Older dogs and eating habits

[dukedogsmom]

I'm hoping some of you with older dogs can help me. Duke usually just eats once a day. I feed him a can at night with some dry food. However, we keep a little dry available all the time in case he does get hungry. He used to gobble down all the canned food. But for about this past week, he's been leaving a lot. Last night I just gave him half of the can and then he ate the other half just about an hour ago. We've had company this week so I'm thinking that might be what's changing his eating. However, if it isn't, would it be better for him to give him half the canned food in the morning? He ate it right up and even ate some dry. He's lot a bit of weight and I am going to ask the vet about that. It's so hard to accept him getting this old.

[Glacier]

How much dry food is he eating? Maybe he ate more dry lately and didn't feel hungry enough for all the canned.

One of my seniors never leaves a single kibble anywhere(Preacher). Sleet sometimes leaves her entire meal and Paxil is the fussiest eater in the whole yard. Her kibble must be soaked and there had better be a tasty treat in it somewhere or she won't eat at all! Sleet's weight is perfect, Preacher needs to lose a few pounds, but has other issues that interfer with that, Paxil needs to gain a few!

Duke's weight loss could be from the new medication. When Goldie went on Meloxicam and started feeling better, she dropped five pounds in a few months with no change in her diet. It just didnt' hurt to move anymore so she was more active during her day. Maybe the same thing is happening for Duke?

[dukedogsmom]

I keep about 2 cups of dry available. A lot of times he'll just eat the canned and leave the dry for later and other times he doesn't eat it at all. I was just wondering if I should be concerned. It's actually good he's lost a little weight because he needed to. I just don't want him to continue to do so, you know?

[KYS]

Ok! I will be the first one to admit it.
Now that Sheba is old I am babying her.

She does not eat as much as she use to, so I have cut
down on her portions.
Of course the summer weather doesn't help much even though
I feed her inside.
I have always fed Sheba 2 times a day.
Now that she is old, she has become quite picky sometimes.
If she has those days that I can tell she is hungry, but
not interested in her food, I will cook a hot dog or something
else I know that will be tasty for her and cut it up
and add it to her food.
I tend to cook a lot of people food now so I can add
it to their meals so she will eat her meals.
(such as beef, steak, Turkey, Hamburger and fish etc.)
Normally they both fast once in awhile, and because she
does eat less, I give her a dogie biscuits latter on to make up for it.
It's ruff when are babies get old.