Do Dogs Get Hangry Too?

Ever had that feeling when you get grumpy for no real reason and then you realise you are hungry? Introduce hangry - quickly resolved with some food!

So what do you think - do dogs experience hangry too?

I've been having a few issues with my girls of late. Bhindi 4 year old, would start attacking Coco 10 year old at night time - and only at night time!  During the day they are best friends, sitting next to each other on one bed in the sun outside,   

running and chasing each other (both ways) on our twice daily walks.

Bhindi is a little cross-eyed - could this be the trigger of the night time attacks?

We went off to the vets for a MOT, WOF, bill of health to check in case there were any underlying issues like soreness, illness etc. But nothing was apparent. Her sight and hearing all seemed to be working ok.

So I took a step back and thought "What is the first trigger point" - "When was the first sign of the change in behaviour"

In soon became apparent - as soon as we entered back into the house after our evening walk the dynamics changed. This is the time I prepare their food - so i thought it has to be food related.

I was feeding once a day mainly to keep Bhindi keen for training on our walks as her attention span is very short!

I confirmed with my local SPCA, various dog groups about how many times a day I should be feeding my dogs.  The answer was quite clear - twice a day - morning and night. There is a couple of reasons for this

1) overfeeding large dogs (i.e. feeding all at one time) can cause twisted intestine 

2) 24 hours is a long time to go without food especially for active dogs

Now don't get me wrong my girls weren't starved, they were still getting treats on our walks and would get treats during their days at home.

So Do dogs get hangry?

I introduced some changes:

• I reintroduced breakfast after our morning walk - neither of them want to eat before their ablutions (which they only do off property). So it's now a cup for breakfast after their walk and they are back to bed
• I moved their bowls to a position where they could not see each other when they ate
• I now pick up their bowls immediately after they leave them. Coco always eats all her food but Bhindi likes to leave a snack to have after our own dinner is finished (they always get an 'after dinner treat' regardless for disappearing whilst we eat)

Since the reintroduction of breakfast things have been better. No more slinking behaviour, no awkward mannerisms, no more stiffness, no attacks.

This is not all the problem and I'm working on the rest, but sometimes taking a step back to note the exact first trigger can have a huge impact. By nipping this step in the bud means I can work on the rest.

So what do you think? Do dogs get hangry too?

Comment below

if you think pets feel hangry too 

or if you have experienced hangry in your pet 

Happy Pets make Happy Owners - its the Eezapet way