Causes of Increased Appetite in Dogs
If your canine companion is showing signs of constant hunger, the situation can be worrisome, and can often lead to very unfavorable behavior on the part of your dog (such as begging). In order to return your pet to his normal state of well-being, you will want to take him to the veterinarian without delay. Causes for the increased appetite are great in number. Some are listed below.
If you can’t see his ribs and you can’t even feel them, it’s time to slow down the gravy train because he’s packing on the pounds. Checking with your veterinarian is the way to go here as well. Going over daily activities and the amount of food that you dole out with your vet allows him or her to tell you whether it’s not enough, enough or too much. Go over dietary changes of any kind with your vet before making them.
Now don’t freak out, but there could be a medical reason. Some conditions such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism play havoc with the system, and constantly wanting to eat could be a symptom of those.
Have you ever had a canine companion that seems to be constantly sniffing around the kitchen? Lurking around the table when you’re eating? Shadowing you about until you start to hear the theme music from Jaws run through your head?
Or if you started out with an adorable puppy but now find yourself with 90 pounds of pooch, it just makes sense that he will need more food and possibly a different type of food as well. You don’t want a fat dog, but you also don’t want one who is starved.
This video demonstrates what to look for to determine if your dog is at an ideal weight:
Why Does My Dog Act Hungry All the Time?
So you may ask yourself, “Why does my dog act hungry all the time?” The short answer is… we’re not absolutely sure. Some experts believe that dogs came to look to us as a food source after early wolves basically domesticated themselves — the wolves that were curious but non-aggressive and came close enough to human camps to scavenge leftover scraps wound up being rewarded with more food.
This, combined with their natural instincts after a hunt — “eat it when the alpha wolves let you and before any other wolves can” — naturally led to them gobbling up anything offered by a human. Of course, to a hungry dog “offer” can also mean leaving it on a counter, dropping it on the floor, or putting it in the trash.
Wolves (or dogs) hunting in a pack also learn the concept of scarcity and food being a limited resource. They may not eat every day, or even every other day, so they fall into a “get it while you can” mentality. This carries over even when the dog is getting two or three regular meals every single day.
Of course, our domestic dogs have not been wild wolves for a long time, so it can be hard to reconcile such an ancient trait with modern behavior. Our dogs probably never grew up going on a hunt and being allowed to share food in pack order. Another possibility is that our dogs really aren’t that hungry. They’re just very good at manipulating us into giving them handouts.