My dog has been on a "hunger strike" for almost 3 months now. She REFUSES to eat dog food. I am at my wits end trying to get her to eat. I end up giving her left overs(very small portions) at the end of the day because she is starting to look sick and I feel bad that she is losing so much weight. No matter what kind of food I get her she will not eat it. She let a whole bowl of food sit there for 3 days until I finally broke down and gave her a small bit of left overs the 3rd night of her starving herself. She every once in a while eats Ol'Roy soft food but even refuses to eat that most of the time. She doesn't have any dental issues,or parasites.In other words clean bill of health from the vet. I can't keep not feeding her anything,but I also can not feed her only human food from now on either. She gets tons of attention and exercise as well. She doesn't act sick or anything but looks sick(as in her ribs are slowly becoming visible). She is a Boxer/Pitbull/GreatDane mix breed. She is almost 1 yr old and looks like she is only about 6 months because of how small she is. Is there anything I can put in her food to make her actually eat it,or is there an underlying reason she is starving herself that the vet didn't happen to catch?

My dog has been on a "hunger strike" for almost 3 months now. She REFUSES to eat dog food. I am at my wits end trying to get her to eat. I end up giving her left overs(very small portions) at the end of the day because she is starting to look sick and I feel bad that she is losing so much weight. No matter what kind of food I get her she will not eat it. She let a whole bowl of food sit there for 3 days until I finally broke down and gave her a small bit of left overs the 3rd night of her starving herself. She every once in a while eats Ol'Roy soft food but even refuses to eat that most of the time. she doesn't have any dental issues,or parasites.In other words clean bill of health from the vet. I can't keep not feeding her anything,but I also can not feed her only human food from now on either. She gets tons of attention and exercise as well. She doesn't act sick or anything but looks sick(as in her ribs are slowly becoming visible). She is a Boxer/Pitbull/GreatDane mix breed. She is almost 1 yr old and looks like she is only about 6 months because of how small she is. Is there anything I can put in her food to make her actually eat it,or is there an underlying reason she is starving herself that the vet didn't happen to catch??


What does the Vet say? I've had hunger strikes for a few days but never for months and months.

I thought Old Roy had very little nuitrition -

Chicken and rice would be a good idea to try. Boneless chicken, cooked, no seasoning, just plain jane, and rice. Mots picky eaters will gobble it down, it's not unhealthy for them, in fact it's better than most dog foods on the market. Best thing, the rice will fill her up.

I would talk to the vet about a nutritional supplement, something you can add to her food. She's a big breed, and still a puppy. She needs the nutrition since she's likely still growing, and her bones are still forming. There are nutritional supplements that are liquid that you can just put on the food.

Has the vet made any food suggestions? When was the last time she was seen by the vet?

She was seen 3 weeks ago. Vet suggested Blue Buffalo brand food( I believe that's the name) and she refused it as well.The vet said that she has to adapt back to dog food because my husband "spoiled" her with human food and that is why she refuses dog food.If she is given human food continuously she will(like a child) go on a "hunger strike"(for lack of better term) until she gets what she wants. As of now this is the only vet within my area that is somewhat reasonably priced and until I can get back on my feet (out of work at the moment) we can not afford to take her anywhere else because I didn't think this information sounded too right to me. But that is what I was told. Keep offering dog food(can put in broth or pan drippins) and no human food. But that is just not working out

Mix chicken and rice with dog food and gradually reduce the amount of chicken and rice?

What does the Vet say? I've had hunger strikes for a few days but never for months and months.

I thought Old Roy had very little nuitrition -

Vet says she is like a child and since she has been spoiled with human food(my husbands fault) she will "go on hungar strike" until she gets what she wants. And yes Ol Roy is not the best option for nutrition but its honestly the only thing that she even THINKS about eating some of the times so I do keep a box or two on hand for when there are no left overs and hope like hell she will actually eat it(which 90 percent of the time she won't)

Your vet is wrong. A healthy dog does not starve itself because you're not giving it table scraps. Dogs aren't like children, and fact is, even a child won't starve itself for months because you're not caving and letting him/her have chocolate ice cream 24/7. Just doesn't work that way.

There is something going on with your dog, and it has nothing to do with being spoiled. Chicken and rice is an ingredient used in many dog foods. It's only considered people food because dogs can't use a stove to cook it. ;) It's perfectly okay to give this to your dog, and it will not spoil her. In fact, chicken and rice is far healthier than most of the dog foods on the market.

You can mix some dog food in with the chicken and rice, but I honestly don't believe that she'll suddenly start eating dog food if you stop feeding her human food. Just be picky about the human food you give her. I'll ask my colleague's Bella and Shazzy to post a list of appropriate human food to feed your dog. Both are far more versed in this than I am, and both of them really know their dogs. I'll PM them, but it may take some time before they have a chance to post. I do know that they'd agree with the chicken and rice, so please do try it.

