only 5th day of feeding raw and Nia has already lost interest?

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 10:23 AM

The first few days I fed Nia raw, she loved it and gobbled it up pretty quickly. For the last 2 meals that I fed she sniffed it and didn't eat it and sniffed again and didn't eat. It took her 5-10 minutes just to start to eat it. This morning when I put the food down she didn't eat it but I had to leave so I don't know if she actually ate it or not.

Why did she get bored of it so quickly?? Is it because she's only had chicken for the last 5 days and I should try a new kind of meat?

misty073 · 10-19-2009, 10:55 AM

Maggie does this, sometimes she will not eat the morning meal. I just started her on the Jack and daisy's and she ate it the first night and then didnt eat any yesterday morn...but for dinner she kinda looked at it and walked away, then went back about 5 min later and ate it.

She did it with her other raw mix too, and has done it when we have given her kibble...we just think she is not always hungry when we have fed her (although she will gobble the cat food at any given time if I dont pick his bowl up

...I am thinking maybe she would eat better out of his bowl LOL)

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 12:02 PM

I want Nia to eat both her meals of the day because she's been losing a bit of weight. I know she won't eat more than 2 oz. for dinner so I started feeding morning and night. The raw stuff is pretty low in calories compared to kibble and she needs quite a bit of it to keep weight on.

Nia does it with kibble too. Sometimes she won't eat it for 2 days at a time because she "doesn't like it." Such picky little guys huh?

dieterherzog · 10-19-2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

I want Nia to eat both her meals of the day because she's been losing a bit of weight. I know she won't eat more than 2 oz. for dinner so I started feeding morning and night. The raw stuff is pretty low in calories compared to kibble and she needs quite a bit of it to keep weight on.

Nia does it with kibble too. Sometimes she won't eat it for 2 days at a time because she "doesn't like it." Such picky little guys huh?

Did it occur to you that maybe the food isn't going down well with her? I think dogs are smart enough to avoid something that makes them not feel well. Maybe you could put her back on her a old food for a bit and see if she eats more and then try the raw again.

Adding raw chicken to my dog's diet gave him the runs so I'm fasting him for a day and trying to think about whether I want to put him entirely on raw.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieterherzog

Did it occur to you that maybe the food isn't going down well with her? I think dogs are smart enough to avoid something that makes them not feel well. Maybe you could put her back on her a old food for a bit and see if she eats more and then try the raw again.

Adding raw chicken to my dog's diet gave him the runs so I'm fasting him for a day and trying to think about whether I want to put him entirely on raw.

I don't think it's that. She seems happy and energetic, no stomach upset or loose stool. Tiny firm poops. She's always been like that. I left her old kibble out and she hasn't been eating it either. She's always losing weight and not eating enough

I think I'm going to worm her again soon but really the last time I did it it didn't make any difference.

I think I'm going to add a bit of beef today. Somehow she's always looking for variety although people say dogs don't really need variety(I mean when eating kibble).

See first she loved the JDs, next day she picked out the NV from JD then ate the NV for a day. Today she didn't want the NV anymore either. I guess she's not really hungry since she ate 4.5 oz yesterday. But so far my calculations from both the calories of JD and NV says she needs 4-5 oz. of their food a day to meet her caloric needs.

DobManiac · 10-19-2009, 02:51 PM

It sounds like she's just being picky. And I would also bet that she is feeling your apprehension about her eating, and that is making her apprehensive. If you want to feed her raw then it is too early to start adding in new protein sources. You need to be firmer with her. Put the food down and walk away from the bowl. Don't stand over her where she can feel your worries coming off of you in waves. Leave the food down for 10 minutes and then put it away. The next meal she will get the same bowl of food until she finishes it.

I'm guessing that whenever she has done these standoffs that you either spiced her food up or changed the food all together. She's playing a game of chicken with you to see who will last longer. Don't let her win again. When she is hungry enough she will eat.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DobManiac

It sounds like she's just being picky. And I would also bet that she is feeling your apprehension about her eating, and that is making her apprehensive. If you want to feed her raw then it is too early to start adding in new protein sources. You need to be firmer with her. Put the food down and walk away from the bowl. Don't stand over her where she can feel your worries coming off of you in waves. Leave the food down for 10 minutes and then put it away. The next meal she will get the same bowl of food until she finishes it.

I'm guessing that whenever she has done these standoffs that you either spiced her food up or changed the food all together. She's playing a game of chicken with you to see who will last longer. Don't let her win again. When she is hungry enough she will eat.

