Why Do Dogs Love Food So Much?

Dog lovers have many more options today for how they feed their pets. The raw diet has become popular with many, while others opt for vegetarian options. Some owners advocate cooking fresh meals for their dogs at home, while others simply go for commercial pet food. Whichever diet is chosen, one thing is common, dogs love to eat.

The global pet food market size was over $100 billion in 2021. If you have a dog, you probably won’t be surprised at this figure considering the amount man’s best friend seems capable of wolfing down.

Why do dogs seem to eat so much though, are they genuinely always hungry, or is it greed, or something more serious?

Are dogs worried about where their next meal is coming from?

It can appear that when a dog is given a bowl of food they think it’s the last one they’ll ever get. No healthy dog ever saunters over to his meal casually as if they aren’t bothered. It is more likely to be an excitable dash to the bowl with their tail wagging away regardless of what is on the menu. It is interesting to note that dogs even try to bite and eat water.

Well, one reason dogs may dash for their dinnertime meals is their sense of smell. It is well known that dogs have an incredible sense of smell, but you may not realise how much more advanced it is than humans.

Another interesting fact about dogs is that they have 300 million olfactory receptors whereas people only have 6 million. This is why dogs are used to track criminals, locate explosives, and even detect certain illnesses. So, imagine what happens when food is put out for them.

Yet, their sense of smell isn’t the only reason dogs go into overdrive when the food arrives. 

It may be instinctual for dogs to keep eating

It is quite possible that instincts simply kick in at meal time. This actually does tie in with them believing every meal is the last one. In nature, wild animals need to hunt and scavenge for food. This means they are always alert to every opportunity to eat.

In the wild, it is commonplace for some animals to go days without eating. Therefore, the instinct to eat everything available and at once is deep-rooted in dogs from way before supermarkets started providing ample supplies of pet food.

Do dogs love food because of the taste?

For humans, food is appealing due to its aromas and flavours. It is also a social instrument, and people enjoy a variety of different tastes and experiences. It isn’t quite the same for dogs.

Where dogs can beat any individual with their sense of smell, they are lagging way behind when it comes to taste. Humans have on average, about 9,000 taste buds on their tongues. Dogs, meanwhile, only have about 1,700.

This is one reason why it isn’t essential to give your dog lots of variety in flavours as they won’t get bored as quickly with food as you might. However, they do taste food differently from humans and there may be some links there to why they eat so quickly.

Dogs taste protein much more strongly than people do, and they will actively crave and seek this out. Perhaps then when faced with a bowl of dog food or kibble they simply find it irresistible.

What is the reason that dogs love food so much?

Truly there is no one reason that dogs love food as much as they do. Yet, there is a combination of their senses kicking in - especially smell - and their instincts.

Despite them loving food, there are some things you shouldn’t feed your dog. Garlic and onion are two of them, and chocolate is also. Yet, they would likely eat them regardless of being bad for them.

Because dogs love food so much they rely on their owners to protect them in some ways. And if your dog is eating too much, it might not just be instincts.

Could there be an underlying problem with why your dog keeps eating?

If you have a cat you may notice that they seem happy to eat a small amount of food and walk away saving the rest for later. A bowl of dry cat food can last for a long time as the cat just takes a little at a time, grazing through the day.

Dogs, however, tend to eat everything in one go. This might be a sign of some other problem and is worth keeping an eye on.

One reason why a dog may appear to be constantly hungry is that an underlying condition is stopping them from absorbing enough nutrients. There are a number of ailments that can result in an increased appetite, often with digestive concerns.

These are some of the reasons why your dog may be eating too much: 

• Hyperthyroidism

• Growing old

• Cushing’s disease

• Diabetes

• Medication

• EPI or Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Signs to watch for are a change in appetite. If your dog has in the past been self-controlled but is now far more voracious in its appetite then there may be something wrong. If your vet has prescribed medicine or recently changed a prescription it could be this. If you have any concerns then a check-up can put your mind at rest or at least produce a diagnosis.

What can happen if a dog eats too much?

Hopefully, there are no health concerns with your dog and he or she just has a very healthy appetite. However, a healthy appetite in a dog can turn unhealthy if they eat too much.

Constipation in dogs is commonplace when a diet is bad, or not enough exercise is being had. There are simple treatments for this though. But eating too much regularly can lead to far more serious problems than a lack of regular motions.

Overeating can lead to obesity. Everyone knows that being overweight as a person is unhealthy, but as a dog, it can lead to serious ill-health very quickly.

Obesity in dogs can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoarthritis, degeneration of the joints, and even cancer. Dogs have far shorter lives than humans and being overweight can drastically reduce their lifespan.

There are other signs that dogs are eating too much apart from being overweight. These include the following:

• Scratching

• Poor condition of their coat and moulting

• Skin disorders

• Lethargy

• Ear problems

If a dog has problems with its coat, skin, or ears, it can often be due to food allergies. Scratching and moulting can point to this area, but it can also be linked to overeating. It could also be a combination of poor diet, allergens, and simply too much food.

Summary

Most dog owners probably put their pet’s appetite down to them simply having a good appetite. Indeed, it is normal to see a dog wolf down its food without a thought about how it tastes.

But, there are real reasons why dogs seem to love food so much. Their instincts harken back to when their ancestors were wolves and relied on scraps of food scavenged from hunters. Although dogs were domesticated long ago, these instincts have never quite disappeared.

When you couple that with an incredible sense of smell, it is no wonder they can’t resist eating everything in sight in one go. Still, overeating is not good for any dog, and they do rely on their owners to keep them in check, so let your pet enjoy their favourite food but in healthy-sized portions.