Why has my dogs appetite increased?

Dogs by nature often have an unquenchable appetite. Especially the dogs of the wild, they like to eat almost anything deemed edible they find. If they stumble upon a huge chunk of food, they will try their best to eat all of it and leave nothing behind. This is an ordinary wild instinct in dogs for they believe that foods just come and go. Sometimes food is there and in most cases there’s none. And so, dogs along with other opportunists like wolves really eat a lot of food whenever available.

But for the domesticated dogs, who have already become man’s pets, they often eat moderately as they enjoy a regular provision of food. However, in dogs that have not been practised to eat in a regular basis, they still have a tendency to binge eat and overeat. Especially in the larger dog breeds, they eat as much food as they want, which often leads to obesity. That’s why all responsible owners employ a sense of control to this insatiable trigger for aside from being obese, your dog can develop some unwanted health hazards if he continues eating way more than what is normally required.

Though often considered as a normal occurrence, over eating or having a big appetite can still be a cause for alarm. This is because certain disease conditions can cause an increase in the dog’s overall appetite. As a general rule, try to check if your dog is packing up much weight when he overeats. If he does, then this is usually not alarming. However, in cases where the canine will not have significant weight increases or the worse if he will lose weight then this is the right time to be concerned. How can an overeating dog having a ravenous appetite still lose weight? The immediate scenario that comes to mind is that your pet is probably having some absorption problems or is having some abnormalities in his food digestion. In this regard, it is best to co-manage your pet’s case with the vet since he can do a better assessment whether your dog is indeed having some of these digestion problems. The two most common areas that he looks into are the stomach and the dog’s intestines.

In other instances however, a sudden peaking of the dog’s appetite can be a result of hormonal imbalances. Moreover, the intake of anti-inflammatory medications especially steroids can cause a significant boost in your pet’s appetite. Nevertheless, whatever is the root cause for the change in appetite it is ideal that you have plotted your dog’s weight regularly. With this, you can easily notice any abrupt weight losses and weight gains that may seem abnormal. This data can also help other specialists in the treatment team (i.e. the vet) in diagnosing the problem.

Overall, if you seem to have a hard time managing your pet’s uncontrollable gusto for food, then it may be best for you to directly seek the help of your local veterinarian. For sure, he will have a good opinion on what pathology is occurring in your dog.

Disclaimer

This pet health article is for reference only.

If your pet is showing any symptoms or distress, and you suspect your pet is ill CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.