Want to add. Your dog is part great dane. Great danes have unique dietary needs. Shazzy will know more about this as her mother used to breed great danes. I realize your dog is a mix, but you have to consider every breed in the mix when caring for the dog.

Shazzy is in a different time zone, so please check back constantly. I've PM'd her, and Bella, and hopefully they'll be here soon to give some advice. :)

[Thanks so so much! I've tried the chicken and rice and she ate it right up(actually a bit too fast and ended up getting more on the floor and her face than in her mouth) but once I tell her "easy" she eats it a bit slower and actually gets most in her instead of everywhere else. And thanks,any advice I appreciate because until I can get her to a different vet,I'm at a loss for what to feed her or to get her to eat rather than her new found favorite of chicken and rice.I've looked into a bit about the different diets of each breed she is as I just found out 4 months ago her actual breed.when I got her,I "adopted" her off craigslist,she was malnourished,disgustingly filthy from being locked in a cage with 12 other puppies in mounds of their own filth(also the cage was in a closet of the person's home),she was scared to death of everything and showed signs of abuse. She was super healthy until she decided to go on this hunger strike and now I have no idea what is going on with her due to poor vet information and this being my first breed of dog that has such strict dietary needs(according to the certain breed diets I've researched so far). I love her to death but I need some super valid information so I can get her eating properly and get her bulky and healthy again like she is suppose to be so I REALLY appreciate any help you can give me or get me from other sources.thank you so much!!

I'm so glad that the chicken and rice worked. Never known a dog that can resist that combo unless that dog is seriously ill. So that's great news.

Now we need to figure out supplements, because her mix of breeds is going to be huge. She needs the supplements for healthy bones, and a healthy her.

Still waiting for Shazzy and Bella to pop up. Hopefully they'll be here soon. :)

I'd love to see pictures of this little puppy mill pup. Sorry, but the conditions you described, that's what you got. It's sad that puppy mills continue to thrive, but, this pup has found a home, and that's a blessing. She's lucky to have found you. The bad news, she'll have health issues, which you're already aware of, hence your post. I'm a rescuer, so I'm no stranger to this. Love is love, and your fur baby is loved.

Pictures please? Pretty please? :)

If I knew how to post pictures I certainly would. Let me try this.Here is a pic of right after I got her and cleaned her up and fattened her up.http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1836262524159&set=a.1101787562744.12184.1768352427&type=3&theater

Aha I think I found out how to do it... Lemme know if they came up. I put them as attachments. One is of her giving me the stink eye because too many pictures of her sitting still,another is of her playing with my 4 daughters,and the other is of her sniffing my husband's shoes lol(she has a shoe thing... she's weird)

She's absolutely adorable! What a sweetheart!

The shoe thing is normal. If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you that I gave my 6 month old puppy (newest addition to our fur family) a pair of my shoes, because puppies love shoes. My bad. But, in my defense, he has learned that he's only allowed those shoes, and no others. :)

Your puppy is very lucky to have found her forever home. :)

lol,believe it or not she doesn't eat them or chew them or anything,she just likes stuffin her nose in them and smelling them =). She does however have a thing for my daughters stuffed animal toys so she does have a set of her own that she is only allowed to mess with those and not the girls' toys. She is an awesome girl and a sweetheart and I'm so glad we got her out of those nasty conditions. Also wanted to say we called the local authorities on the people "giving away" these puppies and the rest of the puppies were removed from the home,including the parents of the pups and were put into new homes(most were put in firehouses as firehouse dogs and are doing great! ).I just couldn't believe people could keep puppies in those kind of conditions and live with themselves.Not to mention they were trying to charge $50 rehoming fee,which I did not pay and still took my dog after I threatened the owners with calls to the board of health and local authorities for animal abuse and neglect. That stuff just sickens me

Believe it or not, there are worse conditions that some dogs are forced to live in. If I showed you pictures you'd have nightmares. I do on a nightly basis, and it's one of the things I do my best to put an end to. Not very successful so far, but some things take time, and sadly most people don't want to hear it, or think about it, or accept that they're part of the problem. But that's another story.

Our newest addition was a farm born puppy. Great home, but, if I had to put a label on the man selling these pups, he's a backyard breeding. Realistically though, he's a farmer, old man, doesn't get his pets spayed or neutered because they're farm dogs, and that's how he was raised. All his animals are well cared for, he doesn't breed for profit. Still, if I had to label him, he's a backyard breeder, something I'm against. But you can't help falling in love, and every dog needs a home, even if the circumstances aren't ideal. So we have our little 6 month old terror Rascal (trust me, he's well named). :)

The fact is, no matter how you got your dog, or who you got it from, what you as an owner does is what matters. It's very obvious that this pup means the world to you. She's in a great home, with people that care about her, that will do anything for her. Best of all, the people that used her mom and dad to make money, have been stopped.

We all do our part, big or small. You've done your part and then some. :)