Is your Pomeranian not eating at all the food he used to or you have noticed that he has a decreased appetite. There is a number of reasons why a dog, especially small breed like Pomeranian refuses to eat.
Small dogs like Pomeranians are known to be picky eaters. Lack of appetite in Pomeranians might be caused by stress, a variety of health conditions ( viral/bacterial infection, pancreatitis, dental issues, liver or kidney disease), hot weather ( during summer months), age ( seniors eat less). Some of the things you can do to encourage your Pomeranian to eat is to provide a peaceful and calm environment, the right food bowl ( avoid plastic and too big bowls), and high-quality food which you can make even more appealing by adding lukewarm water.
Table of Contents
Why My Pomeranian Won’t Eat?
If your Pom won’t eat think well what kind of food you are giving to him. Some low-quality dog foods are full of fillers, chemical preservatives that may decrease appetite.
Make sure the food you offer to your Pom is high-quality, animal protein-based food, free of soy, wheat, grains, by-products, harmful flavoring, and coloring. Quality food should have good fiber levels and added Omega 3 sourced from fish oil.
Choose food that is produced in North America (the USA and Canada). The food produced in New Zealand is also acceptable as they also have strict standards similar to those in the US.
If you try to switch one brand for another, do it gradually, mixing two different foods for a couple of days.
1-3 days – 25% new food/ 75% old food
3-5 days – 50% new food / 50% old food
5-7 days – 75% new food/ 25% old food
In case you just suddenly serve a new food one day, your Pom might get puzzled and refuses to eat. That’s why it’s important to make this transition step by step.
Dental Issue
One of the reasons why your Pom has lost his appetite is a dental issue. It can be a broken or infected tooth, some oral pain. Pay special attention if your Pom won’t eat dry, hard food but he is willing to eat wet food. That’s a clear indicator that something is wrong with his teeth.
Hot Weather
Hot weather may also have a big impact on your Pom’s appetite. Dogs generally eat less during the hot summer months ( 10-20%).
Less food intake is quite normal since your Pom is less active in this period. Just pay special attention to keep your Pom cool and hydrated.
A magic word for both is ”frozen”. Make some nice frozen treats for your pooch. There are plenty of recipes on the internet you just need to pick between frozen chicken soup cubes, frozen fruit treats, frozen mixes of fruits, and peanut butter or yogurt. The choice is immense, really.
Stress
Another thing that can cause a lack of appetite is stress. Changes in the household, moving to a new home, a new baby arrival, another dog or pet arrival, travel to unfamiliar surroundings, all these things may provoke stress in your Pom.
Separation anxiety is also one of the major causes of stress in dogs.
Poms Age
Senior Pomeranians have decreased appetite ( up to 20%) and that is quite normal. Older Poms are less active, have a slower metabolism so naturally, their caloric needs fall.
But the golden agers are prone to many illnesses that can also cause poor appetite so if you notice some major appetite loss along with some other symptoms, do visit a vet for a detailed examination.
“Spoiled” with hand feeding
Some Poms may turn up very spoiled that their owners unintentionally taught if they hold out long enough, they will hand feed them. So they don’t eat and wait. Once you get worried enough, your Pom will get what he wants, food from your hand!
Health Issues
However, the most serious cause of appetite loss is compromised health and numerous illnesses.
While some of them are not so serious like viral/bacterial infections that cause cough, nasal discharge, eye discharge, others like liver problems, kidney failure, and different types of cancers may be life-threatening conditions.
Don’t forget injuries or conditions that include pain, skin sores, allergies…
All listed conditions have one thing in common – appetite loss.
Don’t be surprised if your Pom experiences a brief appetite loss after receiving a vaccine. Sometimes vaccines may have adverse effects and one of them is lack of appetite, no need to worry about it.
What To Do If My Pomeranian Won’t Eat?
Let’s start with basic things. Make sure your Pom has an adequate food bowl.
What does that mean? Well, your dog is small and if you pick the bowl that has a high rim he can knock his forehead.
If the bowl is too deep, he has to stretch ( which is not comfortable ) a lot in order to reach the bottom. Maybe he won’t be able to pick up all the food from the bowl.
Avoid plastic bowls. They are very light, so they can easily tip over. Plastic bowls are easy to scratch which makes a perfect place for bacteria buildup. Choose stainless steel bowls instead.
Avoid too big bowls, as when you pour the correct amount of food, the bowl will be half empty which may encourage you to add more.
The next thing is picking the right food. We already have said a few words about the right food and what it should and shouldn’t contain.
If your Pom is not thrilled with the food you are giving him but you are certain that is a high-quality one, you can pour some lukewarm water to it and make it more appealing, maybe he falls for it.
