poor appetite

[evelyn1157]

my female shih tzu is 7 months old now. her appetite has been poor these past 2 months. i fed her eukanuba's chicken flavoured kibbles previously and tried switching to lamb and rice which she ate for a few days. but then she got tired of it so soon. she would go the whole day without eating her food. i have tried soaking her food in hot water and milk but to no avail. but she loves her eukanuba dog treats. what should i do?

[evelyn1157]

she has most of her new teeth now. her old ones started dropping about 3 months ago

[MichelleN]

My babies are Labradors and they eat ANYTHING! Sorry I can't help but I do know when I swopped their dog food, the vet said I should mix the old food with the new for a few days to make the change more gradual.

Hope someone has had this and can offer advice.

[jennifert]

Do you leave her food out for her all day or just put it down at mealtimes? I've read and heard that you should put their food down at meal times for no more than 15 minutes. If they don't eat, they don't eat! I used to have a dog(ironically, also a shih-tzu) that we left the food down all day for and he wouldn't touch it! ( I think my Mom was slipping him too much people food! Could that be the situation in your home?) BUT, when we went to bed at night, he would sneak out to the kitchen and you could hear him eating. We called him the "closet eater." Have you tried feeding her from your hand? Maybe if you tried no treats for a few days...I'm not too sure myself but I'm sure there are others on this board who will have a better answer. If she's been a poor eater for two months, what is her behavior like otherwise? Is she losing/not gaining weight? Any diarrhea? Does she sleep more than normal for a pup her size? Maybe reactions to her shots? Any changes in your lifestyle or other pets that may have her stressed? OK enough questions...I'll check back for an update...

[slleipnir]

MichelleN: I have a Lab too! I used to think she was always hungry but i guess its just the breed..she'll probably eat till she explosed! (my dog)

A lady told me once that she left her lab home once and came home to find it on its side with a huge belly and the dog food spilt all over the floor..a guess it litterally ate till it couldn't eat anymore

[carrie]

Shih-tzu's are the breed that I have more food problems with than any other!

First you need to check her dentition with the vet. It is very easy to put this down as a behaviour problem when there is really an underlying dental or oral problem.

If that is all clear, and even if it isn't, it really isn't a good idea to leave food down all day.
It is an instant code for the dog to believe that it is the highest status animal in the household. Add to this the fact that she can manipulate your behaviour in how she reacts to her food and the fact that she is a very smart dog and you have....disaster!

If the vet checks out fine I strongly suggest that you remove the food bowl from the floor.
Work out a normal weight per day that you would expect the dog to need. ( I use a washed out can to measure feed rather than by weight so what ever works for you.)
Then set up a ritual and don't deviate from it.
Toilet the dog and have a short play. Get the dog to sit while you measure out a VERY small part of the daily ration - if it works out as only ten pieces of food, so be it, it will be fine - next to the dog food get a very small something for yourself to eat (most of my clients find two or three cornflakes the easiest) and eat them. Ignore the dog during this process, even if she moves away. Don't look at her or speak to her. When you have totally finished eating whatever you have chosen turn back to the dog with the bowl in your hand. If she has broken the sit call her back and get her to sit again. Put her food down, still without a word, and walk away. After fifteen minutes you MUST pick the bowl up even if she has followed you rather than eat. During this time you continue to ignore her - not looking and not talking to her.
You then pay her no attention, not a look, touch or word until she has gone away from you and lain down for at least five minutes.

Then, and only then, call her to you, get her to sit, praise her, and then carry on as normal.

You are taking the issue out of food - there is nothing to be gained in any way from eating or not eating - it doesn't make any difference to you - so when she does eat you react in the exact same way - 15 minutes and then no reaction until she is relaxed for 5 minutes.

This will be very hard for you - if she doesn't eat, and she won't at first, you will feel bad taking the food away and then ignoring her. She will probably demand attention from you so ignoring her will be tough. When she does eat, and she will, your natural reaction will be to make a huge fuss of her and praise her -DON'T!!

