I have a German Sheperd that just won't eat!!
We have tried dry food and meat but he just won't take it!
If you have any ideas of how to fix this please let me know. Ill
Try anything.
Thanks heaps,
dog_lover

And just another thing, I've tried worming him and that didn't work. And he is 1 years old. What could it be??

How old is he? If this is a sudden change in an adult that has been eating well enough, take him to the vet for a check up explaining the eating problem to the vet. With a younger dog, you might ask about eating the next time you are in for shots. Young German Shepherds often will often barely eat enough to hide their ribs. Two years ago, when my Gretchen was 5 months old, she went 3 days without more than nibbling her food. She was fine, but I was a basket case.

Forget the meat and other tempting food. Almost any of the commercial, dry dog chows provide a great diet, with the complete and balanced nutrition dogs need. Dry is better for their teeth and jaws. Switching to an adult chow by 6 months reduces the risk of joint problems. For each meal, put down the amount the package recommends. Take away anything uneaten in 15 minutes. Do not offer anything else until the next scheduled meal. Many dogs will not eat as much as the packages recommends. Eventually you should be able to establish how much he will eat. Then judge his condition. Here is a guide to do that, September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog (http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx) I found it in the newsletter from a large dog guide school. A young Shepherd may insist on keeping himself a little on the lean side. Don't worry about it. Dogs' biggest health problem is overweight.

I am used to Labs that eat like they thought the instruction manual said take the food away after 15 seconds. I think they want a layer of blubber like a seal for swimming in cold water. I see many Shepherds too. Usually they are nice and lean, and much more mannerly about eating. Unless his ribs show badly, just accept you dog's healthy eating habits.

I am doing a second post to acknowledge you did mention his age in your second one. As they reach their full growth, they do slow down a little on what they eat. They will eat enough to fill out a little as an adult.

This is just an idea... 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has a line of dog/cat food out now which has only been out for a few months here. It is actually a very healthy food too. From what I've heard, it is supposed to be very flavorful and dogs/cats are supposed to love the taste of it. My fiance's dog tore open a bag of it and ate about 3 lbs by the time we saw it. So I believe it. I would mainly just try to feed only very good quality foods, so when your dog does actually eat, its getting good nutrition. Pretty much any of the foods you can get at supermarkets or large chain stores (wal-mart, k-mart) are not good foods at all. I won't name names, but I'm sure you could figure them out.

Hi - I have a two year old female black German Shepherd with eating difficulties too! I came looking for some new suggestions for myself when I found your question. My dog is so skinny people joke that she is anorexic! She is difficult. I have tried expensive good food and cheap stuff with no good results. I do not think it is about the taste - I think my dog does not like to bite. I am sure that sounds weird but she licks any and all the food we give her - Right now what seems to be helping is mixing good dry food with some wet Alpo food, the Alpo softens up the dry food making it easier to lick. We give her lots of raw veggies and fruit, cheeses, and recently I started mixing in Mac - n - cheese with her food. I have noticed it is helping to add a little bulk. She loves it but started to refuse to eat any of her regular dog food so use it carefully. I have also used a combination of cooked ground hamburger with rice. If you try any of these ideas I would suggest introducing one at a time in small quantities gradually increasing it to prevent her from having any bad diarreha. I also use some suppliments that the vet recommended. These all help - but I still have a skinny dog. I have heard that she will most likely start to fill out when she turns three. Best of luck

It is very difficult to ensure a complete and balanced diet for a dog except by making sure most of its calories come from a commercial dog chow. The best thing for light eaters is a dry, concentrated chow. Iam's or Pedigree might be good choices. A lean dog is a healthy dog. Most dogs in our society are overfed to the point of suffering shorter lives. The Shepherds are notorious for refusing to eat more than is good for them. They are healthy even when their ribs show slightly. It is just their nature to keep themselves a little bony. Better to make sure they are getting a balanced diet even if it leaves them looking a little thin. The worst thing you can do to a dog is to feed it a bunch of junk trying to fatten it up. I never heard of a dog having health problems that was being offered all the food it would eat.

HI everyone. I have a 5 month old black German Shepard called Shadow. He has not eaten for 5 days now. He used to eat so much but something has happened. We have taken him to the vets and paid over £300 for them to scan and X-ray him but it is a mystery to them.Nothing showed up on the scan- no blockages or anything. We have tried feeding him dry food, all kinds of meat including raw liver, hearts, fish, chicken etc etc, he has a sniff, but then turns away, not even slightly interested. He is still drinking but that's all. He has a twin brother who is completely the opposite, he'll eat anything. I would appreciate an answer if anyone has one as soon as possible, because I'm not sure how long he's going to last without eating-it'll be his 6th day with no food tomorrow. Thanks

Mr. Bennington,

Maybe you should ask your vet about Cyproheptadine? It's an appetite stimulant we use at our clinic for cats who won't eat...

I hope your situation gets better.

Regards,

Dogs can get things stuck between their teeth and gums. Also if your dog has an abscess of some kind that would make it difficult to eat as it would hurt when the dog tried to chew anything. Maybe there are 2 teeth crowded into 1 spot (like one underneath the other) which could also create a problem. I know this is the last thing someone would think to look at but hope you have had your dogs teeth checked for any problems.

Mr. Benington, how is Shadow? Did he start to eat again? I was a wreck after I had a 5 month old Shepherd go 3 days without eating, but she was fine. Many of them just aren't big eaters.

My dog also won't eat, however his situation is a little different. He is a 5 1/2 year-old mutt. We are not quite sure what he is mixed with, however we are almost 100% sure he has some daushaund in him. He was just recently diagnosed with cervical disc disease in his lower back; on top of that, he does not want to eat ANYTHING! He hasn't eaten anything for days now. His vet has prescribed a canned I/d food which he will also not eat. I have tried rubbing some of the food on his face, and on the roof of his mouth and he won't take to eating it. I know that if he eats he will feel a lot better. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how I can get him to eat his food?

Is the vet giving him anything for pain? The first regimen a vet prescribes may not work. If it doesn't, you need to get back with the vet and try the next thing. Call tomorrow, and take the dog in if the vet wants to see him. If that seems to be a dead end, maybe it is time to talk to another vet. Sadly, a few vets let us down.

My dog also won't eat, however his situation is a little different. He is a 5 1/2 year-old mutt. We are not quite sure what he is mixed with, however we are almost 100% sure he has some daushaund in him. He was just recently diagnosed with cervical disc disease in his lower back; on top of that, he does not want to eat ANYTHING! He hasn't eaten anything for days now. His vet has prescribed a canned I/d food which he will also not eat. I have tried rubbing some of the food on his face, and on the roof of his mouth and he won't take to eating it. I know that if he eats he will feel a lot better. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how I can get him to eat his food?
A holistic or alternative vet may have the solution to help your dog get his appetite back. In observing him should he seem to be in pain that can have a great deal to do with taking away his appetite. When humans are in pain I think the last thing we think of is food-we just want to alleviate the pain first. Wysong and Canidae are 2 very healthy dog foods that he might like once you can have him eating again. Wish you the best in helping him & getting your peace of mind back.

