Nausea / belly pain.
Any type of sick feeling or even gassy pain will cause a dog to not eat, just as in a human. They may feel bloated, or they may have eaten something outside that has not agreed with them. This may pass with time, as usual nausea, thus regaining their appetite for the next meal. However sometimes it does not pass and that may be the time to call a vet. It could be a number of internal problems, from kidney or liver problems or an ulcer that causes them pain. A vet will be able to tell you.

Sore Throat.
A sore throat can be caused from a sharp piece of food that they have swallowed and therefore cut the lining of their esophagus. Even a minor cut can cause pain when swallowing thereafter, and so your dog may be off his food temporarily because of that. If you have reason to suspect this, give him access to plenty of water to drink.

Blockage.
Your dog might be suffering from a blockage, either from food or from a foreign object such as a ball or other small object that he may have swallowed. While these things often get down the throat easily enough, they can become lodged in the intestines and may even need surgery to remove. You will begin to notice that not only does your dog stop eating, but he stops going to the bathroom as well. This may be a good indicator as to the fact he has something lodged. He will most probably show signs of stomach ache as well because of this and will certainly need veterinary assistance.

Finding other food.
Your dog may also be off his food because he has found another source of food. It might be that he is rummaging through garbage and eating scraps, or it may be that he is running off and someone who has come across him has begun to feed him. If your suspect this, then you can attach a note to his collar and tag, requesting that no one feed him because he is leaving he dinner at home. If your dog is rummaging and scavenging, you might want to consider restraining him or keeping him enclosed in your yard thus avoiding his dining out!

While these are some reasons that your dog could be off his food, there are many other potential causes too. If you are unsure you should always consult a vet and have your dog seen in case it is anything serious. Never ignore any changes in your dogs eating behaviors.

Human Foods
While dogs can take on a lot of human foods and digest them fine, there are some that they should not eat. These include, chocolate, onions, certain grains, garlic, alcohol, and some are cautious about feeding pork, among other foods. Certain foods contain chemicals (such as theobromine in chocolate) and acidic qualities like in the onions that can cause problems from gas and indigestion all the way to liver and pancreatic problems. While a very small amount won’t necessarily kill your dog, it doesn’t do him any good, so it is best to try to secure these items and others from him.

Medications
Of course, any drug can be dangerous for dogs. As with children who don’t know any better, a dog can get into medications if they are left out or if they are thrown into the trash. Some dogs may just be chewing on the bottle when it breaks and so they accidentally swallow some. Always keep medications, even as much as antacids and children’s medicine, locked safely in a high cabinet that is out of reach.

Plants
Many household plants and shrubs are poisonous to dogs as well. Canines will sometimes munch on the greenery as they do grass outside, in an attempt to settle their stomachs. But some of these plants have toxins that can cause sickness in dogs. The most common plants include ferns, daffodil bulbs, lilies, and dracaena. There are also certain garden plants that may be growing outside that can harm them, such as Ivy / vines, Yew, Foxgloves, Onion and Tomato plants among many others. It is a good idea to read up on what can potentially harm your dog.

Household cleaners
You wouldn’t normally expect your dog to get into your household cleaners, but with brightly colored plastic bottle and the fact they care kept in a low cupboard under the sink, your dog could mistake them for toys and start to play and chew. Anything containing chemicals is harmful, especially bleach and anything like drain cleaner or oven cleaner are lethal. If you suspect your dog has been playing with anything (tell tale sign would be tooth marks on the bottle) you must call a vet and animal poison control for advice and help. It can mean the difference in his life when it comes to domestic cleaners.

Dogs, like children, can get into trouble easily, and they will usually find anything that you didn’t want them to! Therefore, you must always dog-proof your house before getting a dog and just practice common sense from there on, by keeping things safe and secure and out of paws-reach! However, even then they can still get into mischief and swallow something they shouldn’t so always be aware.

From the owner’s point of view, they will be looking for a healthy answer for their dogs too. A right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals is a must in their diet, no matter how fussy they want to be. Therefore an owner might spend a long time reading the informational labels on all kinds of brands of food.

The food needs to include protein, fats, carbohydrates (starch), amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Most foods will also have a certain percentage of water which varies from brand to brand. The water is not as necessary if you provide a good supply of clean water for your dog, but the content in the food helps it to break down easier for absorption as well. Some foods contain a higher level however which is no necessary and wastes money. Generally (and unfortunately) the higher priced foods are often the best, since they are from reputable companies and usually contain the correct mixture of everything your dog needs. Sometimes generic foods compensate and therefore are not as healthy.

The trial and error aspects will come into play when finding out what flavors your dog likes as well as textures. Some dogs find it easier to eat and chew food that comes as chunks in gravy. Others prefer the paste foods, which require some mashing up from the owner. Some dogs don’t care!

It is also a good idea to check dog food labels, both dry and wet food, for mentions of AAFCO (Association of American Feeding Control Officials) and Animal Feeding Trials. This means the food has actually been tried and tested and has won their approval. They will approve foods that are healthy and contain what a dog needs as well as what dogs enjoy eating.

