Cumulus Cloud Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 So I have a female border collie pup around 11 months old and just came into her first heat cycle about 3 weeks ago. Not sure if this is the reason why but she recently started to not eat her dog food at all! Although she seems to be fine with eating anything else but her dog food. I had to resort into changing the her food and got a bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and hand fed her the first time trying it out and she ate it, but of course, she didn't finish even 1 cup before she started to refuse them. Cloud is 32 lb but is rather in the lean and skinny side and i really wish she would fill in a little. Do any of you have had this kind of problem with their dogs? What are you feeding them now and do you like to add a little water in the dry kibbles? It's starting to get frustrating and i can't help wishing she was the kind of dog that would wolf up her meals like she hadn't been fed for three days. It should be around time for her heat cycle to be ceasing so i'm getting the feeling shes either waiting for me to feed her other treats or she's just being a picky eater. Please Help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 If one of my animals start being picky about eating when they usually eat normally, I do start troubleshooting. In your case, I would put at the bottom of the list that she is waiting for you to feed her treats or being a picky eater (but wouldn't rule it out completely). OTOH, if something has changed in your routine or household recently, it may be upsetting to her and throwing off her appetite. I do not have experience with females in heat, but maybe that could be a reason. If not, I would bring her into the vet for evaluation if she is really not eating (rather than just being picky). At 11 months, I would expect her to be lean. I think BB is a good food. FWIW, I feed grain-free kibble too (and change between BB, TOTW, Wellness, Solid Gold and Canidae). I feed mostly kibble (~1/2-2/3 cup twice per day) topped with ~2 Tbsp of canned and mixed well with a little water. (40 lb) The canned is to make it tastier, but he will eat dry kibble too when I use them for treats. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 If one of my animals start being picky about eating when they usually eat normally, I do start troubleshooting. In your case, I would put at the bottom of the list that she is waiting for you to feed her treats or being a picky eater (but wouldn't rule it out completely). OTOH, if something has changed in your routine or household recently, it may be upsetting to her and throwing off her appetite. I do not have experience with females in heat, but maybe that could be a reason. If not, I would bring her into the vet for evaluation if she is really not eating (rather than just being picky). At 11 months, I would expect her to be lean. I think BB is a good food. FWIW, I feed grain-free kibble too (and change between BB, TOTW, Wellness, Solid Gold and Canidae). I feed mostly kibble (~1/2-2/3 cup twice per day) topped with ~2 Tbsp of canned and mixed well with a little water. (40 lb) The canned is to make it tastier, but he will eat dry kibble too when I use them for treats. Jovi Hmm everything has been quite the usual so i'm guessing shes just being picky since she seems to be fine with eating other treats i offer her. Guess i'll just stop giving her anything but her food until she starts to get hungry and eats her meals regularly oh I'll also try mixing in a bit of canned food along with her kibbles for her meals now. I just wish she would fill in a bit more but after she started to lay off of her food, her stomach seems to be a little more hollow now and it's starting to stress me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 My past female BC was VERY lean despite having a good appetite plus getting treats during training. It wasn't until close to 18mos that she finally started filling out. A lot of BC's stay in that long, lanky phase for quite a while Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 How much does she eat? How much do you do with her daily? And, 32 lbs is about normal. My 2 yo is skin and bones, eats 2 cups a day (once a day feeding) and still only weights 33 lbs. Knowing her line she'll be 4 before she *body ups* and then I'll be surprised if she breaks 35 lbs. Have you tried feeding her for 10 minutes then take it away? A real *schedule*, eat now or up it goes till tomorrow? Youngsters have better things to do, places to go, things to see and eating generally is low on the totem pole! If she's not sick (fever, lethargic, vomiting) I say it's a human issue But, that's jmo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 How much does she eat? How much do you do with her daily? And, 32 lbs is about normal. My 2 yo is skin and bones, eats 2 cups a day (once a day feeding) and still only weights 33 lbs. Knowing her line she'll be 4 before she *body ups* and then I'll be surprised if she breaks 35 lbs. Have you tried feeding her for 10 minutes then take it away? A real *schedule*, eat now or up it goes till tomorrow? Youngsters have better things to do, places to go, things to see and eating generally is low on the totem pole! If she's not sick (fever, lethargic, vomiting) I say it's a human issue But, that's jmo. Hi, sorry for the late reply. I feed Cloud 1 cup twice a day and if she's willing, then I'd sneak in another half cup. She ate this morning after awhile of coaxing but tonight she just wouldn't take more than a few kibbles so i'd say she's being very inconsistent. I've been trying to exercise Cloud as much as I can but things have been quite limited for awhile because she is in her heat so i couldn't take her to places or do too much of agility and frisbee because of her age. Plus I just caught a flu and have been stuck home for the past 3 days. Although I agree 32 lbs is normal for a young female border collie, I still think she could easily reach higher since she is pretty skinny right now