Thanks ladyandjan and labman for your comments and thoughts. Thankfully my dog has started to eat again! I was so excited... it was like watching a child take their first steps! :) His back also seems to be doing better (which probably attributed to him eating again). I am now having a hard time getting him to sit still and not jump up and off the furniture or go up and down the stairs (doctor's orders to not do any of those things). Oh well, I am just glad to see he is feeling better!

Glad to see he is doing a little better. I absolutely hate it when the vet tells me to keep a dog quiet. They never give me any Valium for them. Their crate may help for a while, but when you let them out, they are rested and ready to go.

Now that he is doing a little better, it is time to ask about his weight. Over weight is bad for al dogs, but if he has the Dachshound build, it is even worse. For a good illustrated guide to maintaining the right weight for any dog, go to September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog (http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx)

Bet your heart felt less burdened when you saw him finally eat. Here's a site you may want to look at regarding healthy, no poison, chemical treated dog food for him. http://www.canidae.com Pet Supplies Plus carries this if you have this store in your area. Lots of good wishes for you and your little baby.

Hi all,

I've got a siberian husky that just won't eat often. She will eat sometimes when she gets hungry enough, but she has lost about 8 pounds since we rescued her form the SPCA 6 months ago.

She has extreme separation anxiety and is on qualmicalm to help control her anxiety. Siberian Huskies are normally smaller than other huskies weighing from 45 lbs to 75 lbs. When we got her, she was 44 and now she's down to 36.

We have tried giving her one meal/day and pickingupthe food when she doesn't eat. We went a week before she ate anything - then she started diging through the garbage. We gave up and left food out. Eventually she got around to eating one bowl full. Now she'll eat dinner about once every 2-3 days.

I tried mixing in a B.A.R.F diet. We normally feed nutro lamb and rice, but have tired science diet and about 10 sample packages from different brands that we picked up at a pet fair. All have the same result - she'll eat if she's just about to starve.

She also won't take cookies. There is one treat she'll take - freeze dried liver, but its expensive(6$ / ounce) so it won't become a meal.

Does anyone have ideas how how I might get her to eat more?

Thanks,
Desperate

It is unusual for a healthy dog not to eat as much as it needs over a period. You have followed the link I posted above and she really is too thin by those standards? What does your vet say? Perhaps it is a bonding problem. Give her more quality time. Have you obedience trained her? The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack, and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/. If she is doing well in basic obedience, go on to advanced obedience or agility.

Usually I stress the importance of feeding a dog little except a commercial, dry dog chow. Even in this case, most of her calories needs to come from such. It might help the bonding if you shared a little of your food with her. Some meaty scraps from the table might help her feel like a beloved member of the pack. Put a little in her dish after the meal. The only downside to some veggies, could be a large, soft stool or even diarrhea if too much at once.

One other ploy might be a puppy chow. They are so rich, that often they create excessively rapid growth and cause problems for puppies. Once again, choose a meat based concentrated one.

My black lab is going to be 10 years old in a month. Last Nov. 2004, we started feeding him Eukanuba Senior formula food and he began to lose weight. We noticed that we fed him less of this new food to bring down his weight as he was pushing 100lbs. Vet said he was getting a little big for his body size. The last couple months (Feb. & Mar.) and the present he has been eating remains of dead animals that neighboring dogs have brought into our yard (deer & wild turkeys, we think rabbits too). After we found the animals we discarded them, we noticed that our dog has gradually slowed his eating down. We have had him to the vet and gave him an antibiotic to get rid of any bacteria that he may have gotten from eating those animals. He only eats 1/2 of a normal days worth of food and has lost a significant amount of weight. He's lost about 20lbs since Nov. 2004. Our vet hasn't said anything to make us think he's really sick (ie. Cancer, infection, etc). We've also noticed his eyes are quite fogged over. We have tried softening the dry dog food, hand feeding, putting dog treats in the bowl, offering more food than we used to feed him when he was looking heavier. Spending more time with him. Not sure where to go with this if the vet doesn't seem to say anything.

I have already listed this link above, September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog (http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx) Most Labs happily eat themselves to over weight. I wouldn't do anything until he gets his weight down to what it should be following Purina's guidelines. Your vet can confirm his condition. Even if he weighs much less than he once did, losing a little more may still be good for him. My friends have a couple Goldens doing well on the Eukanuba Senior formula. I am sure it is much healthier than what the other dogs are leaving in your yard. My 11 year old Lab seems to be doing fine on Pro Plan regular adult.

Raw meat really isn't good for dogs. Here is a link that explains some of the problems, Second Chance Ranch: This Page Has Moved (http://www.secondchanceranch.org/rawmeat.html). The less chance you let him have to eat it, the better off he will be.

Within the last couple weeks our 10.5 year old husky will not everyday. We have owned her since she was 3 months and she has always been a 1 once a day everyday eater. Now she will eat only every 3 to 4 days. Any suggestions on what we could do. She was in to see the vet in Feb and was completely healthy (bloodwork and all). Thanks for the responses.

This is April. Most healthy dogs will eat all they need and more. A change in eating habits at her age could be a recently developed physical problem. I would take her back to the vet. Discuss her weight with the vet. He should confirm your judgment of her weight following the link in my answer above. If she is actually getting to where her ribs are starting to show, and the vet isn't taking an active interest in the problem, it may be time to check with another vet.

Apparently guests at our house fed our dog some KFC,. with bones. She has not eaten since Friday night (the day she was fed this crap). She is miserable and very weak after not having eaten since then. I saw her do #2 yesterday (monday) but it does not seem to be over yet. I hope this is a temporary stomach sickness. She is a bit distended in the mid section. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Yes, call the vet now!! Many dogs survive eating chicken bones. Occasionally a sharp splinter perforates the stomach or intestines and kills the dog. Offer her some bread, the standard soft, library paste stuff is best. It can wrap around sharp objects and protect the dogs insides, but do not count on it to save her. Get her to the vet.

My 7month old pitbull will not eat.i took him to the vet on friday,but still will not eat.they told me he had a bacteria problem but couldn't tell me how or why? i wandering if they are guessing.i did tell them that i found a tick on him and when i pulled it off it was dead,but there is still a scab.. they gave me some antibotics an stroids for the bacteria in fection,, no better need help... :mad: :confused:

Don't panic. Give the antibiotics a chance to work. If he isn't showing any improvement in another day or 2, get back with the vet. A few days with little or no food won't hurt a 7 month old.

My dog takes his time ot eat his food.. why won't he eat it right away?

Lately, he's been puking.. not lots but should I be concerned?

The most common cause of dogs not eating is over feeding. This varies with the breed, age, activity, and from one dog to the next. Shepherds are much less likely to over eat than retrievers. Put the dog's food down and leave it 15 minutes. Take any uneaten food away and do not offer it any more food until its next meal time. Slowly cut back until the dog eats all of it. Keep checking its ribs. See this link, http://www.purina.com/dogs/nutrition.asp?article=292 Use it to adjust the food level to keep your dog lean and healthy. If you doubt your judgment of the dog's condition, ask the vet's advice on it when you have the dog in for shots or a checkup.

