[trickaboo]

my dogs from a shelter, i got him in november. he ate really well for the first month maybe a bit more. i noticed hes like scared of the food bowl, its a stainless steel one, so i switched to a ceramic one still scared, i switched to wax paper....still scared. hes scared if im moving it, when it stops moving he comes to it but just sniffs it and than sits and doesnt want to eat. i have to almost bribe him to eat. ive tried dif dog foods, even canned. i did a dry/ can mix meal and that worked for a good couple months. now its straight cans and he still doesnt really want it i have to hand feed it. and than i switched to cooked food (chicken beef prok) ate it for a while and now i have to feed to him by hand. whats wrong? why doesnt he want to eat. ive also tried cottage cheese, USED to work. whats wrong?

 

[MissMutt]

You first need to take him to a vet to make sure there is not an underlying medical cause. Thyroid problems could affect appetite, and I'm sure other things can as well.

If there is no medical problem, it's possible that he's just really picky. In that case, just stick to one food. He won't starve himself if he's healthy.

 

[lillie20]

I too went thru a problem getting mine to not be spooked by dog bowl. I had stainless, plastic, then decided too deep, didn't seem to like to put his head in it. Switched to paper plate, but that would move and freak him out. Now put food right on the floor. A bit messy, but eats everything.

 

[pugmom]

I agree with MM.....if you have ruled out any medical issues then I would say your dog has learned how to get what it wants

pick on food and stick with it.....he will eat when he is hungry.......as said a healthy dog is not going to starve them self.

 

[jsawvel]

I agree. Sometimes a dog will not eat if it is trying to get better from an illness.

People do the same thing and it allows your body to completely focus on fighting the illness.

 

[trickaboo]

he does love to eat grass, if that says anything. also hes been to the vet for checkups but when they asked me if i had any problems feeding i just said he was picky because that all it was, now its when its bad, but he does eat pretty good when he WANTS to, i got a feeling its just being picky. i used to switch dog foods like i would feed brand 1 in the morning and brand 2 at night. i think if i noticed alot of weight loss ill take him to the vet maybe they cant help me out with something to increase his appatite. he ate pretty good this morning...no food bowl...just a plate.

 

[MissMutt]

How active is he? What brand are you feeding? If your dog has a low activity level he might not have much of an apetite. Also, when you feed your dog a premium kibble, they usually require less.

 

[trickaboo]

i exercise him everyday, he gets spring pole for like 15-20 mins a day, jogs a mile everday, sometimes ill let him sprint pulling me on my bike for the mile. hes a very active dog, the bad thing is i dont feed him premium kibble, its expensive. i know you can feed less if you feed premium, but my parents think hell get really hungry during the day because of the little amount of food. i know my dog probably could care less about that but than it comes back to the high price of the food. hey..atleast hes getting real meat now, boiled chicken, beefs stuff like that.

 

[spotted nikes]

"Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's soul" Dog food is a good quality food that isn't very expensive. Maybe your parents would consider that a good compromise.

 

[kimsum]

My frankenpup is very fearful of the strangest things. There really is no figuring in the human sense. Timid about the silliest things and yet like a lion at others. When he first came to me he would approach the food bowl like he thought it was going to attack him and still does to a certain extent.

The best that I can figure..he used to be an "always" collared dog and the sound of the tags and the dish threw him for a loop. Not just metal on metal..or metal on ceramic..sometimes just the whiff of something against something is enough to send him.

After a number of years that he's been with me..he's still fearful. Someone simply walking by is enough to put him off his food. I'm not sure if he will ever be "cured". The best that I can do for him..as well as the others..is to provide a safe and secure environment for them to feed. In my mind..being consistent so the dog always knows what to expect is important and helps to alleviate the "fear" factor.

Good luck in finding a happy feeding ground.