Owen gets fed 3 times a day and it is now supper time but his breakfast is still their. He normally finishes his food all at once. I will say now that we have him off the Purina he does not gobble like he is starving. He has eaten approximately 1/2 of it. He is active, alert, drinking and pooping normally. Other than his not eating his food there is no change.

Do I need to be concerned? Does he need to see the vet? Or am I just being a worry wart over nothing?

Susan

Owen looks pretty young. Dogs can actually monitor their intake and maybe Owen is not as hungry as he once was. If he active, drinking water, loving you up, and yes, pooping, which you say is normal.Then Owen is just being a dog. If it is hot where you are, then that can reflect on how much they are want to eat.

Owen looks really good. I could give him a really big hug right this pic I am seeing. What is he and how old is he, mogrann.

Tick

He is an Alapaha Blue Blooded Bulldog, the brother to Binx's pup. He is 6 months old.

Thank you for answering I worry about my pets when I don't know what is wrong or if it is okay.

Susan

Cut him down to 2 meals a day ;)

By 6 months feeding 3 meals isn't really necessary and it's probably making him feel full all the time. His growth would have slowed down a lot as compared to when you first got him so his body isn't trying to constantly burn up energy.

I persoanlly feed a light breakfast and a larger dinner. A nice big walk about an hour and a half before dinner time can make them ravenous as well.

We feed our dog when he's hungry. I have the philosophy that if I feed my dog when he isn't hungry I'll have a fat dog and that is unhealthy.

How do I know when he's hungry? He actually communicates that very well. But normally, when its time for us to eat, he beats us to the kitchen. He begs for scraps and might get a few. But when we're through he gets the leftovers and if there are none, we get more food out of the fridge or whatever and put it in his bowl.

He isn't fed again until that bowl is clean.

Feeding table scraps is a bad idea. There isn't the right nutrition in our table scraps to properly nourish a dog.

To the OP. How old is Owen? As puppies get older they no longer need as many meals each day. I would do as Shaz suggests, cut down the meals to 2 times a day, 1 cup of food each feeding.

What are you feeding him now? It may be that the food you're buying is full of filler, which will make him more full, less likely to eat all of his food.

It's important to get a good quality dog food. They don't always cost a lot of money. Make sure to buy something with natural ingredients, no filler. You can also make your own, but make sure it's dog friendly, not table scraps.

I'm not a fan of free-feeding, meaning you leave food in their bowl.
At our house if it's not gone in 10 minutes it gets put back in the fridge.

If you leave food out then the dogs tends to graze over the course of a few hours or a day and by the time dinner time comes, the dog is no longer hungry. Eating constantly throughout the day also speeds up their metobolism and can lead to the dog having trouble putting on weight.
You can also end up with problems like ants and flies depending on what you feed.

Like Alty said, if you get a good quality food the dog actually requires less food to maintain a healthy weight. The better the quality, the less fillers and general unhealthy stuff is in it.
Bad quality food is basically like going to a restaurant and filling up on bread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

To the OP. How old is Owen? As puppies get older they no longer need as many meals each day. I would do as Shaz suggests, cut down the meals to 2 times a day, 1 cup of food each feeding.

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Alty, mogrann is Binx's aunt and Owen is Ryu's brother. It's hard to believe they are six months old now. :)


mogrann, it could be letting you know that he is ready to cut back on intake. It could be that weather changing has him off his feed a bit. As long as everything else is normal, there shouldn't be a problem with him slowing down.

Have you had him neutered, yet?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

Feeding table scraps is a bad idea. There isn't the right nutrition in our table scraps to properly nourish a dog.

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I have fed all of my dogs table scraps. And (except for those who died of accidents) they've all lived to ripe old age. AND they've all been slim, trim and energetic to their dying day.

I think that old wives tale was started by the Dog Food companies that want you to pay your good money for something else when you already have what your dog needs on your table.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by De Maria

I have fed all of my dogs table scraps. And (except for those who died of accidents) they've all lived to ripe old age. AND they've all been slim, trim and energetic to their dying day.

I think that old wives tale was started by the Dog Food companies that want you to pay your good money for something else when you already have what your dog needs on your table.

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I tend to disagree, and I too have had dogs that have lived long healthy lives, but they eat dog food, or homemade dog food, never table scraps.

My lab cross is 15 years old. My poodle lived until 18 years, almost 19. They all got the best dog food that we could find in our price range.

I'm all for homemade dog food, there are many wonderful recipes out there, but table scraps, never.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

but table scraps, never.

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I'm going for the compromise vote here. People food is fantastic as a reward, but not as a diet.

The Hurricane was nuts about marshmallows for awhile, but she's becoming more interested in Tater Tots lately. She still loves her ice cubes, too.

Again, these are dessert, not the entrée. If she doesn't finish her food, no dessert.

Pink Floyd moment - How can ye have any pudding if ye won't eat yer meat?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by De Maria

I have fed all of my dogs table scraps. And (except for those who died of accidents) they've all lived to ripe old age. AND they've all been slim, trim and energetic to their dying day.