Split her meals into the smallest portions you have the time to deal with - bear in mind that there should be at least two hours between feeds.
Increase activity - play and especially simple sit excersise, stay, come - do not reward with food - get excited and put on a high voice and physical praise instead.


Be aware that she may refuse food for several days and that if you start this then the garunteed way to make the dog worse in it's eating habits is to give up!!!

You must do it at every feed.

No tidbits of any kind.

As long as the vet says she is fine it will work - but you have to be prepared to see it through.

Please let us know how it goes, good luck!

[evelyn1157]

thanx a lot.
i took her to the vet a few days ago as she had diarrhea. The vet said that it was juz a normal case of overgrown protozoas and prescribed some antibiotics for her. her behaviour and weight is normal. and no one slips her ppl food.
i'll try carrie's method and see what happens.

[evelyn1157]

day one : she did not eat a thing

[MichelleN]

Evelyn: Don't worry, animals can go for much longer than us without food! Stick it out, we're rooting for you!

Sleipnir: My two boys come from the SPCA and they were FAT! Someone wasn't exercising them either 'coz they couldn't even run round the block! Now they're getting thinner (though the scale doesn't show an improvement) and they're 100% more energetic! It's wonderful to see such a change!

You baby looks beautiful, I'm also a new dog owner so I know how they get into your heart!

[jennifert]

Hang in there! Her instincts will kick in eventually and she'll eat! Let us know!

[carrie]

She will not eat for at least two or three days - it is worrying but the worst thing you can do is show any reaction.
She has to make the connection herself that food has no power over you. As you can't bark in a way she will understand it is your body language that you have to rely on to convey the message.
It hinges on your ability to TOTALLY ignore her - she will see you taking a sneaky look at her, even when you think she is not looking.
I know how hard this will be for you, but it is crucial.

I wish you all the luck in the world - something written down seems so easy, and to people that have never done it - it looks like a simple solution. I know it isn't - especially when you are already worried about the health issues.

Stick with it and she will eat.

Make sure that after you lift the food bowl and have the ignoring period that you interact normally with her until feed time comes round again.

Well done, be strong and remember it is for her own wellbeing in the end.

[Angels3]

We have a Tibetan Spaniel, a breed which has a connection with Shih-Tzus.
Our neighbours also have a male Tibetan Spaniel.
Both Tibbies refused to eat dry food. Yet, our top Tibbie breeder here recommends a dry food called Supercoat.
I solved the problem by mixing a little chicken, rice & vegetables with the dry food. Most times I use some PAL canned chicken casserole as the 'binder' for the dry food. But I sometimes prepare fresh chicken, rice & vegetables, too.
So these 2 Tibbies now eat their dry food happily this way.
By the way, I cook balsamic rice for the dogs...it has a much lower starch content than ordinary rice.
Marie

[evelyn1157]

it's not convenient for me to cook as i am staying in another state to study. and i have not tried the canned kind of wetfood as i heard that it's so much more tastier that they wouldn't want to eat their dryfood after that.and so i was thinking of switching to a more tastier brand of dryfood after zoey finishes her eukanuba. any reccomendation? i have seen eagle pack, purina one, science diet, royal canin. zoey hates alpo. and there's no innova here.

[Angels3]

The PAL canned chicken casserole that I use is mainly gravy. So a very little of that is enough to just get the taste (& smell?) thro' the dry food. Means that 1 can will last quite a few days (kept in the refrigerator).
But the Tibbies get their correct portion of dry food & actually eat it this way.
You're right about a whole list of dry food being available...& it's a matter of finding one that your own dog will eat & which is also nutritionally good.
There was a survey on one of the dog sites here in Oz, asking people what dry food they & their dogs preferred. The product, Supercoat, came out on top...but I think it may only be available here.
I'll ask the really good Tibbie breeders here if they know & use any of the dry food products that you've listed, Evelyn. A couple of them also breed Shih-Tzus.
I'll get back to you.
Marie

[KYS]

evelyn1157,
How is she doing?
Does she still have diarrhea or
our her stools nice and firm?
Keep us informed how your cutie is
doing.