As our pets age, they may begin to show different dietary preferences. Some reasons include painful teeth, stress associated with cognitive decline, or dietary sensitivity. Caution needs to be exercised when attempting to entice our dogs or cats to eat a meal.

Foods to avoid due to known toxicity include grapes, onions, and chocolate. These can cause internal organ failure or even worse, death. A less well known danger to our pets is offering them fatty foods such as bar-b-que, marbled red meats like steaks, and foods high in saturated fats. Pancreatitis can develop with ingestion of these foods requiring intensive care and hospitalization.

As an alternative to the previously mentioned foods, I advise offering a bland diet such as boiled chicken breast and rice if your pet appears to have an upset stomach. Lean hamburger meat is another alternative protein source. Cottage cheese and oregano can both be added as a top dress on food to entice your dog or cat to eat. Low sodium chicken broth can be used to make gravy too.

Ultimately, the goal will be to continue to feed your dog or cat a nutritious commercially prepared dog or cat food that supplies all of the required vitamins and minerals your pet needs for good health.