I think that old wives tale was started by the Dog Food companies that want you to pay your good money for something else when you already have what your dog needs on your table.

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Pancreatitis isn't an old wives tail and a very real problem when feeding scraps like sausages or fatty meats.

Some table scraps are fine. If you have steamed brocoli for dinner or some boiled potato it's OK to add to your dogs bowl, mixed with their dog food. But just feeding meals of table scraps is asking for trouble with picky eating.
You never know, one day you might decide to feed a bowl of kibble or canned food and your dog won't touch it because they are holding out for the unhealthy food.

I personally add some table scraps to my dogs food occasionally, but I never just give them scraps alone and I always put the yummy scraps at the bottom of their dog food as basically a reward for finishing it.

We have cut him down to 2 meals a day as was suggested. That has worked he does not finish all of his breakfast, but saves some for lunch time. He will finish all of his supper . We have changed his dog food to a high quality one, unfortunately not the same one that Binx uses as it is no longer available in Calgary. The dog food is called Acana Puppy Food Large Breed. He does not get table scraps at all! We do give him the occasional pig ears and of course the I have training treats that I use with his clicker. He has had yogurt in the past as he was having issues when we changed his food from the cheap filler full Purina to the better food. I will say he loved that yogurt it was like giving candy to a baby.
He is loving going for his walks we generally go for a walk between 45 min and an hour. I wish I could walk faster than I do but due to me being so out of shape atm that is not possible. I will say I am slowly losing weight so maybe some day I will be able to power walk or even jog . He seems to have so much energy.
On a side note I was out last night and hubby said he would not go to bed with him. He stayed upstairs waiting for me, that felt so good to hear, that he missed me. I guess he is my dog :) :)


Susan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

I tend to disagree, and I too have had dogs that have lived long healthy lives, but they eat dog food, or homemade dog food, never table scraps.

My lab cross is 15 years old. My poodle lived until 18 years, almost 19. They all got the best dog food that we could find in our price range.

I'm all for homemade dog food, there are many wonderful recipes out there, but table scraps, never.

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I wonder, have you ever fed your dog table scraps or are you just against it because someone told you it was bad for them?

I mean, you seem pretty adamant about it. Did you feed table scraps to a dog that died as a result or something?

As for me, I've had no bad experiences. Mine have all thrived on table scraps.

DeMaria, my poodle was given table scraps occasionallyafter I got married and moved away from home. After I left he was constantly at the vet because of stomach issues.

My dogs get the occasional treat from the table, but it's always dog appropriate, it's not "Oh, I had pizza so you'll have pizza". The majority of the time, 99%, they get dog food. It's the best we can afford, no filler, and because of it my 15 year old lab still has all his own teeth, never had a cleaning, doesn't need it. That alone has me sold.

There are good foods and there are bad. You made it very clear that you give your dog whatever is left over from you meal. There are things that we eat that aren't only unhealthy for us, but also unhealthy for our dogs. Also, there are things that we eat that are fine for us, but very unhealthy for our dogs.

If you read my post you'll see that I'm not against "human" food for dogs. I'm not saying that people have to buy dog food from pet stores etc. But, there are things that are not okay for dogs. You can't just take what's left from you meal, plop it on the ground and let Fido go for it. That's just common sense.

We're not the same as dogs, we have different nutritional needs. This has nothing to do with media or what I've been told. This has to do with common sense and having spent my entire life with dogs.

There are great dog food recipes out there. You can make homemade food for your dog, but it's important to make sure the proper food is being given, not just whatever you eat.

If you want to give your dogs scraps, that's your choice. If you've gotten lucky and had only good results, well, sometimes people get lucky and their bad choices don't have a negative effect. This isn't about any of that, it's about making sure people make the proper food choices for their pets so that their pets live long, happy, healthy lives. If that means a store bought dog food or homemade dog food with natural ingredients, great. I will not advocate giving your dog your left over chili or spicy spaghetti. That would be irresponsible of me.

I must chime in on the dog food/ table scraps issue. One big example, for this issue is, ducks people feed popcorn, bread etc to; anyone with any knowledge knows this is very bad for them as it has no nutrients, in fact most lakes/ponds have signs not to feed them due to this.
I have had a pet that had food allergies and had to be put down due to them, (see you on the Rainbow Bridge, Pony), and will always listen to my vet on this subject. Dog food is for dogs, Cat food is for cats, Baby food is for babies, and People food is for people, I do realize there are exceptions such as yogurt for a dogs diarrhea,or baby food for a cat that won't eat. They are exceptions just as there are exceptions to rules in the English Language rules.
I don't eat Owen's food why would he eat mine. To be honest I am not that big of a meat eater either so I know he would not be eating properly. I also don't want a dog that begs while I am eating due to him recognizing the scent as something he eats.
Maybe I am wrong on what I have said but that is my 2 cents worth.


Susan