I think she's being picky too but I don't actually watch her eat. I put her in her room with the food for 15 min and I leave usually and come back to check if she ate it.

I used do the bowl down, 15 min if she doesn't eat take it away thing. I did it for at least 2 weeks when she was on kibble. Out of those 2 weeks she only ate every other day and lost a lot of weight so I don't think that approach works.

As for adding new meat...I've been feeding the NV mix which is chicken, turkey, heart, liver and some other organ I can't remember and she's doing fine, no stomach upset. From your advice I will just feed her this for another 2 weeks or so before adding some beef into her diet.

She did end up eating her breakfast this morning as I found out when I came home just now so it's all good. I'm guessing today she was either not hungry or she doesn't like her food cold. I notice if I feed it room temp then she eats it immediately, if it's slightly cold she'll wait a bit until it's warmer then eat it. Perhaps that's why.

RedyreRottweilers · 10-19-2009, 03:09 PM

Are you using any digestive support supplements for her?

For my money, this is a dog who is having discomfort due to the system not being equipped with the right gut flora to digest raw foods well.

Any gas? Any loose stool?

I use the Digestive Enhancer from Nature's Farmacy, and I LOVE it.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedyreRottweilers

Are you using any digestive support supplements for her?

For my money, this is a dog who is having discomfort due to the system not being equipped with the right gut flora to digest raw foods well.

Any gas? Any loose stool?

I use the Digestive Enhancer from Nature's Farmacy, and I LOVE it.

Using yogurt.

I really don't think it's discomfort due to the raw food. She ate the same way with any kind of kibble that I've ever fed. Sometimes she'll eat it, sometimes she'll just skip a day or two. Actually she's never eaten on time and at every meal for the 6 months that I've had her. Every week or something like that she would skip a day or two. Every few days skip a meal...etc.

No gas, no loose stool. Perfectly firm tiny stools.

I was just hoping that with a raw diet she would actually enjoy eating instead of thinking of it as a 'chore.' But I guess that's not going to happen...

dieterherzog · 10-19-2009, 03:45 PM

Maybe if she likes her food warm, you could try it out with some warm chicken broth. Heat a little broth and soak the kibble in it and see if she takes it. You can then use that on raw food. A bit of a hassle, but if works then great!

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieterherzog

Maybe if she likes her food warm, you could try it out with some warm chicken broth. Heat a little broth and soak the kibble in it and see if she takes it. You can then use that on raw food. A bit of a hassle, but if works then great!

I used to do that with her kibble. Even so it was on and off her eating. Since she is eating her raw food right now I'm going to try to not add anything at all. Or else she's always going to expect me to make her food taste better.

Northern_Inuit_Luv · 10-19-2009, 04:05 PM

My husky can be picky too...I've tried a meathod I read in a dog nutriton book: purposely have her fast one day a week. The day before and after, her meals are just a bit bigger, and one day she goes without eating. I know some people worry about not feeding their dogs, but Ami has put on weight since we have started doing this (she was a bit underweight before). The day can change depending on if I see that she's beginning to "lose interest". Now she doesn't miss an opportunity to eat

...Like I said, its not for everyone, but its an idea.

briteday · 10-19-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieterherzog

Did it occur to you that maybe the food isn't going down well with her? I think dogs are smart enough to avoid something that makes them not feel well. Maybe you could put her back on her a old food for a bit and see if she eats more and then try the raw again.

Adding raw chicken to my dog's diet gave him the runs so I'm fasting him for a day and trying to think about whether I want to put him entirely on raw.

It's not unusual for dogs new to a raw diet (or any new diet) to have gastro upset for a while. The gut needs a chance to re-populate with the necessary digestive enzymes and bacteria to process the new food. With raw, if you are sure that you are balancing the meat to bone ratio, then I wouldn't worry about the hershey squirts. In fact, it is probably more the norm with dogs new to raw.

Dogs that become bored with food are almost always trained to do so. When they don't eat for a few days they get new food. So you can either rotate amongst a chosen group of food. Or you can pick one food and stick to it. In any case, put the bowl down for 20 minutes at the specified meal times, then pick it up until the next meal. Eventually the dog will be hungry enough to eat what you want them to on your schedule. I've had small breed foster dogs go nearly one week without more than a tidbit daily. Also be sure that the vet has given them a clean bill of health.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-20-2009, 03:29 PM

Nia isn't having any kind of diarrhea or anything. She has tiny little solid poops. She never had diarrhea transitioning between foods. I add a little plain yogurt to help with digestion.