If you are consistently feeding the same commercial chow, and little else, and not too much. The digestive problems may go away. Post back if the problem doesn't go away before long.

First off, to kelso lover, I have learned that if your dog is puking up yellow bile, it is because his stomach is empty. I thought the worst when I first saw that.
Secondly, we are so relieved that we are not alone in trying to feed our 1 1/2 yr old large mixed breed mutt (we don't know what he is because some fool abandoned him on our street as a 7 week old puppy... our lucky day!) Our vet and many others we have asked have told us a lot of what I've read here. To make a long story short we have tried everything and are at a point where we have to COOK for him everyday to get him to eat. (Meat, brown rice, mixed veggies) I LOVE my boy, but I don't want to have to be a slave to the stove for him. But the max he has held out was for 3 days (the longest I could hold out before giving in). He will eat something for a day or two, then snub it. This has been going on since day one. How do I get him to go from cooked meals to high quality dry?

Having your dog on a good dry chow is one of the best things you can do for it. I am glad you are still trying to get him to eat it. Not only is cooking for him time consuming and expensive, it is difficult to give him the complete and balanced diet he needs.

I have read that no dog will harm itself by not eating enough. I have also read a number of other things that lead me to wonder how extensive of experience the writer has. The procedure I gave in my last post will work with most dogs. A few dogs won't eat quite enough to maintain what we see as the ideal lean body. They seem to be OK a little on the bony side with the ribs showing slightly. You may have to accept that. Unfortunately that link I posted no longer works. It was a great resource I was directed to by a large dog guide school.

Start by looking at your dog. The ribs shouldn't be obvious, but the waist should be. The ribs should be obvious when you stand in front of the dog, and run your fingers along them. The only dog I had with a real eating problem did eat enough of a concentrated, meat based chow I switched him to that his ribs only showed a little.

Unless your dog is already underweight, I would continue feeding what you are, but cut back on it. After a week, he should be eating better. At that time, start replacing it with the dry chow your are using. Sudden changes of diet can cause digestive upsets. Have you tried other brands and protean source? Ordinarily it is best not to switch around too much, but this sounds like an unusual case. Unusual enough, that I haven't encountered it, and have not heard of an authoritative remedy from a source I would trust. One more thing, you might try is a puppy chow. I know they are very rich in calories and other nutrients, especially the small breed formulas. They are not designed for adult maintenance. I have never heard of anyone feeding one to an adult. I don't know what problems he could have and what you might need to add to give a more balanced diet.

Most Dog chows, both adult and puppy are designed for the typical readily eating dog. It was a real struggle for me the year I had a Shepherd puppy, having recently had 4 Labs that inherited the eating habits that earned Hoover his name. Luckily for me, the Shepherd never went over 3 days without eating. I hope you find an answer. I thank you for taking the dog in, and caring enough about him to do the work you have been.

My 7year old Chihuahua will go two days without eating and then throws up white foam and I don’t really have the money to bring her to the vet for a well test (that cost 300$.)
It gets to the point where her dropping are red (the red I know is not blood because blood comes out black) and then when I get ready to bring her to the vet her dropping are normal and she eats again I mix her dye food with wet food to make the food more appetizing and she still does not eat. She is a little over weight she is 8 or 9 ponds. I have 3 Chihuahuas and they all eat the dry and wet food mix together and they are fine she is the only one that does that
So if you can help I would be very happy
Thanks :confused:

Hello, has anyone got any advice or ideas about my 8 year old german sheperd called Jazz. When she was a pup she ate everything in sight but this gave her stomache problems and the vet said she had a fat intolerance and would need to be on a special diet and pills for the rest of her life, but we sorted her out by giving her a very low fat diet (dry food) and no tit bits etc, she had dry dullish fur but was fine and lived for food and walks.
then in about April this year she slowly stopped eating and we thought she was just being fussy so tried to ignore it. Then she took 3 fits in about 2 hours so we took her to the emergency vet he gave her a pill for the fits and asked to see her again in a few days. She had another 2 fits 2 days later and 1 the next day, all very small fits that didnt last long. Then she perked up a bit and I started feeding her boiled rice and tuna or egg etc and she would eat some of it but not with the ghusto she ate before. The vet wnated to put her on pills for ever for fits, but we waited to see if she could do without tehm, she hasnt had any more fits that I have seen, but her appetite is terrible, I have tried all kinds of things, she likes boiled rice and chicken but chicken seems to make her sick (grass). some days she will eat her food totally dry ( I usually add hot water to moisten it), so I dont think it's er teeth as she seems to prefer it crunchy though she eats it very very slowly. This week she was sick again 3 times but I had tried to give her chicken again as she went off her food totally. She is eating very little of her dry dog food but will eat hard dog biscuits and seems to look interested in what we are having, but I know it will upset her stomache.
I'm at my wits end, you can see her hip bones now, she used to be so ravenous and loved food and walks..HELP!
Viv

For the sake of your pet, you need to follow the vets word to the letter, including all meds or it is time to consider saying goodbye. Many pet owners hold on to their pets too long when they are ill because it is too painful for them. But the real consideration needs to be with the suffering pet who cannot voice her opinion. If you can see her hip bones she is terrible emaciated and ill. Please make the best decision for her, not you.

Ordinarily I am quick to follow the vet's advice. However, you seem to have most of the problems sorted out other than the chow. It is rare for a healthy dog not to eat enough to at least keep it on the lean side, maybe a little bony. Your Shepherd doesn't sound like it has been the problem many are. The chicken may have more fat than she can tolerate. What kind of biscuits is she eating? Check the package. Some are formulated to meet the AAFCO requirements for a complete and balanced diet. If so, and she will eat enough of them, let her. Even if it doesn't say so, it may be close enough to see how she does. You could always add a vitamin and mineral supplement if she is not doing well.

This is opposite from my usual stand on feeding a dry chow meeting the AAFCO standards. There is no doubt that that is the best thing for nearly all dogs. If she doesn't settle down in a few weeks and start ot gain weight, maybe get another opinion from a different vet. Even the best sometimes miss something. Be prepared to allow her to stay on the lean side, ribs showing a little. To many owners get upset about dogs that insist in keeping themselves lean. It is much more common for dogs to eat enough to shorten their lives, and look for more.

Thanx a lot, I have read through a fair bit of info on this now on this board too, so I'm going to hang in and see how she goes, I dont like pumping her full of pills (I dont take pills myself unless I really have to), she has started to eat her meals again today and yesterday, I just did what I usually do these days and gave her half a scoop of the 3 different types of dry dog food a half a scoop of mixer and a quarter a tin of tinned dog food, and she seems to be ok again. she seems to go through stages of eating quite well then all but stops. but if she does this again I will not try to coax her by offering chicken as it must just be too rich for her now.
I probably panicked and thought she was skinnier than she is, she was always lean anyway as we didnt over feed her, we were advised by the GSD breeder we got her from that it could take 3 years off a dogs life if they get overweight.
She is a well trained, obedient, wonderfully natured GSD who likes people and other dogs, and I know her time comes we will be distraught but my hubby will do what is right for HER and wont allow her to suffer just for our benefit.

