Not eating much

MyCharlie · 07-19-2008, 11:34 PM

How long would you guys wait to call the vet if your dog's eating slowed down? This is probably premature and will work itself out, but just wanted to check.

Charlie hasn't been wanting to eat much this past week or two and has only been eating about 2/3 of his food (two of his three meals per day). So we thought maybe he was ready to switch to twice a day feedings but that doesn't seem to be helping.

This morning he got half of his normal breakfast because we had agility and I wanted him hungry so he'd be more food motivated. He had a little bit of treats at agility, but not much (Natural balance roll). So this afternoon I tried to give him the other half and he didn't eat it so after an hour I picked it up. Tonight I gave him a little more than his normal dinner portion. He sniffed it and walked away. About 20 minutes later he went over, took a bite or two, then left it, so I tossed it out. So, today he has only had about 1/4 or less of what he usually eats.

He does seem to eat if I put yogurt or cheese on it (which is rarely), but I don't want to create a picky eater where that's the ONLY way he'll eat it, so I haven't given him anything like that since I noticed the sluggish eating.

Do dogs sometimes slow down eating in the summer? It's been the same hotness here for the past two months though, and it's not like he's outside all the time.

He seems fine otherwise, acting normal, peeing/pooping, etc. So I'll just watch him for now, but again was just wondering how long you guys would wait before calling the vet if it was your dog.

Thanks!

(sorry it got so long - I ramble)

TeddieXRuxpin · 07-20-2008, 12:08 AM

This may make no sense at all, but it was a red flag for me with Ted.

Last week he started doing the same thing as you're talking about with Charlie. Kind of pecking at his food dish? Or just not touching it at all.

I opened a new back of Natural Balance and he wouldn't go near it. Now Teddie eats once a day and is usually all ready for dinner. I tried everything and finally returned it. It's the only reason I switched over to Wellness Core. I opened it and sure enough he started eating like he would usually.

The way I took it was there was obviously something wrong with the food. It was past it's prime. It looked different and smelled different. Not only to me, but to Teddie too. I didn't think to to much about it until he didn't want it. It took three days of trying to decide to change. He's been fine every since and eats like normal. They're smarter than we think. Sometimes more than they think.

One thing you could do is go out and buy a small bag of a different brand. What brand are you feeding? What ever you'd keep him on if he were to start eating it. And see how that goes.

I meant to ask-

Is this a new bag of food and what kind?

MyCharlie · 07-20-2008, 07:38 AM

Thanks Ted!

It's Canidae, and actually we're at the end of a bag. So I just opened the new one after reading your reply, thinking maybe the old one was going bad, and the NEW bag is bad. It's all moldy and stinky. Gross. They are sitting right next to each other in the pantry so maybe the smell from the new bag seeped into the old one or something?

So of course NOW I have nothing to feed him. Argh. I have a natural balance food roll that we use for training treats - I guess I'll fee him that until I can get to the store.

Hopefully that works. If not, I'll be back

DebD · 07-20-2008, 08:24 AM

Coko...my 3yo cocker spaniel, was doing the exact same thing about a month ago! He wouldn't eat his normal food except if I put something else in it. Of course I was worried cuz this is my first dog. I thought just like you, playful, pooping fine, etc so I wound up changing his dog food, and he gobbled it down. I also bought a few cans of Merrick just in case it happens again. Now we're back to his normal thing...I just add something to his kibble a few times a week, usually veggies, egg or some chicken! Good Luck!