Jump to content
blksheep

Dog not eating question...

Recommended Posts

So our 2 1/2 year old Shepherd mix has become somewhat of a picky eater.  We have gone through a few foods this past month.  

He started out as a puppy on Purina Chicken and Rice blend then he moved on to the adult version of it.  Ate that for about a year and a half or so but we would put a teaspoon of pumpkin in it.  

He stopped eating that with the pumkin in it.  So we had him on Fromm for a bit then he stopped eating that.  So we switched to Blue Wild Salmon with Life Bits ate that for a day...so on and so forth.

 

He was on Doxycyline for Limes and ate like a champ the whole time, now not so much.  We changed him to BilJac Sensitive Stomach and he eats it but doesnt seem himself afterwards.  Energetic...etc.  Wife will make him some boiled chicken and rice and hell eat that...although he through up today.

 

Hes a tough one.  Any suggestions?  I know switching his foods is tough...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have a 1 year old goldendoodle (about 50 pounds) and we've always given her Performatrim Ultra from Pet Valu - http://us.petvalu.com/products/dog/food?brand=4&home=0&no_cache=true&p=2#!/no_cache=true&p=clear&brand=4

She has solid poop every time.

We feed her twice a day (and put some cooked chicken or beef in at dinner time) and she's never complained.

We like it because it's limited ingredients and limited grains.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When people take antobiotics for some time they kill the not only the bad bacteria but the good bacteria also.  Your body needs the good bacteria to properly digest food.  When I have had to take strong antibiotics my doctor told me to get some OTC probiotics to avoid the side effect of digestive problems.  Never had any problems when taking the probiotic.

I'm not sure if the same thing works with dogs but it would seem to make sense.  Also unsure if dogs can take human probiotics.  I'd run this past your vet.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, blksheep said:

So our 2 1/2 year old Shepherd mix has become somewhat of a picky eater.  We have gone through a few foods this past month.  

He started out as a puppy on Purina Chicken and Rice blend then he moved on to the adult version of it.  Ate that for about a year and a half or so but we would put a teaspoon of pumpkin in it.  

He stopped eating that with the pumkin in it.  So we had him on Fromm for a bit then he stopped eating that.  So we switched to Blue Wild Salmon with Life Bits ate that for a day...so on and so forth.

 

He was on Doxycyline for Limes and ate like a champ the whole time, now not so much.  We changed him to BilJac Sensitive Stomach and he eats it but doesnt seem himself afterwards.  Energetic...etc.  Wife will make him some boiled chicken and rice and hell eat that...although he through up today.

 

Hes a tough one.  Any suggestions?  I know switching his foods is tough...

I dont want to scare you , but a full blood panel and urine test done and results reviewed. Look for Sodium and Potassium levels, their ratio. Have urine results evaluated for any signs of liver or kidney issues. Ask your doctor if he/she thinks this is related to Cortisol problems.  

How is his poop ? 

Cut pumpkin off as it can spike potassium levels.

Our mixed breed dog went through for couple of years and finally diagnosed with Addison's Disease. In short, its a kidney related disease / condition that results in hormonal imbalance.  It shows up in lot of weird ways and often misdiagnosed as lot of things. 

Not saying your pup has same thing. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Your all over the place with your food brands. IMO Fromm is your best choice. Best QC of any of the dog food brands. Ive been using it for almoast 20 years now for my dogs. Blue used to be ok but QC went to shit when they expanded to fast. Purena sucks.

It can take some dogs 2+ weeks to adjust to new foods. And no healthy dog will starve it self to death but sometimes they can go a day without especially if it's not feeling well. 

I'd recommnd a wellness checkup at the vet to rule out any medical issues. If no health issues give the dog some time it will come around. I go through this with my 14 year old dachshud once and a while. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Put the food down for 10 minutes and if he does not eat his food pick it up. Dogs are not stupid they will not starve themselves. If he goes longer then a few days without eating then i would take him to the vet to rule out any other issues. Make sure hes going to the bathroom normal and that hes not lethargic in any way. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, blksheep said:

So our 2 1/2 year old Shepherd mix has become somewhat of a picky eater.  We have gone through a few foods this past month.  

He started out as a puppy on Purina Chicken and Rice blend then he moved on to the adult version of it.  Ate that for about a year and a half or so but we would put a teaspoon of pumpkin in it.  

He stopped eating that with the pumkin in it.  So we had him on Fromm for a bit then he stopped eating that.  So we switched to Blue Wild Salmon with Life Bits ate that for a day...so on and so forth.

 

He was on Doxycyline for Limes and ate like a champ the whole time, now not so much.  We changed him to BilJac Sensitive Stomach and he eats it but doesnt seem himself afterwards.  Energetic...etc.  Wife will make him some boiled chicken and rice and hell eat that...although he through up today.

 

Hes a tough one.  Any suggestions?  I know switching his foods is tough...

Why you keep switching stuff up. Consistency reduces stress. Inconsistentcy makes stress.

pick sumtin, even if it is wrong. Reduce the variables. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All good advice, especially to get a blood test done. Switching foods on dogs is always best approached very slowly, and contrary to what we think, a dog is perfectly happy eating the same thing every day.

I've always found that the best way to switch foods (if needed), is to start by giving them rice/boiled hamburger meat for a few days, and then slowly adding in some new kibble every day. Over the course of 2 weeks or so, they get switched over without issue.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, jackandjill said:

I dont want to scare you , but a full blood panel and urine test done and results reviewed. Look for Sodium and Potassium levels, their ratio. Have urine results evaluated for any signs of liver or kidney issues. Ask your doctor if he/she thinks this is related to Cortisol problems. 