:) Thanx again Viv

Please keep us posted. I am pleased she is doing better. I am glad your vet is counciling you to accept her being a little lean. He is absolutely right about overweight shortening dogs lives.

Hello all,
My 7 y/o akita pit mix won't eat. She hasn't for about 3/4 days now, if I had feed her she will eat a little bit but not much. She has no problem drinking water or picking at her food, but in the last week she's lost quite a bit of weight, it's very noticeable. We've had her on Pedigree for her entire life and I'm not really sure what to do. Anyone have any advice?

Mike

One of the first things that comes to mind is worms. If it has been only 3 or 4 days since her appitite has changed but her weight has noticeably dropped, then you should check the stool for worms. If it is worms, don't be alarmed. Go to your local feed and tack supply and get a liquid wormer to put in her food. If not,as long as she is eating some food and drinking plenty of water I don't see cause for immidiate concern. If your dog is outdoors in the heat of the summer, her appitite may decrease. Just make sure she is drinking plenty of water. Wait out the weekend, continue to watch her. Let us know what happens.

You have a sick dog that needs to see a vet. They are hard to find on Sundays. I am tempted to say wait until Monday. Do you see any evidence that the dog may have chewed something up and possibly swallowed something blocking the digestive tract?

I've been watching for worms in her stool but no such luck with that... not that its luck but better than the obvious. She is still extremely playful and not acting out at all. She hasn't really had any change in demanor or temper or the way she usually acts. I at first thought perhaps it's because of the heat also, I know that she sheds like crazy in the summer and she can't ever seem to stay cool so we have a baby pool for her to lay around in and play in. Like I said she drinks tons of water all day long also. I'm not sure that she has chewed anything that we know of as of lately, she does like to chew the skin off her tennis balls but she hasn't for awhile. I work for a police department and spoke with our animal control officer who also has show dogs and he said perhaps she is bound up but I've seen her poop twice today so I'm not sure if being bound up is the problem. He told me to try and give her puppy chow and see if she eats that and if not then to take her to the vet on Mon or Tues. We also had another dog that passed away about 2 months ago, and I'm wondering if that may have something to do with it. After Bear passed she began to pee inside here and there for a few weeks and act out a little. She has since stopped that but has not been eating nearly as much? Any other advice would be great, it seems that all of you that post on here know what you are talking about... Thanks

Mike

Hello again,
Jazz my 8yr od GSD is still hit and miss with her food intake and her sickness bouts, some days (like last night) she showed real enthusiasm for her food and any dog biscuits and chews we offered, so I offered her more than usual because I'm worried about her weight loss. she ate it all with ghusto and still wanted more, but I was afraid she would be sick so tried not to over indulge her. she didnt throw it back up which was great. :) Now this morning I offered her her breakfast as usual (dog food dried and added gravy to try to get her interested), she sniffed it and turned her nose up at it), I thought she was feeling poorly again (her nose is nearly always not cold and wet like it used to be).
Anyway my daughter took her for her usual walk and was horrified when she saw her eating what she asumed was grass...on closer inspection however she discovered she was eating other animals poop :eek: (probs dogs) it's not the first time she has done this, but I thought she had stopped, has anyone any idea WHY she could possibly want to turn down her own nice fresh food for dog poop? and could this be what is making her ill??

many thanx Viv

We recently acquired a 12 week old mini dashund problem. At the store they said sometimes he gets picky about his eating so when he won't eat add a little sliced low fat turkey to his food. When we do this it causes diareahha of the liquid form. So we stopped. Now the issue is a few things.
One when I take him out side to go to the bathroom he will urinate outside but will not go number 2. He purposely waits until I bring him in the house and goes on the floor and then runs and hides because he knows I'm going to firmly tell him verbally that is a bad boy. I can stay outside for an hour and he will still do it so I'm giving him plenty of sniffing time.
The second problem is now he won't eat now. I told my husband maybe he doesn't like the food.
The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat.
The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on
(could this be causing the above problems).
And the fourth and final problem is he has this stuffed animal he loves to play with but once in a while it almost appears like he is trying to hump the toy.
I told my husband when we see this to scold the dog because I don't want him to get in the habit of humping things (Is this common for puppies?)

We are scheduled to take him to the vet on Thursday for his 2 week check up but I'm not sure if I should wait.

He is a very active dog and loves to play but I need to solve these problems.

Please help... :eek:

Hello. Unfortunately, when purchasing a dog from a pet store you run the risk of it coming from a puppy mill. And it sounds like that may be the case with you. Most dogs are from mills when purchased from a pet store, especially small toy breeds. Puppy mills are raised in the same poor conditions as veal cows, many die, most that live are ill and have severe health problems. I wonder however, why it is you bought a dog that the petstore informed you wasn't in top condition? (picky eater) a puppy should always have a big appitite fro just about anything you will let him eat. The one health issue that jumped out at me is the pig ears. A mini/toy breed has a mouth too small to properly chew a pig ear or standard rawhide flip, especially one so young. Those treats are better suited for med. To lg. breed dogs. With any new toy or treat, watch your pet closely. If he likes the pig ear, a "mini-dingo" or "mini polar chew" would be better. They can be found at petsmart/petco or walmart. And the humping is normal. If it is not a bother for you with the toy, then its not a big deal. Just make sure to teach him not to do it to people's legs. :) concerning the diarreah and poor appitite, I would see if I could get him into the vet sooner. For his health and in case you need to hold the pet store responsible for anything. Good luck.

Hey all,
Just wanted to update you on Kaci, we went to the vet yesterday and she had an extremely high fever! She has some type of infection whether its viral or bacterial they still aren't sure, they are waiting for the blood and urine test to come back... but thank you for all the advice!!

To Rpdsniper243 I hope the vet is able to help Kaci. The vet is able to do little for viruses, except treat symptoms and support the body until the dog's own immunity clears up the problem. Antibiotics make quick work of most bacterial infections. Training can't fix physical problems. She may be back to near normal when the infection is cleared up, although still missing her companion. Please keep us posted.

To Msaws m ''The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat. The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on (could this be causing the above problems).''

For that very reason, the large dog guide school that I volunteer for, forbids giving any of their dogs rawhide, pigs ears, ropes, etc. The school has had thousands of dogs under their care for decades. They have learned the hard way not to ever give a dog anything it can chew large enough pieces off to choke or block the intestinal tract. Unfortunately many people continue giving their dogs rawhide, pigs ears, etc. and even pose as experts and recommend others do too. Rawhide flips are very dangerous to large dogs that can gulp them down whole, sharp corners and all, as I have previously posted here. The larger the dog, the more likely it is to have trouble from rawhide. The most dangerous fools are those that won't heed reasonable warnings. Anybody can post whatever they want here. There is nobody here but other, better trained users to point out things that can kill a dog.

For the bowel movements. Try to keep him moving. Exercise stimulates the bowels and bladder. At that age, most bowel movements are accidents, they suddenly have to go now. If you manage for him to have a bowel movement outside, be lavish with the praise and petting.

