food motivated dogs
- Flavorful foods: It is less common to see dogs that “live to eat” now that many pet food companies have developed extremely tasty foods (in fact, preventing dogs from eating too much is by far a much more common problem). However, not all dog foods are as delicious to dogs as others, despite how much the marketing and ingredient list appeal to their humans. Talk to your veterinarian or schedule an appointment with a board certified veterinary nutritionist to find a high quality and tasty dog food based on objective criteria, not just on marketing.
- Calorie check: If you’re feeding your dog a food that is low in calories (based on calories per cup), your dog may not be able to eat enough of it to maintain weight, even if they like it. Commercial pet foods vary widely in their calories. For example, dry, over-the-counter dog foods range from about 300 calories per cup to over 700 calories per cup! While calorie information is required on pet food labels, it is often in tiny font in difficult-to-find places (new regulations will make this more consistent). Canned foods and refrigerated or frozen cooked dog foods are commonly low in calories since they are high in water content (refrigerated or frozen cooked foods are often less than 200 calories per cup). Therefore, it may be difficult for your dog to eat a large enough volume of wet foods to meet their calorie requirements.
- Dry versus wet: While many owners assume dogs prefer wet dog foods (cans, refrigerated or frozen cooked), some prefer dry foods. In addition, dry foods are typically more concentrated in calories (dry foods contain only about 10% moisture while most wet foods contain 75-80% (or more) moisture in the same volume of food. Therefore, you get more “bang for your buck” in terms of calories with dry pet foods.
- Feeding directions vary: Don’t rely only on the label’s feeding direction. Accuracy of feeding directions varies across different manufacturers, so the amounts recommended on the label may not be accurate for your dog.
- Unbalanced diets. I’m seeing more over-the-counter commercial pet foods that are intended for intermittent and supplemental feeding only. This means they do not contain all the required vitamins, minerals, and other critical nutrients a dog needs to stay healthy. Also, unless formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionist, home-prepared diets are very likely to be deficient in many nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies or imbalances can negatively affect appetite or make it difficult for your dog to maintain weight (among many other risks).
If your dog is healthy but is one that eats to live, count yourself lucky. It will be easier to keep your dog at a healthy, trim weight throughout life which is key to keeping dogs not only as healthy as possible but also keeping them around as long as possible. Research has shown that keeping dogs trim throughout their lives helps to keep them healthier and to live longer!