 

That was the same thing I thought of too when reading. Based on all the different types of food tried, it sounds like  the problem is more involved than food. A full lab panel will help determine what's going on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

Most men try to avoid using the words cute, little, and weiner in the same sentence......

and yet.......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

aaahahahaahahahahaha :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When we just had Hugo, he would pull that stuff a lot. But my girlfriend has him trained to sit before food is placed down, and wait until told it is ok to eat (both of them are like that). Five to ten minutes... if he didn’t touch it, picked it up and back in the container. If she was really worried (missed two meals), she would put a wet food with it (another option we sometimes use was a light splash of chicken/beef broth; low sodium).

When we got Emma, he would do it less often... especially when he realized she will eat his. We don’t allow it too often, but if he gives no interest at all, we will allow it (we give him a lot of opportunity to eat, and even bring him back to the bowl a second time; both understand that they eat on our schedule). The next feeding, he will eat it all. They both are extremely active, so not a big deal if one eats more than a single portion. It is rare, but Emma sometimes doesn’t eat it all, and Hugo will finish her. Between the two, Emma eats twice as fast as Hugo, so while they usually are good... we do keep an eye on them.

If he is a picky eater, I’d first ask if he is getting food elsewhere. Treats? My boss would give his dogs treats CONSTANTLY! Not only did the dogs go ape-s*** when someone went by the treats, they also didn’t eat as much. Same could be said for people food. I am not that big of a fan of giving dogs people food, especially while we are eating. But we do that more for ourselves than the dogs... as we could put an open pizza on the coffee table that the dogs have access to, and neither will make a move for it (they will stare it down like it was the last thing on earth, but know not to mess with it unless we allow it). We would sometimes get vanilla soft ice cream for them (Sonic or Wendy’s), but after Emma threw it up once, we got those dog ice cream cups. They love it about the same.

Our dogs are 40-45 pounds. Emma’s weight is steady, but Hugo can lose weight quickly if he misses multiple meals. We feed them high protein, mainly due to the activity level (we have Whistle trackers, and when I’ve dealt with CS for connection issues, the representative was shocked with the activity levels for both... and she said she has looked at similar info for hundreds of dogs, and the consistency with the higher numbers was a first she had seen). I forget the brand we use, as they are currently in Florida with my fiancé, at a horse show... but was a very good name (not any of those Blue brands, which usually have a lot of recalls/issues). We do keep canned food (again, good name brand), but have really got back to only using it with pills/medication.

They are fed one cup in the morning, one cup at night. If we add wet food, usually a can split between them... with the cup. The broth trick, not soggy, but enough to get their attention. When I was younger, we had a yellow lab. Food for him, we had a feeder with a door that he could just eat as need be. While he did well with it, I’d never do that again... considering the weight he was at, but also the odd eating habits. Wouldn’t eat during the day, only when someone was nearby. Never liked it, but it was an age where I didn’t know better... and he was mostly an outside dog.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would first try to determine if the dog is being finicky or if there is a real problem.  No healthy dog will turn down boiled hamburger and rice.  If he eats this without any issues (make sure he is defecating) .  It's just a matter of attitude adjustment.  A little beef broth on dry food goes a long way.

Otherwise a full vet check is in order.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

our GSP was picky eater and had become sick and was not eating progressively getting worse over time, he was diagnosed with addisons disease/ the same as jackandjill's dog.

you should take him in for blood test's colt was sick for long time and it was never diagnosed until he became very sick spent 2 days in allstar vet hospital we started out at toms river VCA but they were closing for Christmas and referred us to allstar. VCA diagnosed him and did the blood work up. Also have him on digestive care food. He was always skinny dog and has filled out nicely now and will eat all his food no problem even looks for more now. he gets pill once a day before dinner in afternoon. Just amazing the transformation. Funny thing is we were trying all different kinds of dog food also sometimes he would eat better but then back to same old routine in couple days.

IMG_2279.JPG

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 2/21/2018 at 1:50 PM, blksheep said:

So our 2 1/2 year old Shepherd mix has become somewhat of a picky eater.  We have gone through a few foods this past month.  

He started out as a puppy on Purina Chicken and Rice blend then he moved on to the adult version of it.  Ate that for about a year and a half or so but we would put a teaspoon of pumpkin in it.  

He stopped eating that with the pumkin in it.  So we had him on Fromm for a bit then he stopped eating that.  So we switched to Blue Wild Salmon with Life Bits ate that for a day...so on and so forth.

 

He was on Doxycyline for Limes and ate like a champ the whole time, now not so much.  We changed him to BilJac Sensitive Stomach and he eats it but doesnt seem himself afterwards.  Energetic...etc.  Wife will make him some boiled chicken and rice and hell eat that...although he through up today.

 

Hes a tough one.  Any suggestions?  I know switching his foods is tough...

How’s your dog? 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sweet. So with a bout of the Flu...we are back upright.

My local Animals and Gardens Unlimited has been awesome.

The girls there are first rate.  He has settled on Merrick Duck and Sweet Potato.  Crushes it.  We have bought a couple toppers as well just in case.  Some of Merricks finest Lamb, Buffalo and Beef in a can and Beef, Sweet Potato, Green Apple and some other top shelf ingredient. 

We have never given him table scraps or snacks in the human form.  Hes just a picky eater.  But well worth the trouble.

20171214_143023.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...