The humping is normal, and often has to do with dominance and status rather than sexuality. Most people work at correcting the dog for it more to have a dog that is pleasant to have around. A 12 week old puppy from the pet store is not the easiest place to start on having a healthy, well socialized dog.

You should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the
Larger breeds at 4- 6 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier
Joints. May be good advice for a little Dachshund too. Keep him lean and give his back time to support more weight.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest.
You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is
Different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog
Must have its food adjusted to its individual needs.

The gagging and not eating worry me. Maybe moving up the vet visit would be a good idea if you can get in.

To Viv Eating stools is common, disgusting to us. Eating their own usually isn't harmful unless you are trying to clear up worms. Certainly it exposes her to any problems the other dog has. Many young puppies die from even sniffing bowel movements of dogs with parvo. I would pass this on to the vet. They need every scrap of information to diagnose patients that don't tell anything. There are additive that keep dogs from eating their own stools. I usually work at cleaning them up before the dog has a chance. As for other dog's stools on a walk, watch her and give her a stern ''Bad dog!'' and a snap of the leash.

We recently aquired a 12 week old mini dashund problem. At the store they said sometimes he gets picky about his eating so when he won't eat add a little sliced low fat turkey to his food. When we do this it causes diareahha of the liquid form. So we stopped. Now the issue is a few things.
One when I take him out side to go to the bathroom he will urinate outside but will not go number 2. He purposely waits until I bring him in the house and goes on the floor and then runs and hides because he knows I'm going to firmly tell him verbally that is a bad boy. I can stay outside for an hour and he will still do it so I'm giving him plenty of sniffing time.
The second problem is now he won't eat now. I told my husband maybe he doesn't like the food.
The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat.
The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on
(could this be causing the above problems).
And the fourth and final problem is he has this stuffed animal he loves to play with but once in a while it almost appears like he is trying to hump the toy.
I told my husband when we see this to scold the dog because I don't want him to get in the habit of humping things (Is this common for puppies?)

We are scheduled to take him to the vet on Thursday for his 2 week check up but I'm not sure if I should wait.

He is a very active dog and loves to play but I need to solve these problems.

Please help... :eek:



Thanks for all your help. I took him to the vet and it seems my little pooch just has diarehha from chomping on too many pigs ears... so I learned something new. He gave me a liquid stuff in a tube to feed him for a couple days and meds to soothe the diarehha. Health wise he is in tip shop shape right down to his heart and lungs.. and he weighed in at a whopping
3 lbs 6.8 oz...

Glad to hear your mini dach will bet feeling better in the days to come!

So am I... now I can sleep again LOL...

Like caring for a new born baby :)

I have a 8 year old german shepherd. She too has periods of not eating for a week at a time sometimes. We live in Arizona and it is hot here (to say the least). Although she became an inside dog in the summers she still refused to eat for weeks and then she would start. We took her to the vet. Teeth, digestive system, everything was checked. Nothing wrong with her. Bottom line, this breed seems to know when they need to eat and when they don't. She is not skinny. Although she was when she was younger. She is fit and very beautiful. My advise. If your shepherd is not eating and it is concerning you, take it to the vet. Get the checkup. Then DO NOT switch the dog food. Give the dog what they have always eaten. Changing a dogs diet can be another variable to throw in the mix. The dog will eat. As long as the vet gives a clean bill of health you should be fine. P.S. This is the 4th shepherd we have had in 20 years and all of them went through this. As well, most of them preferred to eat in solitaire and in the evenings. We feed once a day in the evening and provide milk bones and water. The food dish is not usually empty until 4 or 5:00 pm. We refill it with 3 cups of food and she eats sometime after we go to bed or ignore her for the evening. Seems shepherds are funny that way.

Thank you. Wise advice is not always easy to follow. 3 years ago, my 5 month old Shepherd went 3 days without eating. She was fine, but I was a wreck. Any time a dog goes more than a few days without eating, it is best to at least call the vet. More so with dogs that normally bolt down their food and look for, much more common in Labs, than Shepherds.

I also have a gsd who doesn't eat much and whose ribs and butt bones stick out almost as if she is emanciated(sp) when I bought her she was 5mons old and 28lbs which now that we just bought another gsd at 13wks and she was 28lbs is really disturbing! Now our new puppy is 16wks and 38lbs she weighs almost as much as Heidi our first puppy who is now 43lbs. The vet has told me that we should get blood work done on her to see if that may be the cause of her being so skinny. I was wondering if you think it is worth the shot? I've looked up about dogs not gaining weight and there are so many different reasons as to why. She has been tested for worms and came up negative but we still gave her a dose of the dewormer just in case the worms were missed. She also ended up having mange which I hope is cured. Another thing that concerns me is I've never noticed her go into heat. She is now 10mons old now and yet to go into heat that I know of. I want to get her spayed but I don't know if her weight would cause her to be at risk of death? Please any information will be greatly appreciated!

Jessica mommy of 2gsds

Starting where I am the surest, 10 months is a little on the late side for a first season, but some go longer. My Lab/Golden, Sheba, will be 10 months the 24'th and shows no signs yet. I surely expected it when she was to show at the state fair*. Your vet would be a much better judge of any risk to doing it now. Most vets do not like the complications of doing it when she is in season.

Have you specifically checked for a tape worm? Sometimes you miss the give away segments in the stool. Lean, and for a GSD, the ribs showing a little, is OK, but none of the bones should be prominent. If the vet says he can't do much more without blood work, better go with it.

*Took first in a class of 5.

She has been checked for worms 3times and the first time I was told she had them they didn't say what kind of worm she had and I was given little white pills I had to give her by mouth, I didn't like that vet I was taking her to so I switched to another one and that's when I found out she had mange and we did another fecal test and it came up negative nothing was seen but I bought the dewormer anyway and she was given 10cc for 3days and I waited 3weeks and gave her 15ccs 3days, and now I have to wait 2months and give her 25ccs 3days. I doubt she has any type of worms left after that. She was also tested when she was taken to the emergency room because I thought she was having a reaction to the med she was taken for the red mange ivermectin but the vet there said that probably wasn't the cause. So, the next step is to get blood work done on her to see if we can find anything. Unfortunately it looks like we got her from a puppymill because she is scared of everything! She was not socialized at all. The people told me to send her back several times and I refused because there is nothing more they can do with her, and they said they don't sell gsds anymore.She's a sweetheart.Anyway thanks for your info. I appreciate it. I have contacted many breeders of gsds as well.

I've recently taken on my parents' 2 shih tzu's. They are about 5 or 6 years old. I've had them since Sunday, today is Wednesday and I've only seen him eat once. I have both of their bowls together in a corner of the kitchen. I do not feed them more than once a day, nor do I give them people food. I have given them a treat when coming in from the going potty. They are crate trained and are in the crates while I'm at work and at night for sleeping.

