[shepard man]

We have been training & breeding German Shepards for over 50 years and never had a problem with feeding. We have a extremely healthy eight month old male neutered that simply refuses to eat more than a couple of bites of food. We have tried every type of commercial product that Pet Smart and Petco offer dry and canned. The only success we have is cooked chicken which he will only take a couple of bites and if we try to add anything ( rice/vegetables) he won't touch the food.
We have had all types of medical testing done : blood and x-rays and everything is normal and he gets over 5 miles of walking and running every single day plus he gets to play with our son every day for hours.
Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated. Thank You

[katieperez]

Over 50 years of breeding & training experience and you're here asking a question like that? Seems fishy. I have zero years of breeding or training experience and even I know that shepards are picky eaters. Surely this is something you should know. If your dog is 'extremely healthy' and has 'had all types of medical testing done' then why fret? I say seek a second opinion with a new vet. Oh and another thing, over 5 miles for an 8 month old seems a bit excessive. But what do I know? I really didn't want to bring age up, but if you've been breeding & training for over 50 years, you must be well into your 70's, so in all that time, this is the first run in with a picky eater?

[labman]

It is my policy to take all but the most obvious questions seriously. I will give you the same answer I do many others. The first question is what does the vet say? Most vets will accurately judge the condition of a dog. I usually refer people to LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog and suggest they have their vet confirm their judgment. If your dog is all skin and bones, not eating, and your vet isn't finding the problem, it is time for a different vet. If it is no worse than lean, then choose a chow and stick with it. Monitor the carefully to make sure the chow you are giving it is all it gets to eat.

[Chibiabos]

I had a German Shepherd with a similar issue, mine was an intact . She suffered from depression resulting from abuse with previous owners, but even when the depression cleared after a few months with me (there is *nothing* in the world like the feeling that your love and caring has brought a dog from depression to happy-wags-and-licks!), she was still a chronic under-eater.

I wound up putting her on a combination of Bil-Jac (expensive stuff) as per the vet's recommendation and a mixture of kibble, canned and human-grade chicken and pork (no chicken bones at all and only large pork or beef bones!). It took a long time, but gradually I did get her weight up to just above the minimum recommended target weight by the vet.

In addition to what I fed her, how I fed her was just as important... she was very strongly pack-oriented, and whenever I went into a different room, she'd have to follow me -- food was not important. So I learned to bring her food with me into my office if I was going to be there for a few hours, and eventually she'd settle down and eat if I didn't get up to leave.