How long is too long? Help!

Glenda's right.  It's easier to catch something wrong if you teach them to eat their meals when they are offered.  I just took in a rescue dog and right away I knew something was wrong because she turned from a chow hound to turning her nose up at the food within a couple days.  If she weren't put on the schedule at her previous foster home I might still be wondering whether she just had a bad habit or whether she were ill.

As it was I took her in and she tested positive for RMSF.  A day of antibiotics and she's back to downing her meals with relish.

As I mentioned earlier, I took him to the vet and did a complete blood panel....all checked out ok.  

whats rmsf ?
 

I dunno, but I'm about to freak out....it's been over 24hrs since he's eaten!!

dont freak out hes just being picky but it sounds the problem you re trying to solve by putting him on a schedule is that he doesnt eat enough?  he doesnt eat as much as is recommended on the bag of dog food?  you cant go strictly by that, its just a suggestion, every dog is going to vary slightly and have a different appetite, it also depends on how much they re exercised.  if you dont take your little pup out for a long period of daily exercise hes likely to eat less than the recommended anyway.  if the problem is that wasnt eating enough to start with, i think a scheduled feeding time would make that problem worse rather than solve it.  if you just leave the same food in his bowl hes going to realize thats all hes getting and just eat whats there.

Yeah, that's what I finally did this morning, just left the food out all day.....I'm just worried because he hasn't touched it at all and this is not normal for him! [&:]

***Edit----as I'm sitting here freaking out, I heard a noise in the background....I look back to see Wolfie literally wolfing down his bowl of food.....ok, panic attack is now over LOL

Sorry I must have missed that.  Glad you got the BW done and all is ok.  But like the vet said when and if it gets to be days, you may want to go back... b/c they should eat before that even if they hate it.

"Edit----as I'm sitting here freaking out, I heard a noise in the background....I look back to see Wolfie literally wolfing down his bowl of food.....ok, panic attack is now over LOL "

  I'm so glad he's eating again. [sm=dance.gif]

lol thank you guys so much for your help, but I think I learned from this experience that A) my puppy is a spoiled brat and I need to teach him he can't always win B) my puppy knows how to push my buttons and C) I'm just going to continue to free feed until he begins eating too much (which I can't really see him doing) lol

Thanks again everyone []

Ok i will try to post this Again,third time lucky![]

Dogs can go around 7 days without food,even a little longer.I have known dogs who have gone without food for this long,doing the mexican stand off with their owners.Inevitabely they have turned out to be good eaters,because they realise their owners are not going to give in and they must eat what they are given or go without. Be aware though,even if they have been eating well for a couple of months,these dogs tend to put it on every now and then to see if they can get it over their owners,it is so important NOT to give in when this happens otherwise you will have to start all over again,and all you hard work will be un-done,unfortunately adding even a little extra "yummies" to their meals will see them expecting it each and every time!
Some dogs appreciate a variety of foods,some dogs EXPECT  it,it is the latter who turn out to be fussy eaters. Some dogs act like they're gonna die if they miss out on one meal,others it doesnt bother at all and will happily hold out until their owner gives in,because she always has in the past,the little stinkers dont forget!Once they realise that what you serve up is all they are going to get,they will turn around,it just takes nerves of steel, a hard heart and patience.

im glad you decided to free feed, it sounds like the best way to go for your dog

Kayla had lost 5 pounds by the time we brought her in which was four days with no food, granted she also only ate half her bowl for the 2-3 days before that.  I would say 7 days would be very extreme and doubt most dogs would do that... not saying its not possible, would just IMO be very rare, and unhealty to boot.

I am glad your dog is eating again.  Some dogs prefer to eat at their own leisure.  I do not fill up my dog's bowl until it is empty then I refill.  I measure his food out with a cup so I know how much he is eating every day.

When freefeeding, the dog can NOT overeat unless you overfeed him/her.  So long as you stick to the correct amount of food, you won't have a fat baby.

I definatley measure out what he's supposed to get in one day (although he never eats close to that, lol).  But I'm back to my original routine of giving him about 1/3 of  a can of EVO in the morning (so at least he eats something more than once a day, rather than just at night).