The female, Lilli, is doing fine. The male, Spike, is not. He's only eaten twice since moving in. He doesn't seem to be interested even in the treats. The past couple of times I've given them, he's just left it on the floor. My sister told me that they were having some trouble getting him to eat before he moved in with me. They had just gotten a golden retriever puppy 6 months ago, so I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

Any tips to get him to eat? Should I move his dish away from hers? How long should I let this go on before I really should worry?

I'm totally stumped.

This sounds like emotional distress rather than a physical problem. Try TLC, lots of it. Talk to him, telling him what a good little dog he is. Brush him, keep him looking good. Take him for walks, give him butt and belly rubs. Some dogs are much slower to bond to new people than others.

I hope you have as much of his old stuff as possible, crate, bedding, toys, leash, anything else that was his. Maybe even return to the old neighborhood for walks.

Thanks for the advice. I've tried to pay more attention and cuddle him. He's been eating now and doing just fine. No more worries.

:)

My dog, Merlin, has recently quit eating. He is about 13 years old and a lot of people have told me that is the problem, but for some reason I don't think that is it. I have tried getting him that can dog food that smells so good I am tempted to eat it. He even turns down deli ham slices. He has gotten really skinny and he hardly moves at all anymore. When he does he looks frail. I don't think it is his age because this happened only when he quit eating. Right now I am kind of getting him to eat this stuff called Nutri-Cal, a calorie supplement, to help give him a little energy, but he takes less and less evertime I try. I would greatly appreciate any help.

Hi, I have just got a 10mth old Sheltie from the SPCA, I have had him 2 days now and he won't eat a thing, he'll sniff but he won't even pick at it, I've tried him on heaps, human and dog food, he's drinking water like normal though. The SPCA thinks he's fine and its just a bit of strss and he's proberly just a picky eatrer anyway. He has thrown up a bit of yellow bile. I have managed to get him to eat something today by force feeding him, he didn't eat it willingly. The SPCA have also just told me that he had a sister as well which we didn't know about. Do u think there's something wrong with him? Or could it be that he's just a bit distressed and misssing his sister. He seems happy and is still bouncy and playful.
Thanks

That thing about force feeding him sounded mean, I had to get something in him as he's only eaten a little bit of cooked chicken, and nothing at all yesterday and had diarreah last night, so thought I better get something solid in him. We're a bit stumped, as he seems to be stteling in OK, we have another dog already who's tried to show him to eat but he won't copy, and the same thing with treats as the person above said, he'll just leave them on the floor.
Any help would be appretiated! As a couple of vets said there mite be something up with him keeping him from eating but the SPCA vet thinks its just stress, thanks

I don't like that yellow bile. Cut out the table scraps, too easy to become a bad habit. Keep offering him a dry dog chow. That is what dogs do best on. If he doesn't start eating in a day or 2, and continues the bile, have a vet check him. In the mean time, shower him with affection and attention.

Thank you for adopting him. Shelties are great little dogs. Please post back in a couple of days. Others and I here care.

Great, thanks for the advice, we'll keep up what we're doing then, and ill let you know how he goes. He's a really good little dog, so I hope he starts eating soon! He was just given a vet check on Sunday just before we took him home, and they said he was perfectly fine, so hopefully there's nothing wrong.
Thanks a lot

She will only eat when I am with her or feed it her out of my hand even then she sometimes turns her nose up at it.

Can anyone help!!

Follow my advise on taking the food away after 15 minutes that I posted in your new thread and earlier in this thread.

Hello,

If anyone can help me, I would appreaciated... My boxer/lab mix is not eating. She's been having a lot of gas lately, so I think it has to do something with that. I gave her some new treats, about a week and half ago, but I stop giving it to her and she still is having a lot of gas. She would eat like one cup a day of dry food(science diet-Large puppy), and not eat breakfast or dinner. Today she eat about half her dinner, and then turned away. I tried adding a little water to her food, but it isn't working. She use to eat very good, I would give the recommeded amount of food. So does anybody know what could be the situation.

There are only a handful of reasons a dog doesn't eat. Most often it is over feeding. This sounds more like she is sick. Call the vet in the morning. My Aster lacked energy since last evening, and didn't eat this morning. Took her to the vet and came back with antibiotics to clear up her pneumonia. Maybe I shouldn't have let her swim in the river yesterday.

My 1year and 7 month old Boogle mix with i dont know. Doesnt want to eat since I got him so i been feeding him by mouth which concernes me the Vet says nothing about it and it gets me mad because he doesn't eat nothing at all except if I feed him by mouth with my hand and sometimes he is agressive. he doent eat treats only if i play with him samething with his dry food. ALso i have a new dog and he eats well so im really concern
Another question how can I make my other puppy not to be agressive ? Please somebody answer me these questions

My 1year and 7 month old Boogle mix with i dont know. Doesnt want to eat since I got him so i been feeding him by mouth which concernes me the Vet says nothing about it and it gets me mad because he doesn't eat nothing at all except if I feed him by mouth with my hand and sometimes he is agressive. he doent eat treats only if i play with him samething with his dry food. ALso i have a new dog and he eats well so im really concern
Another question how can I make my other puppy not to be agressive ? Please somebody answer me these questions

Chances are you are expecting it to eat more than it needs. First, compare it to this chart.

September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog (http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx)

If it is too thin by the chart, and not eating what you offer it, I would seek out a different vet.

It is an aberration for a healthy dog, not under a major stress, not to eat what it needs. If you have had her about a week, and she isn't eating anything more than nibbles, you may need to take some special steps. Are you offering her what she ate before?

The usual cause of dogs not eating is over feeding. Some dogs refuse to eat more than they need. I once had a young German Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. She was fine, but I was a wreck. First thing is to compare her to the chart in this link, September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog (http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx)
If she is under weight by the chart, have a vet check. If he can't find anything wrong, and agrees she is too thin, get back with me. I do have a few ideas.

Otherwise you need to feed her less. At meal time, put down the amount the chow package says. Take up what isn't eaten in 15 minutes. Do not offer any food until the next meal time. Don't fall into the trap of tempting her with table food. That is the road to an unhealthy, picky, overweight dog. After about a week, she should be eating what she needs. Cut back to putting down what she will eat. Keep an eye on her, adjusting the amount following the chart above.

My black lab has the same problem as your shepard Mr Bennington and I am just as worried as you are. My dog has been vomiting white foam and has also been given a clean bill of health by his vet.

As you can see, in most cases I am advising the dog is over fed, but I didn't even mention it in the other thread. Unless you post back with other information, it sounds like a physical problem. Your dog may desperately need another vet.

Hello,
My Daisy won't eat also, its been 4 days,I'm worried! She drinks plenty of water.We just got a new puppy who got over kennel couch so I'm sure Daisy got it but it seems to have affected her appetite. I would appreciate any and all help. Thanks.
4mydogs

Is the dog diabetic I have two friends that lost there dogs lately because they found out to late that there dogs were diabetic.It is more common than people think.When animals are diabetic they usually drink tons of water.
Something to check.
Doug

hello,
My Daisy wont eat also, its been 4 days,im worried! she drinks plenty of water.We just got a new puppy who got over kennel couch so im sure Daisy got it but it seems to have affected her appetite. I would appreciate any and all help. thanks.
4mydogs



After 4 days without eating, it is time to call the vet. Few healthy dogs go 4 days without eating. It is good practice to immunize your dog against kennel cough and other common diseases. Can you remember a visit where the vet gave Daisy nose drops? If so, she shouldn't have kennel cough. Could be something else, or it is possible it is due to resentment of the new puppy. Get her to the vet tomorrow. If he doesn't find anything wrong, post back.

