[aajb29]

Hi Everyone.

Over the last 3 weeks, my 18 month old male shih tzu has all but stopped eating his food. He used to eat about 1/3 cup of Canidae All Stages dry food twice a day and he would scarf it down. For the last few weeks, he has only been eating about 1/4 cup A DAY. I am still using the same 35lb bag I bought 1.5 months ago so his food has not changed. I tried mixing in some samples of EVO dry food and he would not eat that either. However, he will eat wet dog food, dog treats and "table scraps" as if there is no tomorrow.

His poop is still solid and he has not been throwing up etc. His food bowl has not changed. I am at a loss and concerned since he is hardly eating and ends up sleeping most of the day due to lack of energy.

Any input would be appreciated. Thank You.

[Patt]

Since he will eat canned or soft food, possibly he has a problem with his teeth. Has he been examined by a vet?

[aajb29]

He was at the vet 2 months ago and his teeth were fine. He still chews on rawhide bones and eats hard cookie-type treats. I tried putting water in his Candidae to soften it and he still will only eat 1/4 cup a day.

[jennnej]

I am having similar problem with my dog stop eating her breakfast. She does eat dinner and treat, "table scrapes", etc...My vet says it may be because she is playing with me. She wants to see what other better food I put into her bowl just to get her eat. Or maybe she is seeking attention. I take her food away if she doesn't eat it in 30 minutes and save it for dinner. Hopefully she will learn to eat breakfast so she doesn't starve until dinner. Sometimes I put her breakfast in kong or one of those Busy Buddies to keep her busy.

Have you tried mixing wet food with dry? Try adding some yogurt/cottage cheese. Good luck!

[mstang]

Damn, I thought I had an answer for you until i read that your bag was old. Canadie has changed their packaging and formula recently, dont know how long ago, but they did not include this infromation on their new packaging. I'm not sure if that could still have any effect on your situation, but it is worth noting that any new canadie that you buy will be a new formula than the one your dog is used to and may cause problems...

[Patt]

The better the food the less you have to feed.

Maybe that's all his little body requires. ??? Possibly he's just being picky since he goes for the canned food okay. Try this.... Put the food out for the morning feeding, pick it up in 20 mins if not eaten. Do not feed again until the evening meal and pick it up after the same length of time. Usually they come around and will eat when food is put in front of them. NO food in between meals.

[kpollard]

Teddy used to sort of pick at his food, so we started mixing in about a tablespoon of yogurt. Now he eats it no problem within thirty minutes.

Make sure you're not feeding him a bunch of treats inbetween, some dogs will hold out if they think they'll get something better.

[alphadoginthehouse]

Dogs are very smart...they know how to play a human. He has figured out that if he doesn't eat what is in his bowl, you will give him something really tasty. I'm not sure what you consider "table scaps" but mine get none...period. As someone else posted, you might try mixing the wet with the dry. I get real sneaky when using wet by adding a little water to make it coat every piece of kibble in the bowl. Worth a shot.

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by jennnej

I am having similar problem with my dog stop eating her breakfast. She does eat dinner and treat, "table scrapes", etc...

There is no hard and fast rule that says you must feed twice a day. I know many people that feed only once a day. I think she is telling you that she is getting enough food at dinner and doesn't need breakfast. Offer a small snack in the mornings and forget about a meal. As long as she is not too thin, she is ok.

Keep feeding the leftovers. They are better for her than the kibble.

EDITED TO ADD: I know some people that only feed every other day and their dogs are healthy.

[aajb29]

We have not been feeding him table scraps or treats since he cut back on his eating. I will try leaving his food out for 30 mins twice a day and see what happens. thanks everyone.

[bmckenzie]

Have you tried putting Olive Oil or the juice from a Tuna can in the bowl with the dog food? I do this about three times a week for my dogs and they love it, Plus the Omega 3s is good for them.

[littleboodog]

I'm new here but I know that the juice in a can of tuna is mostly soy broth, it's not tuna juice. Soy and olive oil do not provide Omega 3s. Tuna meat does, and fish oil does. Olive oil provides Omega 9. Dogs don't need Omega 9s.

LittleBooDog

[bmckenzie]

I stand corrected littleboodog, I'm sorry I didn't specify and seperate my comments. There is a difference when purchasing tuna....tuna in water....tuna in oil, the tuna that is in the oil is the Juice I was talking about. And it also has Omega 3s. And the Olive Oil is good for thier digestive system,skin and coat.

Have A Great Day

[littleboodog]

Often the oil pack is soy. Best to read labels before buying. I would be very surprised if the oil offered any Omega 3; it will not if it's vegetable-based.

If you want to add olive oil because your dog thinks it tastes good, you should, what's a little olive oil between friends. For an all over benefit, fish body oil would be a better choice. Fish body oil provides Omega 3 and has that good old stinky fish taste. Your dog gets a lot of plant-based oils in his kibble so there's no point in adding more. OO is better for humans than for dogs. Marie

[TN_LAB]

I wouldn't worry too much until he misses 3 consecutive meals.

[RonE]

My daughter's miniature schnauzer is a picky eater, but he eats like a horse when he stays with us.

Partly because he's runnin' with the big dogs all day and partly because he has two large, hungry dogs just waiting for him to walk away from his food.