You may have to alter the food that your dog gets depending on your dog. Puppies, adult dogs, senior dogs, pregnant and nursing dogs will all need different foods to benefit them to maintain their health. Sick dogs, slow growers, rescue dogs and many others that have various problems or deficiencies will need certain things that a regular dog wouldn’t need. Therefore it is wise to check with your vet who can recommend what to give them.

All in all, choosing your dogs food can be a chore, but once you get your pup into a routine and have found his preferred and beneficial diet then both you and he will be happy! A dog’s diet is one of the most important things in his life, so it needs some due care and attention paying to it.

You should always feed at least two small meals a day, even if one consists of dry food and one a can of wet dog food. This avoids them becoming too hungry during the day or night. If they are fed a breakfast and a dinner, they eat at both ends of the day which staves off the hunger in between. Some people do prefer to feed just one meal a day however. This is because a dog will usually get all the nutrition he needs for his daily activities in one hearty meal (don’t overfeed though – check the guidelines for your dogs age and breed). Also, if your dog is an outside dog, they may find other things to eat during the day – a bone or some scraps from the garbage (the latter is not ideal and you should try to secure your garbage at all times) It is sometimes unavoidable with dogs though!

A dog’s appetite is usually good enough for them to eat three times a day if necessary and if your own schedule permits. It is not always a good idea to feed them if you are not able to consistently provide the third meal or if you need to depend on somebody else to do it, since they may not be able to do so here and there, and so your dogs feeding schedule will become interrupted. It may also be unnecessary to feed this much if they do not get much exercise or run around very much, as they do need to burn off the excess calories they take in.

It may however be necessary to feed three times a day, especially if your vet has recommended it. This might be due to health problems or weight loss. Some rescue dogs that have come from neglectful situations may be starving and need the extra food to rebuild muscle and energy. You cannot expect to put the weight onto a dog over night. Overfeeding them all at once can cause sickness and other problems for your dog. A puppy generally needs three or even four meals a day when they are between 6 – 8 weeks old. Before 6 weeks old, your pup will need to feed from its mother, and so will not need food from you yet.

It’s not always recommended to feed your dog any more than three times a day. If he is not particularly energetic or if his food contains a lot of carbohydrates or fat, he will begin to gain weight and then you will have the problem of an obese dog to deal with. Also, four meals are harder to keep on schedule.

Depending on what your own schedule permits, you can decide how many times to feed your dog. Always take into account their energy levels, how much exercise they get, their age and their health.

For more infomation about dog nutrition and a complete guide to feeding your dog make sure to check out the Ultimate Guide to Dog Nutrition.

The source of the contamination? Shipments of wheat gluten imported in September 2006 by ChemNutra, an LA based company and sold to Menu Foods, the Canadian based maker of wet cat and dog food in North America.

In November 2006 Menu Foods started to use the tainted gluten in manufacturing plants in NJ and Kansas.

Starting in December 2006 through to February 2007 Menu Foods received a number of complaints from pet owners, especially cat owners, that their pets were falling ill after consuming foods produced by Menu Foods.

In February 2007 Menu Food’s CFO Mark Wiens sold half of his shares in the company, 14,000 shares for $89,900.

Not even two weeks later, after an internal review, and the death of 16 pets, Menu Foods suspected an issue with the products and on March 16, Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of dog and cat food. Most of these products had wheat Gluten, which was seen as the primary culprit and samples of food products were subsequently sent to the Cornell University and a New York based testing agency for carrying out tests. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said tests indicated the food was contaminated.

By the end of March, it was clear that there was a problem with the wheat gluten being used by the company. All units were recalled on a nationwide level immediately and the company received some 6 million units from the US itself. Following the recall, a number of deaths were being reported in the US and Mexico by the end of March 2007. No official records are available for the number of pet deaths in Mexico, but analysts say that they could be more than the number of deaths in the US.

During the first recall, only gravy and liquid based food were recalled, but looking at the gravity of the situation, the company decided to recall at least a dozen more food products. In the last week of March 2007 (25th-30th), the FDA stated that traces of Melamine were found. The FDA also banned the Xuzhou Bio manufacturing unit and the companies using raw material from this company were directed to recall all food products, even the dried ones.

The Xuzhou Bio manufacturing unit had undertaken tests on its own level to test their wheat gluten in April. Senate hearings brought out the facts and the public was warned. Further recalls were made all through April. More deaths and contamination in Africa led to a recall in South Africa in April and Switzerland in June. In May, reports of people having consumed pork infected with renal diseases were out, causing widespread panic and Mao Lijun, the GM of Xuzhou Bio company was detained. Nationwide calls were made in this respect and later, in June 2007, human food was also tested positive for melamine, which led to further recalls of food being supplied in poultry farms and to places directly concerning humans.

There have been an increasing number of recalls throughout 2008 and into 2009 so the issue is far from resolved and pet owners are recommended to stay on top of any further pet food recalls.