In the mean time, make sure she is getting plenty of attention. If she doesn't feel well, a walk may not be a good idea. I am sure she is up to a butt or belly rub. Puppies are very time consuming, but the older dog needs more attention than ever.

Hello everyone, I have a 1 year old male german shepherd. He has not eaten in 3 nights. I have mixed cook eggs (which he loves) in his food, but ate very very little. Also today, day 3, I added some can food (meat flavor) and he only took a few bites of it. Maybe this has something to do with it, but for the past 4-5days, he has been limping. He hurt his back left paw or leg, and his right front paw or leg. They are NOT broken. But IM guessing he ran into one of his several holes ( which I filled in ) in his area and hurt them. Any Ideas or suggestions to get him to eat? Thanks!!

Unlike Labs, young Shepherds often fail to eat as much as their owners think, and in some cases even enough to keep their ribs hidden. A quote from the manual given to me by people that really know Shepherds. ''Note, German Shepherd puppies typically will look very thin throughout puppy hood.''

The leg problem may only be a coincidence. Still, if this started about the same time, has gone on for a few days, and neither has gone away, it may be time to call the vet. Without the leg thing, likely I would say just cut back on what you are feeding him.

The one Shepherd I had was a bad digger, worse than the Labs.

Hey I need help my dog is running a very high temp and can't walk and had blisters all over his mouth he won't eat and he has a swollen gland in his neck could you help me find out what's wrong:confused:

hey i need help my dog is running a very high temp and can't walk and had blisters all over his mouth he wont eat and he has a swollen gland in his neck could u help me find out whats wrong:confused:

As several of us said in your other thread, he needs to go to a vet. Quite often if it is a bacterial infection, some antibotics clear it right up.

:eek: My little dachshund won't eat his dry dog food and I don't know what to do about it.
If any one can help it would be great
Thanks heaps
:eek:

We must have more information before giving a good answer. In most cases, the dog is over fed or sick. If the dog has gone a day or 2 without eating, most likely he has a physical problem and needs to go to the vet. Tempting a dog with rich food is nearly always wrong. If he is sick, it won't help. If he is over fed, it will make it worse.

If it has been a few days, he should go to the vet when the office opens. Otherwise, post back with details.

Well I got the news from my vet and its not good. IT seems Daisy's liver and kidneys are shut down. Apparently my dog has been poison very severely. The vet even said that he never saw symptoms so aggressive. We have her on antibiotic and also iv's the vet doesn't give much hope. I will know more Friday.
Any guess on what kind of poison?

How awful. I fortunately have not had to deal with poisoning and have no idea what it could be. I would carefully inspect your house and yard and make sure the new puppy doesn't have access to anything that might poison it. Don't let it out of your sight.

This will be a long week for you. Please post back Friday when you have some news. If you ever find out what it was, again let us know so we can make sure our dogs don't have access to it.

I am new to the site and desperately need help. My one-year-old German shep/retriever mix won't eat.

He has been having the problem off and on for about a month now. He'll eat just a handful and turn up his nose at the rest.

He has been to the vet twice and just got back home again Monday. After a day of not eating at the vet's, he ate there for the next three straight days. X-rays and bloodwork revealed nothing definitive, according to the vet, but she did say his white cell count is 26,000, which is apparently double what it should be.

He ate the prescription-diet food the vet prescribed when he came home Monday night, but struggled to eat Tuesday, vomited during the night, and has eaten nothing today (Wednesday).

I am near the end of my rope. Any advice would be appreciated.

There may not be too much you can do except keep working with the vet. A high white blood cell count often means some sort of an infection. If the vet does not have more ideas to try, it may time to check with another vet.

I am sorry to hear about your delemma, but I know exactly what you are going through. My dog daisy did not eat for 5 days, unfortunately when I took her to the vet it was bad news. However double check with your vet and make sure she does not have a virus, that can cause liver damage. Good luck.

G'day, my dog joins the cue in not eating. My 3yr old Belgian Shepherd stopped eating and was puking a lot white frothy puke and had slimy runny stools (with a little bit of blood in it). Off to vet we go, dog has slight temperature and is a little tender in belly, so he is now on a course of anti-biotics. So now he seems to have stopped puking, but still have trouble getting him to eat and has a bit of a dry throat, vet said no fat so he is eating kangaroo meat (very lean and he normally loves it). Will not eat kibble at all, and the strange part is he will not eat in the morning at all, after about 2pm he gets a little hungry, if I put the roo mince in his bowl he will not eat it, if I pull it into tiny pieces and hand feed him he eats a tiny bit, like he can only handle little pieces. Now he is still quite active but needing more than normal to go outside and be cool (goes and stands in his pool more than he normally does) (it's summer in Australia & hot). Now my dog is normally a massive food hound (but he is not overweight) and acts starved all day long. To have him not eat is very distressing, he is eating a bit at night and still runs around. He still has a day and half to go with his antibiotics. I'm wondering if there could be something wrong with his throat instead of his belly.

By far the best judge of the throat is the vet. The other symptoms suggest the course the vet is taking. I would follow his directions exactly and give him a few days. His appetite should slowly come back. If not, stay in touch with the vet. Even human medicine is not an exact science. So often a shot or a few pills clear things up, we are disappointed if it doesn't.

I found out my dog had things stuck in his teeth as well. He wouldn't like to eat but when it was all cleaned he went back to normal.

Hi,

I also have a dog that just won't eat, she's a English pointer crossed with an Irish wolfhound, she was an average eater when she was a pup but within the last four months she is getting worse, she has been to a vet and I told them about her problem, the vet didn't really say much so I'm thinking of taking her to another vet for dietry suppliments or something.

Sometimes she will go for nearly a week without eating, she sometimes picks at her kibble but is never really enthusiastic about it, she loves liver treats, I make them myself so she can have a few but she still needs to eat more, once she went for a long time without even picking, I got so worried and ended up buying her a 500 gram pack of bacon from the deli, she ate that with no problems :rolleyes: .

So is she just very picky or a light eater?

People always stare at her because she is skinny naturally, she looks a little like a greyhound and runs as fast as one... so when she does lose weight it's very noticeable, I just feel bad that she doesn't eat and even worse when people look at me like I starve her... if only they knew that I give her everything, steak, top quality ham, chicken breast fillets, chicken wings and pieces, turkey wings, rice, mince and veggies and tonnes of treats, she gets more than my husband and I combined yet she hardly ever gets interested except chicken breast but that costs a lot of money after a while.

