Why Won’t My Dog Eat Homemade Dog Food?

Author:
Mark dos Anjos, DVM
Updated:
Oct 10, 2023 11:58 AM EDT

Do dogs get bored of their own food?
CC0 via Pxhere

Why Are My Dogs Refusing to Eat Homemade Food?

"I have two Cavapoos. One is two and a half; the other is almost a year old. Same parents, different litter. I always cooked their food for them. Mostly ground chicken or turkey, chicken or beef liver, a can of salmon a couple of eggs with spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, blueberries, some pumpkin, and some oats or red rice. They ate it for a long time, then just quit.

I was told by a couple of vets because of their breed to not feed raw. Apparently, there are studies regarding heart problems. But they won't eat the dehydrated food with water, so I threw it away. (I was also told it's not good for their kidneys to eat it without water). I've tried Farmers Dog and every kind of home delivery dog food with no luck. I know kibble is not good. But what about the brand Ollie?

They make a baked kibble type that has really good ingredients. What do you think about Ollie's baked beef and sweet potato? Or what would you recommend for my dogs? Thank you so much for your help and time."—Brandy, Chloé Anna, and Tiffany

Chloé Anna and Tiffany stopped eating their homemade diet.
Photo by Owner

Are All Commercial Dog Foods Bad for Dogs?

It sounds like the diet you cooked for them at home was fine. The problem with switching to another brand is that although many are not as bad as kibble, commercially processed foods are almost always unhealthy.

They are normally stuffed with cheap grain by-products like brewer's rice and corn gluten meal to lower the cost for the manufacturer so that they can increase their profit margin.

There are better alternatives now because more consumers took the time to read the ingredients and realized how bad the processed foods were. The manufacturers still wanted to make dog food as cheaply as possible, though, so they created "grain-free" options and added a lot of healthy-sounding ingredients that would appease conscientious consumers, such as:

peas
lentils
beans
potatoes
sweet potatoes
quinoa
other vegetables

While these ingredients are not grains, they are carbohydrates added as fillers because they are cheaper than natural meat protein—not because they are good for dogs.

Pea-Based Diets Are Problematic

Some sites rate Ollie as better than grocery store brands, but it contains carbohydrate sources like peas, spinach, and potatoes. Those foods have been shown to have problems with Cavaliers, Cav mixes, and other breeds. After 28 days of feeding a wrinkled pea diet, there were several detrimental changes in the hearts of Beagles tested with these grain-free foods. (1)

Even Spinach Lacks Nutritional Value

Spinach, another component of that diet with numerous supporters, does not even have biologically available nutrients that dogs can utilize. Spinach is added to claim higher calcium levels in the food, but even in humans, absorption is poor—only about 5%—less than a fifth of a source like milk. (2)

Dogs Do Not Need Carbohydrates

No dog has the nutritional requirement to eat any of those carbohydrates on that list. You can make a fine, balanced ration without using those cheap ingredients. It sounds like you were already doing this, but your dogs do not need the rice and oats. I do not think they are bad for your dogs, but neither food provides anything your dogs need.

Diet Options, Good and Bad

There is nothing wrong with giving dehydrated food as long as you hydrate it first. It is certainly not as low in moisture as those dry dog foods they sell at grocery stores. However, since your dogs will not eat it, I understand you are looking for an alternative.

What should that alternative be?

Raw: There are no studies or even any accurate anecdotal reports that feeding raw food to dogs will do anything to the heart. Some sites sell dog foods that make those claims. Those persons stating that fact gave you misinformation. Raw dog food does not have to be expensive and is easy to prepare if you do so once a week.
Processed dry dog food: There are many reasons not to feed processed dog food (glycotoxins, dyes, preservatives, and other additives), so even if your dogs would eat it, I would not recommend dry dog food.
Ollie and similar brands: No commercial dog food brand will be as good as something you prepare at home, no matter how good their original intentions. Their priority is going to be to make a profit (to pay for the materials, the employees, marketing costs, and investors). Eventually, some things get added that are cheaper than optimal ingredients.

If the ingredient list on the lamb food is correct, it is certainly less problematic than the beef and chicken formulas. (The kale is probably just added to make it look like a health food but is not included in significant amounts. The squash, potatoes, and rice are fillers added to make the dog food cheaper.)

What Do You Feed a Picky Dog That Won’t Eat?

I do not understand why your dogs stopped eating the food you prepared at home. If they would not eat the Farmers Dog, there is no reason they will eat the Ollie, which is more expensive but not better.

Dogs sometimes stop eating if there is a medical problem but are much more likely to stop just because they are being picky.

It may be hard to hear, but a healthy dog will not stop eating food if you do not give any alternatives (unlike a cat, who will die from starvation even when offered food). You do have to make sure your dogs do not have any underlying medical problem, like being extremely thin or having diabetes mellitus, but if their exam and blood work is normal, it is okay to use the following procedure to get them to eat.

Picky Eater Protocol

Put down a bowl of fresh, warm food. Whether or not they eat, take the food away after 15 minutes. If you are giving raw, you can warm up a chicken neck in the microwave or braze a chicken breast on a skillet to warm it up and release the odors.
Offer food again in the afternoon (5 p.m. or so when it is still light outside). If the dog does not eat after 15 minutes, take the bowl away.
Repeat the process the next day. If your dog likes something (like liver or beef fat), you can put a small amount on top of the food to encourage them to eat. Many dogs like garlic, so you can sprinkle a very small amount of garlic salt on the food, too, to make it more palatable. (Contrary to what many sites on the internet report, garlic is not harmful to dogs.)
If they still will not eat, you can feed them by hand. Dogs are very social animals, and if they see us taking an interest in their food, they are a lot more likely to eat.

Unless your dogs are very thin, they can easily go 3 to 5 days without eating. Before starting this trial, ask your veterinarian if the dogs are healthy enough to fast for 3 days.

For their long-term health, I would suggest a raw food diet. If you do not want to switch to raw but want to keep feeding a home-cooked diet, the food you were preparing is superior to anything you can buy in a bag.

References

(1) Quilliam C, Reis LG, Ren Y, Ai Y, Weber LP. Effects of a 28-day feeding trial of grain-containing versus pulse-based diets on cardiac function, taurine levels and digestibility in domestic dogs. PLoS One. 2023 May 25;18(5):e0285381. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285381. PMID: 37228111; PMCID: PMC10212094. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10212094/
(2) Heaney RP, Weaver CM, Recker RR. Calcium absorbability from spinach. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Apr;47(4):707-9. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/47.4.707. PMID: 3354496. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3354496/

This article is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from your veterinarian. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.