Make sure you are serving the right amount of food to your Pom. Pomeranians are small dogs, they eat small portions. If you are giving larger portions than you should, you might find the leftovers in the bowl which may signalize to you that your dog is not eating normally, which would be a big mistake.
Follow the instructions of your vet and guideline that you may find on the dog’s food pack.
If your dog is not eating his regular meals but he is more than happy to grab any snack he gets, think about the snack amounts you give him.
Maybe you ”reward” him too often and with too much food. Make sure he gets a max of 4-6 extra small snack bites only in the situation you need to reward wanted behavior.
Dogs like routine, so make sure your Pom has structured meal times. If your pet is having 3 meals, remember to give him his portions at the same time every day.
Provide a calm and peaceful environment during mealtime. If your Pom is distracted, stressed, annoyed most certainly won’t eat well.
If your Pom has some other symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, restlessness, cough, nasal discharge… you need to see the vet. He will make a detailed examination, full blood test, and X-rays if needed.
What you can do at your home is to check if your Pom has a fever by taking his temperature. The normal temperature is about 101,5 F but if he has above 103,5 he should be evaluated.
The color of your Pom’s gum may tell you if your dog is dehydrated. Gums should be slippery, wet, and pink in color. If they are deep red or purple and dried out, you urgently must see the vet.
Related Questions:
How To Know If My Pomeranian Eats Enough?
Before you start to panic as your pet is starving and you don’t know the reason, calm down, sit and think – how much food does your Pom need?
Do you have a puppy ( up to 12 months old) or an adult Pom (1-year-old and more)?
How To Know If My Pomeranian Puppy Eats Enough?
The best indicator that your baby Pom eats enough is that he is gaining weight regularly.
Pomeranian puppies usually gain the most weight between 8 weeks and 6 months of age. In this period you should check the weight of your pet regularly and act if he doesn’t gain any weight in two weeks period.
After your puppy turns 6 months, gaining weight is slowing down but it’s still should be happening until he turns 9 months.
The period between 9 and 12 months is relatively steady in regard to weight gain, some dogs do get some weight but it’s insignificantly small.
From the age of one (year), Pomeranians should no longer change the weight.
You should always follow your vet’s advice and the instruction written on your dog’s food label but a general rule of thumb for Poms puppies is that they need 55 calories per pound of their body weight per day.
Different dog foods have very different caloric values, that is why you need to follow the guidelines on the pack but generally, Pom puppy needs between 1/2 and 1/4 cup a day.
For one month or less old puppies, free feed is recommended. Then from 1-3 months of age, puppies can have up to 4 meals a day. When they turn 3 months you can reduce the number of meals to 2-3 meals a day.
How To Know If My Adult Pomeranian Eats Enough?
The Pomeranian dog is considered an adult when he hits his first birthday. After that moment, your dog shouldn’t experience any major weight change.
The caloric needs are smaller for adult dogs so your Pom needs between 40 and 45 calories a day. That amount of calories should be split into 2-3 meals.
Many other dog breeds need one or two meals a day but since Pomeranians are a very energetic breed plus they are prone to low blood sugar ( hypoglycemia), they need to eat more often.
All toy breeds usually suffer from sudden blood sugar level drops due to their size and the little body fat they carry.
Pomeranians are not an exception although there are some experts that say that Poms are less prone to hypoglycemia comparing to other toy breeds.
Regarding the daily amount of food, you should always consider the vet’s advice and the dog’s food guidelines. Also, you need to take some other factors into consideration such as age, level of activity, the health status.
Don’t forget to keep a diary about your Pom’s weight. For any dog’s food instruction you will have to know exactly how many pounds your Pom has.
Plus keeping the record about Pom’s weight can indicate that something is wrong with your dog and allowing you to act on time.
The general rule of thumb that an adult Pomeranian needs to eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup a day. You might think that this amount super small, especially if you had a previous experience with larger breeds but it’s quite enough food for your Pom.
Of course, don’t forget to give some daily snacks ( 4-6 per day) to your dog. Bear in mind that snacks usually serve only as a reward for wanted behavior. Those should be extra small bites, to avoid any unwanted weight gain.
Conclusion
Poms may lose appetite for various reasons. Some of them might not be so serious such as light viral infection or adverse effects of vaccination. Other reasons may involve many serious health conditions like cancer or liver disease.
On the other hand, your dog may eat perfectly well but you are not able to see that since his bowl is always half empty when he finishes his meal. Maybe the bowl is too big or your portions are too large.
I really do hope this article will help you to find the cause of your Pom’s appetite loss. I hope you solve your problem quickly and continue enjoying your dog’s companionship.
You should always consult a vet to exclude health issues as a cause so you can focus on other reasons.