I used to think all dogs were big eaters but it just isn't true.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks


felicia

The second vet may be the best idea. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. That may be less than the owner expects. Some dogs do refuse to eat enough to keep their ribs from showing a little. Are you sure she isn't part Greyhound? I think they tend to keep themselves on the lean side. You really need to get her on a dog chow. The rich food you are feeding her is not the complete and balanced diet she needs. It is very difficult to give a dog exactly what it needs other than the comercial chows.

The second vet may be the best idea. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. That may be less than the owner expects. Some dogs do refuse to eat enough to keep their ribs from showing a little. Are you sure she isn't part Greyhound? I think they tend to keep themselves on the lean side. You really need to get her on a dog chow. The rich food you are feeding her is not the complete and balanced diet she needs. It is very difficult to give a dog exactly what it needs other than the comercial chows.

Hi,

She doesn't really eat rich foods, I don't feed her anything like sweets, she just gets different types of meat, also, when she does eat it's never in front of me, when I give her food she won't go near it but sometimes if I look out the window I catch her eating it when I'm not looking :confused: .

I think a second vet would be the best option, she doesn't have any greyhound because her parents were purebred breeding dogs... nass and her litter were an accident because the two dogs got together :D

With her weight, half the reason she's a little on the skinny side is because she has the body size of a pointer but the long legs of the wolfhound which makes her look skinny, but I think she's too skinny mostly because she hardly eats, it just gets so frustrating sometimes :( I wish more than anything that she'd just start eating normal... I'm always in the kitchen cooking special food for her, rice, meat and veggies, the vet said that's healthier than tin food... now if only I can get her to eat it..

After iv'e taken her to the vet I'll let you know what happened.


Thanks

felicia

Has your dog been checked for a malabsorption problem? Your vet can prescribe Cyproheptadine which is a safe appetite stimulant. Bacon? Ham? Those have a high salt content which is hard on the kidneys, and as for commercial treats, don't know what they put in them but " meaty" doesn't have to mean there's any meat in there at all. Most times it's all the leftovers they can't put in any human or pet food that they add an artificial flavour to heighten the taste. If they didn't, no dog would go near it based on content. A raw food diet, which is looks like you're implementing some of, is really the best way to go. Don't know if you're adding all of the supplements like brewer's yeast and flaxoil and alfalfa, and things like that but if you're giving a lot of treats that's like giving a lot of candy to a child, it has no nutritional value whatsoever but after awhile that's all the child wants to eat. In that case, it's back to nutritional basics . If you implement solely a raw food diet, no treats, no salty appetite-tweaking tidbits, but Cyproheptadine instead you may be able to get your dog back on track. That is, if there isn't something else going on here like malabsorption. If there is, then the nutritional content of the food given is of utmost importance.
I noticed several times on this thread about kibble or some other type of food like kangaroo meat being given. Hopefully, that's the the only thing the dog eats. I remember reading somewhere to vary the diet because to give the same thing day in and day out every year of the pet's life is setting that pet up for disease.

I have a 9 year old German Shepherd who recently was examined and a blood test revealed diabetes but a second opinion with another vet revealed this not to be true. Second vet said he had a mild case of thryoidism that pills could correct but we didn't pick up any pills. Now our dog won't eat, drinks a lot, won't walk much and has loose stools. First vet said he had hookworms and was treated. I am worried as he lays around and sleeps most of the day

I think you need to decide which vet seemed to know what they were talking about, and start following their course of treatment for the dog. The only other option would be a third opinion and see if it agrees with either of the first.

You have a sick dog, and it needs treatment. Pick a vet and do it.

I had a puppy die from a disseise called Rocky Mountain fever, my dog would not eat eat was very thin dehydrated, this went on for awhile. Most vets have never heard of this, not even in Colorado. He was checked for every possible thing except Rocky Mountain Fever, we had to force feed him which only made him worse. Eventually even a blood transfusion because his red blood cell count was extremely low. His sister (a friend of mine had) eventually died with the same symptoms Rocky Mountain Fever
I really hope this is not what is wrong with your dog you will find few vets who know much about it. It can be found in other places then Colorado.

I have a German Sheperd that just wont eat!!!
We have tried dry food and meat but he just wont take it!
If you have any ideas of how to fix this please let me know. Ill
try anything.
thanx heaps,
dog_lover
Mu dog won't eat eather! We tried eveything can you try to fiure out for mine and your dog please

A dog that won't eat is nearly always sick or over fed. I now have more details in a sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post254171 including an updated link to evaluating your dog's weight.

I have a German Sheperd that just wont eat!!!
We have tried dry food and meat but he just wont take it!
If you have any ideas of how to fix this please let me know. Ill
try anything.
thanx heaps,
dog_lover
Try canned prescription AD/hill's diet if they still make it.It is very rich,and we could get some of the sickest animals in our vet clinic to eat this stuff.It is a canned food. Also warm his can food in the microwave if he still refuses to eat.The smell of warm food worked for us many times.

I have a German Sheperd that just wont eat!!!
We have tried dry food and meat but he just wont take it!
If you have any ideas of how to fix this please let me know. Ill
try anything.
thanx heaps,
dog_lover
If he likes dog treats try crumpling them up with him watching and mix it in the food. That is what I did for my pit/boxer mix and after two days of not eating he started eating again.

Have you verified he isn't too fat? Over feeding a dog is a form of abuse.

mu dog wont eat eather! we tryed eveything can you try to fiure out for mine and your dog please

Are you in an area where you are experiencing a major heat wave? If so, it is normal for a dog not to eat when they feel overheated. He won't experience any problems from not eating for one or two days. Is he still drinking water? Make sure he has plenty.

If your dog has not eaten for days, if he is not drinking water, and/or you are not experiencing what I have described above, it might be time for you to give the vet a call and have your dog examined.

Hi there, I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy (7 months old) who won't eat properly. I will buy a new type of food, and he will eat it like he hasn't been fed for weeks, for a week or so, then he will start turning his nose up at it. What I have found is that if I fill up a couple of Kong toys with ANY dog food, he will scoff it. It's as though he is bored with just having the food put in front of him, but actually enjoys working for his food. It's worth a go! Another thing I sometimes do, is spend time making a game out of eating, for example if he is having dried kibble (which he would leave for days in his bowl), he will eat the lot if I hold the bowl and throw it to him, or place individual bits on the floor in a pattern and make him wait to pick them all up.

I think dogs are programmed to work for their food, and my pup certainly seems to enjoy his grub when he has to work for it, otherwise he just won't eat!

Hope this may help.

I have a German Sheperd that just wont eat!!!
We have tried dry food and meat but he just wont take it!
If you have any ideas of how to fix this please let me know. Ill
try anything.
thanx heaps,
dog_lover
I assume you mean he doesn't eat much? If he doesn't eat at all, obviously he will die. What is the condition of the dog (skinny or fat)?
Dogs usually find canned dog food more appealing or palatable than the dry kibbles. And dogs that get lots of exercise have more of an appetite than those kept confined in a small apartment or house.
I'm not a veterinarian but you could have the thyroid checked by a vet. A hypothyroid condition could cause low appetite.

Tempting a dog with rich food is nearly always the wrong thing to do when it won't eat. There are better answer for most cases at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post254171