I've always done the feed for 15 min and then take it away thing before. And when I tried that with Nia for 2 weeks she lost a lb. That was when she was only 4.5 lbs. She refused to eat at the given time and only ate every other meal. So about half her daily portions. I free-fed her kibble and she did a bit better on it, gained weight.

I'm back to 15 min feedings 2 times a day now since I'm feeding raw I can't leave it in the room all day or else it'll go bad.

Nia seems to like raw, do well have energy and everything but she's definitely losing weight on it.

briteday, may I ask how much you feed your Paps? I'm up to 6 oz. a day right now because every day she seems a little skinnier. Her ribs are becoming more and more prominent. She's only 6 lbs..I wonder why she needs so much food too much exercise? Same with kibble, a lot of dogs her weight eat 1/4 to 1/3 cup of kibble and I feed her just a little over 1/2 cup to keep her at a good weight.

DobManiac · 10-20-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

briteday, may I ask how much you feed your Paps? I'm up to 6 oz. a day right now because every day she seems a little skinnier. Her ribs are becoming more and more prominent. She's only 6 lbs..I wonder why she needs so much food too much exercise? Same with kibble, a lot of dogs her weight eat 1/4 to 1/3 cup of kibble and I feed her just a little over 1/2 cup to keep her at a good weight.

Are you having to feed her twice as much since she only eats every other day? She might be getting too full to eat again the next day.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-20-2009, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DobManiac

Are you having to feed her twice as much since she only eats every other day? She might be getting too full to eat again the next day.

No no I'm not feeding twice as much. I'm feeding her twice a day and she eats both meals with no leftovers. Twice a day and about 2-2.5 oz. per meal. I actually fed 3 oz. per meal yesterday but I don't want to overfeed her so she will gain weight too rapidly.

I'm probably going to stick to 5 oz. a day which is 2 oz. breakfast and 3 oz. dinner.

briteday · 10-20-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

briteday, may I ask how much you feed your Paps? I'm up to 6 oz. a day right now because every day she seems a little skinnier. Her ribs are becoming more and more prominent. She's only 6 lbs..I wonder why she needs so much food too much exercise? Same with kibble, a lot of dogs her weight eat 1/4 to 1/3 cup of kibble and I feed her just a little over 1/2 cup to keep her at a good weight.

My 8-9 pounders get 1.4 - 1.6 ounces per meal, twice per day. But they are also older now, less active than before. But we do hike about 3 miles every day.

Have you had Nia to the vet for a complete check up? Sometimes parasites (worms) can be missed on a single fecal specimen. If the problem continues I would take another specimen in. Other things they could check are thyroid and adrenal function. But I would probably start with a basic blood count and basic chemistry.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-20-2009, 04:10 PM

That's what I thought when she couldn't keep on weight a few months ago. Went to the vet, did the whole routine, wormed her, no difference.

Did a blood test before she got spayed and everything came back normal. Then we spayed her..

I think she just lost a bit of weight from eating only chicken breast and a little chicken bones for a few days because the first few days I only fed about 2 oz. per day. I'll see what happens in the next week or so and see if she's starting to gain it back.

phoebespeople · 10-20-2009, 04:24 PM

You mentioned that you've been feeding her yogurt. I have read that many dogs are lactose intolerant and dairy products should not be part of a RAW diet. A meal of green tripe once in a while is better for dogs than yogurt, it has the good bacteria dogs need for a healthy digestive system.
I would simplifier her diet to just chicken for a week or two. A whole chicken, chicken backs/necks, chicken quarters... not mixed meats. Then start a rotation to turkey, beef , lamb... This is of course after you hear from the vet that nothing else is wrong.

RedyreRottweilers · 10-20-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoebespeople

You mentioned that you've been feeding her yogurt. I have read that many dogs are lactose intolerant and dairy products should not be part of a RAW diet. A meal of green tripe once in a while is better for dogs than yogurt, it has the good bacteria dogs need for a healthy digestive system.
I would simplifier her diet to just chicken for a week or two. A whole chicken, chicken backs/necks, chicken quarters... not mixed meats. Then start a rotation to turkey, beef , lamb... This is of course after you hear from the vet that nothing else is wrong.

Yes. yes yes yes.

Yoghurt is not only inadequate in any real help with gut flora, it can also be an issue in some dogs who don't tolerate dairy.

Keep to one protein source for a while. Consider grinding if the dog is not wanting to eat. If you have not done so, have the mouth checked for any issues that may cause the dog not to want to chew.

And the digestive enzyme/enhancer is really a good investment, and my in fact fix your problem. I won't be without one, and I have been a raw feeder for over 16 years.