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Refusing to eat--behavioral issue

Posted : 7/22/2006 1:35:02 AM

OK, well, most of you know Willow is a very fussy eater who recently started eating like there's no tomorrow.

Well, she's slowed down a bit now and I'm afraid heading to refusing food again even though she's getting the exact same food she was plowing thru a month ago.

She's been checked and re-checked for physical issues and there are none. The vet wants her to see a behaviorist for this problem because she does go without food long enough to cause health issues. She hasn't recently but she's heading in that direction again. And, here I thought I had this beat.

So, my question is this---Does anyone have any experience with dealing with dogs who just won't eat. It's almost like a refusal of a command. Like she won't eat the way sometimes she won't sit. But, she's food aggressive so I can only firmly tell her to eat and if she doesn't then what?? I take up the food after so long but that doesn't really phase her.

I've pushed more and placed her in front of the food, but that's dangerous for me and definately DH can't do it so I'm at a loss.

I KNOW she's hungry and that she is not ill. Any suggestions for this Willow???

Julitza

Posted : 7/22/2006 9:36:55 PM

Is it possible to add something enticing in her kibble? Like maybe some chicken broth or egg or something good. But then again if you do it everyday she can get to expecting it.

Can you hand feed her or is she agressive in that manner also? Ive known dogs that eat more when their owner gives them the kibble from their hand, and if she doesnt get agressive with that I think it would be worth a try

Mandy Thompson

Posted : 7/22/2006 10:23:42 PM

u can try feeding human food
1/3 protien/ 1/3 veggie/ 1/3 carbohydrates
my puppy refuses to eat dog food so i just make an extra plate of food for her
giving them multivitamin supplement/calcium supplement is good too
my parents never fed their dogs dog food and they all lived healthy long lives

glenmar

Posted : 7/22/2006 10:40:48 PM

Newt, I'd strongly recommend that you do some serious reading on homecooked diets. A calcium supplement is more than good, it is CRUCIAL when feeding boneless meat. Carbs are VERY available from veggies and I suspect that your dog is not getting a very nutritionally correct diet following the third/third/third protocol that you're suggesting. Your dog needs at LEAST 50% meat.

Xerxes

Posted : 7/22/2006 11:18:39 PM

Lori,

Have you tried adding a little scrambled or raw egg to the bowl? Or you could micro the food for 3 or 5 seconds to "wake up" the oils in the kibble.

Mandy Thompson

Posted : 7/22/2006 11:44:49 PM

i read the 1/3,1/3, 1/3 out of a homeopathic dog book
but in addiction to that my dogs get bones and whatever small fuzzy critter comes their way(mice,gophers etc)
and calcium supplements arent needed if u feed high calcium foods(bones,milk,etc)
i live in a rural communtity and most ppl out around me dont feed dog food
they have healthy,happy dogs that live into their 15-17 yrs
but yes i do plan to do more reading on home cooked meals being i havent had any problems but dont want any either

jennie_c_d

Posted : 7/23/2006 12:14:24 AM

Your dog needs at LEAST 50% meat.

None of mine eat that much meat, regardless of age and health. Kibble doesn't have that much meat either, or (I think I read this) it'd fall apart, right?

Mine don't get dog food, but it's more precise than fixing them a plate of food, with milk for the calcium. Dogs can't digest milk. They don't have the enzymes to break it down. Adults of any species are not made to consume milk.

jensw

Posted : 7/23/2006 12:27:53 AM

You can get calcium from some veggies, too. I know that I started researching an rmb free diet for Roscoe when he was having trouble digesting bone. (He's got the hang of it now, so I didn't go that route; but I know it's possible just not as easy as prey model, for example.)

I wish I could help you, Lori. I can't even imagine a dog that refuses to eat. [

] If it gets to the point where she is making herself sick, is it possible to force feed her a liquid diet of some sort? (Really well-blended kibble with water or ACV, for example? or a blended raw diet? I can make Roscoe's ground diet pretty watery in a blender.) Maybe you'd have to muzzle her and then use a baster to squirt it down her . I know nothing about this. There's probably a better way, but it's just what I came up with off the top of my head.

Mandy Thompson

Posted : 7/23/2006 12:30:51 AM

maybe try chicken babyfood as a topping
or a different sized kibble

Ross Allan

Posted : 7/23/2006 5:45:37 AM

Back to basics. Your dog is a dog. If they were in the wild fending for itself, what would it eat? Raw food - both vegetable (grasses, seeds etc) and meat. Give it a go. I always find an instant improvement in behavior too (even if it is slight) when additives and preservatives are removed and it is all natural. Just like a child reacts to preservatives, so too do our dogs. If your vet is suggesting a behavorist I have heard good reports from Val Bonney [linkhttp://www.bonnies.com.au]http://www.bonnies.com.au[/link]

Good luck

spiritdogs

Posted : 7/23/2006 5:52:56 AM

Well, she's slowed down a bit now and I'm afraid heading to refusing food again even though she's getting the exact same food she was plowing thru a month ago.

She's been checked and re-checked for physical issues and there are none. The vet wants her to see a behaviorist for this problem because she does go without food long enough to cause health issues. She hasn't recently but she's heading in that direction again. And, here I thought I had this beat.

I wonder if there is an ingredient in any of the foods you have tried that is showing up only intermittently when you switch foods. Food allergies aren't common, but they do exist, so if she hasn't been tested, maybe you could first check your ingredient lists (don't go shopping LOL, go to [linkhttp://www.mordanna.com]www.mordanna.com[/link] and click on "The Dog Food Project". If you see any particular thing that coincides with the times she has been anorexic, then make an appointment for allergy tests perhaps.
Otherwise, maybe consider a holistic veterinarian for a consultation. Can't hurt, might help.

glenmar

Posted : 7/23/2006 8:08:10 AM

Jennie, you are probably right that I'm off on the percentage. BUT, 2/3 other stuff to 1/3 meat isn't right. Dogs dont' get calcium from milk, only from edible bones in significant quantities.

I'm certainly not arguing against homecooking for your dog...but the menu you mentioned needs some work...and you wont see a problem until its too late and the dog has serious skeletal issues from not balancing the phosperous/calcium ratio.

jensw

Posted : 7/23/2006 11:06:31 AM

Anne - The Dog Food Project is now at [linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com]www.dogfoodproject.com[/link]

And she has a new site called [linkhttp://www.betterdogcare.com/]http://www.betterdogcare.com/[/link] where she'll consult on nutritional stuff. [

]

spiritdogs

Posted : 7/23/2006 6:01:35 PM

Thanks, Jen - I just opened my email and found that out :-)

)

jennie_c_d

Posted : 7/23/2006 11:26:06 PM

BUT, 2/3 other stuff to 1/3 meat isn't right.

That's about what mine get

They do get bonemeal and other supplements. Teenie gets raw, some days, and cooked, others. Emma never, ever gets anything raw. Not a bone or a lick of the bowl.

Definitely not arguing that fixing a plate of food cooked for humans isn't the best nutrition, just saying.... they don't all need that much meat.