without the eating and all. Someone suggested that if this keeps continuing, I shouldn't feed her for three days straight and start off fresh after that on a right schedule. Think I might do that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Well, that's one way, that's also cruel and inhumane, to withhold food intentionally. Do you really think that will work? Or will it teach her a lesson? What lesson would that be? Sounds to me like this problem is *you*. If she's hungry she'll eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 . Someone suggested that if this keeps continuing, I shouldn't feed her for three days straight and start off fresh after that on a right schedule. Think I might do that... I wouldn't do that! If this is new behavior, maybe there is something wrong with her. Has she been to a vet? I haven't had a picky eater in a long time, but one thing I would do was whet his appetite with a little bit of wet food or some other especially tasty food mixed in with his kibble. That improved his appetite quite a bit. Some dogs are fussy eaters but can still be healthy. I agree that at that age many dogs are skinny. However, I would be concerned if my dog's appetite changed suddenly. I can't comment on whether it is due to her being in season since I've never has an unsprayed female. If the new pickiness continues, I suggest you consult a vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Well, that's one way, that's also cruel and inhumane, to withhold food intentionally. Do you really think that will work? Or will it teach her a lesson? What lesson would that be? Sounds to me like this problem is *you*. If she's hungry she'll eat. This has been going on for more than a week and I'm pretty sure she is waiting for more tastier food (human food) that will eventually come her way. I would think she'd be hungry by now to see her lingering around her eating area but when I offer her kibble, she refuses even though i'm positive she will gulp up any meat if it were offered. The three day wait is supposed to teach her to value the food given to her at appropriate meal times by making her really hungry that she won't be able to resist even kibble . But since I would be more than happy to give her dog food if shes just willing to even eat it, I'd at least feed her at breakfast but no dinner instead of starving her for entire three days. I will also have to stop giving her anything but her dog food until she is eating regularly. So I don't see how it would be cruel when water will be provided and three days is not that long. please don't be so quick to judge. Because I love my dog and I just want her to be on a healthy and normal diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 I wouldn't do that! If this is new behavior, maybe there is something wrong with her. Has she been to a vet? I haven't had a picky eater in a long time, but one thing I would do was whet his appetite with a little bit of wet food or some other especially tasty food mixed in with his kibble. That improved his appetite quite a bit. Some dogs are fussy eaters but can still be healthy. I agree that at that age many dogs are skinny. However, I would be concerned if my dog's appetite changed suddenly. I can't comment on whether it is due to her being in season since I've never has an unsprayed female. If the new pickiness continues, I suggest you consult a vet. Although she seems to be her usual happy self, this appetite problem didn't exist until three weeks ago and since then I've been struggling to get her meals down properly. If this continues for another week, I'm considering in taking her to see the vet. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Just my two cents 1. Remember this is a discussion board and while there may be a vet present somewhere on here, so far a vet hasn't chimed in to give you their opinion and even then it's only based on info you gave and not putting their hands on the dog (listen to vitals, draw blood). If you are really this concerned take her to the vet! 2. My other thought would be to try cooking for her. It's not that hard just takes some planning and prep. 3. When was the last time she was checked for worms? 4. Could she have eaten anything out in the yard? Noxious weed, garbage etc? Could she have eaten something in the house? Socks, paper? 3. You mentioned that she will eventually get people food. Why? Are you giving it to her? Was she fed people food in the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 I also have never had an unspayed bitch so have no idea if her season is a reason, I have had two very picky lean dogs. My late picky eater just was never fussed about food, sometimes would not eat for a couple of days. He also liked to eat at odd times, as our other dog respected his food bowl we just let him be. Our young dog can also be a picky eater, we have learned that he only likes a small amount of food in the morning, and will eat more at night. With him the solution was having a foster dog, having an extra dog in the house made him eat, although it can still be a production. He is also very skinny, but there is a limit to how much he will eat. I am also of the thought that depriving the dog of food does not teach them to eat, personally I have no problem making food a little more interesting using stock/gravy/egg all sorts of tasty things that are easy and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 I will just re-state what I already said in post #2 and has also been suggested by several other responders -- see a vet, add a little bit of canned dog food or gravy etc. to the kibble to make it tastier. I also think that withholding food is not the solution. If you think she is being picky, do not give her treats during the day. Feed her normally (with the tasty stuff mixed into her kibble). Leave it down for 10 minutes, then pick it up. Wait to feed her again until her next scheduled feeding. I do not know the incidence of ulcers in dogs, but her behavior sounds a bit like the behavior of my livestock when they have presumed ulcers. (I say 'presumed' since there is no test for ulcers. If I think they have ulcers, I treat appropriately. If they get better, then they had ulcers. ) Sounds like a vet visit is in order. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 This has been going on for more than a week and I'm pretty sure she is waiting for more tastier food (human food) that will eventually come her way. I would think she'd be hungry by now to see her lingering around her eating area but when I offer her kibble, she refuses even though i'm positive she will gulp up any meat if it were offered. The three day wait is supposed to teach her to value the food given to her at appropriate meal times by making her really hungry that she won't be able to resist even kibble . SNIP I will also have to stop giving her anything but her dog food until she is eating regularly. So I don't see how it would be cruel when water will be provided and three days is not that long. please don't be so quick to judge. Because I love my dog and I just want her to be on a healthy and normal diet. If this going on for more than 3 weeks, then I'd be taking my dog to the vet. Other posters have mentioned possible problems, and I wouldn't wait 2 more weeks. It could be dangerous. If she does have some kind of medical problem, a 3 day fast could make it worse. One poster mentioned the possibility of ulcers. I've had ulcers, they absolutely killed my appetite except for a few things. And the few things varied from minute to minute sometimes. And fasting for 3 days - not a good thing for an ulcer. There's also a middle ground between not feeding for 3 days and handfeeding her/trying to get her to eat. Put her food down, leave it for 15 or 20 minutes, then pick it up. Give her nothing to eat until you put her food down again at a regular mealtime. 20 minutes and then take it back again. Stop feeding her anything but her dog food. Many 'picky' eaters will respond to this routine. They get the idea quickly that food goes away if they don't eat it. She may also like the 'game' of getting her to eat. My dear departed Shoshone found out one time that she loved to be hand fed and tempted to eat. She'd gotten ill and needed to be coaxed a bit for a few days. When it went on looooong after she was well, I did the 'food's available for 20 minutes and then not again for hours and hours!' routine. She decided to give up the invalid act and went right back to eating on her own. Please let us know how you and your girl get on. Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseAmy Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 What Ruth said. First you need to find out if there is a medical reason. If no then cut out the games. That includes not just hand feeding but with holding food for 3 days..(Which as far as I'm concerned is abuse). Leave your emtions out of it. A healthly dog will not starve to death. Put the food down for 15 minutes and then pick it up.. NO MORE FOOD until next meal. My male dog is not an eater..never was never will be..sometimes he misses 2 or three meals..then he eats like he's starved..just his style. When he was young I was always getting comments on how thin he was..Vet said..much healther thin then fat..At 13 yrs his joints and hips are still going strong..never a limp or stiffness does he have. FYI My unspayed dogs always get "weird" in some way when there in heat.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4ever Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 I wouldn't go the "no food for three days" route either. I can't imagine doing that. With both dogs, if they go too long without food, they start vomiting up yellow bile. At least offer the food, then take it up if she hasn't eaten it in twenty minutes or so. Try not to make a big deal out of it--she may be picking up on your concern and will play along. Does she seem nauseated? With our BC, when he got like that the vet would tell us to give him a Pepcid to help settle his stomach. He was very sensitive to whatever was going on around him (tension, change in routine) and his reaction was to not eat, or vomit what he did eat. Just me, but I would have had her to the vet by now, especially since this is something new. Good luck. Frustrating and worrisome when they won't eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 What Ruth said. First you need to find out if there is a medical reason. If no then cut out the games. That includes not just hand feeding but with holding food for 3 days..(Which as far as I'm concerned is abuse). Leave your emtions out of it. A healthly dog will not starve to death. Put the food down for 15 minutes and then pick it up.. NO MORE FOOD until next meal. My male dog is not an eater..never was never will be..sometimes he misses 2 or three meals..then he eats like he's starved..just his style. When he was young I was always getting comments on how thin he was..Vet said..much healther thin then fat..At 13 yrs his joints and hips are still going strong..never a limp or stiffness does he have. FYI My unspayed dogs always get "weird" in some way when there in heat.. What she said... There could have been something that happened when you weren't looking that could have put her off her regular rations. Tactics I have suggested that have worked for others are: Change the bowl. Some dogs don't like metal bowls. Change the location of the bowl. She may have formed a weird association with her usual feeding place. I'm in agreement with the 15 minutes down rule. If the dog is hungry... But- I had a Lurcher bitch once that started refusing her food. She was nauseated in the morning, and would not touch her food. She got excited when the evening food was being dished up, but when it was put before her she ate little or none. Vet gave her a clean bill of health, but the problem didn't go away. She would eat enough to sustain life, but no more. As a last-ditch effort I started feeding her raw meat along with her kibble. It was like magic. She wolfed the meat, ate the kibble and never looked back. No more nausea, her condition picked up, and soon she was in better condition than she had ever been. She had had some heath issues as a pup - she was a rescue - born in an animal shelter. Had a terrible intestinal parasite load that took 5 wormings to clear. The vet said it should not have affected her in later life, but I couldn't help feeling that it had something to do with her digestive issues. Maybe killed off her intestinal flora or left physical damage of some kind. Whatever it was, the raw did the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Hi, thanks for all your help. Cloud ate a cup this morning(surprisingly) after a little bit of waiting and hand feeding but refused to eat dinner tonight. I will be calling the vet this monday to schedule an appointment to have Cloud checked. Answer to Runzbarrel's question: I train cloud with meat (chicken/liver/steak) or cheese so that is all I meant when I mentioned "human food". Oh and about the three day wait, I was just putting on here what I have heard from someone and was CONSIDERING the idea, but now that I see you guys strongly disapprove of this, I will not try to fix Cloud's inconsistency this way. I will post back when I get some clues on why she is behaving this way from the vets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 For those of you that are wondering about Cloud, I was able to bring her in to my vet this friday and to have her checked with no signs of health problems. They told me to keep trying different food brands since some dogs will be picky and not eat a certain one but gulf down another. I will also get a glass or plastic bowl in replacement of the metal ones I currently have. Now, I'll have to go insearch of a different kibble for Cloud . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I know it's not for everyone but have you tried raw? My guy barely eat up until I switched him to raw a year ago, now he's a very lively and enthousiastic eater. Can't blame him, who wants to eat kibble, the same thing day in and out. Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I know it's not for everyone but have you tried raw? My guy barely eat up until I switched him to raw a year ago, now he's a very lively and enthousiastic eater. Can't blame him, who wants to eat kibble, the same thing day in and out. Lol! hmm not so sure about feeding her only raw but I'm starting to think mixing it in with her kibbles would be a good idea. what type of raw meat do you feed your dog and is it the pre-grinded type you can get at the groceries store? I tried getting a different flavored kibble like the salmon one and she is defiantly eating it more than she did before, although she won't finish her bowl enthusiastically. Maybe some meat will encourage her appetite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseAmy Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 First off let me say that if you ask 100 people about how to feed a dog you will get 100 different answers. I feed raw..for very personal reasons. I will stay off my soap box and not bore you with them. Raw and kibble are digested at a very different rate so it is not good to mix them in the same meal. Second with all due respect to your vet..you could go crazy and broke changing feeds around trying to find one your dog likes. Your dog will eat in the beginning then decide it wants something else. You will cause the doggie version of a person with an eating disorder (LOL).. Don't get into the game playing with your dog. Choose a high quality food that YOU like. Feed your dog twice a day. Don't make a big deal of it..Put the food down for 15 min. After 15 min. pick it up. That's it until the next meal. Trust me your dog will not starve..He will eat what he needs..As I said before I have a non eater..he's 13 acts and gets around like 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumulus Cloud Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 First off let me say that if you ask 100 people about how to feed a dog you will get 100 different answers. I feed raw..for very personal reasons. I will stay off my soap box and not bore you with them. Raw and kibble are digested at a very different rate so it is not good to mix them in the same meal. Second with all due respect to your vet..you could go crazy and broke changing feeds around trying to find one your dog likes. Your dog will eat in the beginning then decide it wants something else. You will cause the doggie version of a person with an eating disorder (LOL).. Don't get into the game playing with your dog. Choose a high quality food that YOU like. Feed your dog twice a day. Don't make a big deal of it..Put the food down for 15 min. After 15 min. pick it up. That's it until the next meal. Trust me your dog will not starve..He will eat what he needs..As I said before I have a non eater..he's 13 acts and gets around like 4. With that note said, I guess I'll just stick with the more convenient kibble. Cloud is getting much more better with her salmon flavored kibbles, not sure why it made such a difference from chicken flavor but whatever that works is good enough for me I guess. Sorry if I sound like a doggie novice up there, but that's why i'm here Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseAmy Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hey it's not that you are doggie novice..you just love your dog very much and want to do the best for her. No one can fault you for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Sorry if I sound like a doggie novice up there, but that's why i'm here Thanks. I always figure a novice who's willing to learn is the ideal situation. Since everyone's a novice at some stage, really, what's the alternative? A novice unwilling to learn, who'll have to do so once set in their ways (if they ever learn at all)? Start as you mean to go on. Tus maith leath na h-oibre (good start means half the work, apologies for my terrible spelling in Irish). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.